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In agriculture, leaching is the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil, due to rain and irrigation. Soil structure , crop planting, type and application rates of fertilizers , and other factors are taken into account to avoid excessive nutrient loss.
Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and animals (including humans).
The process generally occurs in areas where precipitation is greater than evapotranspiration. The minerals are removed by a process known as leaching. When organic material is broken down nutrients are released, but at the same time organic acids are released. These organic acids are known as chelating agents.
Nutrients in the soil are taken up by the plant through its roots, and in particular its root hairs.To be taken up by a plant, a nutrient element must be located near the root surface; however, the supply of nutrients in contact with the root is rapidly depleted within a distance of ca. 2 mm. [14] There are three basic mechanisms whereby nutrient ions dissolved in the soil solution are brought ...
A leaching model is a hydrological model by which the leaching with irrigation water of dissolved substances, notably salt, in the soil is described depending on the hydrological regime and the soil's properties. The model may describe the process (1) in time and (2) as a function of amount of water applied.
While erosion is a natural process, human activities have increased by 10–40 times the rate at which soil erosion is occurring globally. [7] At agriculture sites in the Appalachian Mountains, intensive farming practices have caused erosion at up to 100 times the natural rate of erosion in the region. [8]
Soils supply plants with nutrients, most of which are held in place by particles of clay and organic matter [41] The nutrients may be adsorbed on clay mineral surfaces, bound within clay minerals , or bound within organic compounds as part of the living organisms or dead soil organic matter. These bound nutrients interact with soil water to ...
Roots have a negative electrical charge balanced by protons in the soil next to the roots, and these can be exchanged for essential nutrient cations such as potassium. [43] Decaying remains of dead plants in soil may form organic acids which, when dissolved in water, cause chemical weathering. [44]