UNIT 2.

SOIL
FERTILITY
FUNDAMENTALS
A.NUTRIENT CYCLE
AND SOIL
FERTILITLY

NUTRIENT CYCLE
• The nutrient cycle is a system where energy and
matter are transferred between living organisms
and non-living parts of the environment.

SOIL FERTILITY
• Soil fertility is the ability of a soil to sustain
plant growth by providing essential plant
nutrients and favorable chemical, physical, and
biological characteristics as a habitat for plant
growth.
ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
AND THEIR ROLES

What are the Essential Nutrients?

• Non-mineral elements make up 95%
of the mass of all living organisms
• The non-mineral elements are
Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen
(O) These nutrients are often obtained
from carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air
and water (H2O)
MINERAL ELEMENTS
Macronutrients and Micronutrients

• Macronutrients are chemical elements that plants

need in large quantities to perform basic functions,
and their availability can limit the growth of
organisms.

• They include the elements nitrogen (N) ,

phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and
magnesium (Mg).
MINERAL ELEMENTS
Macronutrients and Micronutrients

• Micronutrients are taken up in much

smaller amounts than macronutrients, but
are still vital for growth and metabolism.
The micronutrients include boron (B),
copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn)
and zinc (Zn).
MINERAL ELEMENTS
 TYPES OF NUTRIENT CYCLE

NITROGEN CYCLE- nitrogen is an essential

Component of life: living organisms can consume nitrogen directly instead it has to converted into organic
compounds CARBON CYCLE – carbon is considered one of the main constituents of all living
organisms.
WATER/ HYDROLOGIC OXYGEN CYCLE- it is the essential
CYCLE- Water dissolves nutrients in elements for all life processes. Oxygen is used for
decaying plant material and animal products the decomposition of waste products
and transports the nutrients into the soil to be
recycled or when water runs off the land, into
streams or lakes. Water also physically
transports soil into water bodies.
 NUTRIENT CYCLE IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT PROCESS THAT OCCURS
IN THE ECOSYSTEM
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DAY AND GOD
BLESS!