MANAGING THE SOIL

Understanding Types of Soil and Plant Growth

Plants grow from the Photosynthesis process; light energy is converted to chemical energy into sugars. Glucose molecules are created from water and carbon dioxide, with oxygen created as a byproduct. At night, the Photosynthesis process stops, but oxygen respiration continues at a reduced rate.

In the soil ecosystem, the hairs on the root system absorb the electrically charged nutrient ions produced from the microorganism decomposition of biomatter in the soil. Microbe-generated ions are a slow-release process from microbes converting bio matter in the soil to different ions.

Synthetic fertilizers quickly release ions in the soil when chemicals are mixed with water: ammonium, NH4+, nitrate ions, and NO3 are soluble nitrogen sources. Phosphate ions, PO43-, are a source of soluble phosphorus. All common potassium compounds dissolve in water to produce potassium ions, K.

The major difference between the two processes is that the organic process has a long life, a slow process, while the synthetic process is a fast process with a short life in the soil. Most nitrous oxide arises from soils through the biological pathways of nitrification and denitrification.

Nitrification is performed by aerobic, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), which produce nitrates from ammonium and some nitrous oxide in the soil during this process. Synthetic fertilizers release the ions faster than plants can absorb.

While there have been many advantages to synthetic fertilizer use, they have essentially been overused, partly because research results frequently overestimated the benefits of synthetic fertilizer by failing to contrast performance against alternative biological sources. 

Given the fast dissipation of synthetic fertilizers, some farmers overuse synthetic fertilizers, causing excessive release of nitrous oxide. Seventeen different nutrients are essential for plants, each with a specific function.

Three of these elements come from the water and air, while the remaining elements are taken from the soil. Plant roots absorb nutrients to be used in plant functions.

 The United States has ten different soil types, Canada has 11, and Jamaica has 176. In the soil ecosystem, root hairs absorb nutrient ions from microorganism decomposition of biomatter, while synthetic fertilizers quickly release ions into the soil. This contrast results in the overuse of synthetic fertilizers, causing excessive nitrous oxide release.