Aeration, Biology

Assignment Help:

Aeration

A well-aerated soil is one in which gases are available to plant roots and other soil organisms, in sufficient quantities and in proper proportions to support their normal respiratory activities. It is important that oxygen which is necessary for soil biota is continuously renewed to support metabolic activities.

A soil which is considered well aerated must have the following two characteristics. First, sufficient space for air movement should be present. Second, there must be ample opportunity for the ready movement of gases into and out of the soil. Soil aeration is an important factor having far reaching influence on the metabolic activity of plant roots and other soil organisms. Continuous supply of oxygen in the soil is necessary to sustain soil organisms.

One of the most apparent effects of poor soil aeration is the reduction in the rate of organic matter decomposition, which you might recall is an essential process to maintain soil fertility. The reduced rate of break down of organic matter is due to the lack of oxygen rather than from the built up of carbon dioxide. Accumulation of organic matter in swampy areas shows that the lack of oxygen retards the decomposition of organic matter.

Aerobic soil organisms are unable to survive in the absence of gaseous oxygen. For example, bacteria that are responsible for the oxidation of nitrogen and sulphur are relatively ineffective in poorly aerated soils. This is also true for the symbiotic nitrogen fixers and some of the free living nitrogen fixers such as azotobacter.

Higher plants are also adversely affected by poor soil aeration because the root growth is curtailed; nutrient and water absorption is adversely affected; and certain toxic elements accumulate in poorly aerated soils.


Related Discussions:- Aeration

Physical element with great amount of energy at earth origin, Which physica...

Which physical elements contributed to the great amount of available energy on the primitive earth at the time of the origin of life? 3.5 billion years since the water cycle wa

Plate tectonic theory, Plate Tectonic Is a Theory of Geology Which describe...

Plate Tectonic Is a Theory of Geology Which describes the large scale motion of earth's lithosphere. The theory builds on the older theory of continental drift from the first half

Explain adverse effects of adefovir dipivoxil, Adverse Effects of Adefovir ...

Adverse Effects of Adefovir dipivoxil  Doses of adefovir used for HBV are generally well tolerated but may be associated with asthenia, headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. H

Examine multiple variation parameters for a genomic region , Determine SNP ...

Determine SNP variation among the aligned DNAs for a genomic region.   See below for how to count SNP variation.  The output file (Your_name_snp.txt) should have two

Define iron - the micronutrient, Define Iron - The Micronutrient Iron, ...

Define Iron - The Micronutrient Iron, as you may be aware, is a trace element present in the body. The body contains approximately 3 - 3.5 g of iron of which about two thirds i

Chemical changes during cleavage, CHEMICAL CHANGES DURING CLEAVAGE - 1....

CHEMICAL CHANGES DURING CLEAVAGE - 1.       Synthesis of DNA occurs. 2.       Synthesis of RNA (rRNA is absent, mRNA & tRNA are synthesized very little amount). 3.

Define chlorophyll - natural colourant, Chlorophyll Chlorophyll is the...

Chlorophyll Chlorophyll is the porphyrin most widely used as a natural colourant. Its widespread occurrence in photosynthetic  tissue and its breakdown character have prompted

Ways to adapt to stress, Ways to adapt to stress Now that you know the...

Ways to adapt to stress Now that you know the nature of stress, let us see what type of strategies plants have acquired to adapt to stress. You know that biological functions

Sex-limited traits, can u show the different activities on the topic

can u show the different activities on the topic

Body cavity and coelom - metazoa, Body Cavity and Coelom - Metazoa Vac...

Body Cavity and Coelom - Metazoa Vacuoles, spaces, lacunae and cavities have been of importance in all organisms, may it a be plant or animal. All animals have cavities. The c

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd