Question

Explain the role microorganisms in improving soil fertility.

Answer 1

Microorganisms in soil:

1. Two types of microorganisms present in the soil can increase its fertility.
2. Decomposers and nitrogen-fixing bacteria are the two types of microorganisms that can improve soil fertility.

Decomposers:

1. The microorganisms that decompose dead and decaying organisms are called decomposers.
2. Decomposers can break down the complex organic molecules of the dead organisms into smaller molecules.
3. The organic molecules produced by decomposers enter the soil, which gets used up by the plants as nutrients.

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria:

1. The process of fixing the atmospheric nitrogen into the soil is called nitrogen fixation.
2. Microorganisms like Rhizobium are present in the root nodules of the leguminous plants.
3. Rhizobium fixes the nitrogen in the soil for the leguminous plants to absorb the nitrogen.
4. Both the organic nutrients and nitrogen can improve the soil fertility for better plant growth.