Factors that determine doil fertility.
Answers
Here are some factors that influence soil fertility;
soil pH: this determines which nutrient becomes available for plant use.
Presence of organic matter: organic materials have nutrients in them that need to be recycled for the next growing cycle. Increasing soil organic matter content means you are increasing the fertility of the soil.
Moisture content : nutrients available in the soil for plant use are mostly found in the soil solution, not in the solid matrix. Soil with low moisture content are not very fertile.
Antagonistic effect of another nutrient : the presence of certain elements in the soil can make other elements unavailable. Eg. Iron compounds always precipitate with phosphorus, and excess potassium can make magnesium unavailable.
Bulk density: you don't want your soil to be compacted. Because compaction can obstruct root penetration. If the roots cannot penetrate the soil, then they can't reach the nutrients.
Clay content: this factor determines the cation exchange capacity of the soil. Higher CEC means more nutrients would be temporarily reserved for when the plants need them. Low CEC means that nutrients can be easily lost by leaching off to the ground water.
Hope this helps you ☺️☺️
Explanation:
FACTORS AFFECTING SOIL FERTILITY
Mineral composition – knowing the mineral composition of the soil, we can predict its ability to retain plant nutrients. ...
Soil pH – Soil pH is important in maintaining proper soil fertility. ...
Soil Texture – Different sized minerals particles give the soil its structure – sand, silt a clay.