Question

how are minerals replenished in the soil of a crop field

Answer 1

Minerals in the soil are used up by plants for preparing their food and for performing various other functions resulting in depletion of these essential minerals.

These minerals, then, could be replenished by:-

● Addition of Fertilizers.
● Addition of Manures.
● Dead and decaying plants and animals could also help.
● Various nitrogen fixing bacterium also helps in fixing atmospheric nitrogen to soil.

Answer 2

The plants absorb all the essential nutrients like potash, phosphates, nitrates and other nutrients from the soil. These nutrients will be deposited in the plants. After plants are cut down or due to maturity has fallen down on the surface of the soil. The plants get decomposed and the same nutrients get back to the soil — a Natural process of nutrients replenished in the soil.

During winter most of the leaves are fallen down. When all this fallen down plants combine with soil and the moisture starts to decompose. The decomposition is instigated by the microorganisms like bacteria, fungi. The decomposition of these fallen plants releases nutrients back into the soil. All these nutrients which are stored in the plant body and also leguminous plant roots get released to soil. All the nutrients taken by those fallen plants will be given back to the soil for the new plants to consume. This is one of the normal nutrient cycles which Nature follows.