Nature of Soil

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Soil Microbiology Nature of Soil Soil Habitats (Lithosphere) Microorganisms in Soil Decomposition of Organic Matter in Soil Bacteria in Soil Physiological Types of Bacteria in Different Soils Fungi in Soil Protozoa in Soil Algae in Soil Viruses in Soil Functions of Microorganisms in Soil Humus Functions of Humus Cycles of Elements Carbon Cycle Nitrogen Cycle

Nature of Soil

	Nature of Soil - Soil is the upper layer of most of the earth's surface and varies in depth from inches to over twenty feet. It is a product of weathered rock, but quite distinct in its characteristic. Soil is not a single unit, because there are different kinds of soils. The type of soil, which develops from the underlying rock, is a result of interaction of four factors.
1. The parental material, the rock itself, from which the soil is formed, for example granite, marble, etc. 2. The climate the rain, the seasons, the winds, the ice and the, burning sun. 3. The age the time, measured in centuries, required to make the soil. 4. Biological the growth of plants and of microorganisms and the transformation of organic matter.
Each kind of soil has some distinctive features. The distinctive feature is the soil profile, which consists of a series of layers different from one another in colour, texture, composition, etc. Each layer is called a horizon.
Man depends upon the soil for his food and is a, "parasite upon vegetable". But vegetable is molded by the remains of many vegetables from years past. These vegetable remains, become quite different from the plants they started from, by the agency of soil microorganisms and it is precisely here that microorganisms exert a profound effect upon all living forms. In fact, soil is the beginning of life, and of course, the end of it.

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Sulphur Cycle Ammonification in Soil Nitrification in Soil Nitrate Reduction in Soil Denitrification in Soil Nitrogen Fixation Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation Rhizobium Specificity of Bacteria and Legumes Non-Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation Non-symbiotic Nitrogen Fixing Microorganisms Mechanism of Nitrogen Fixation Oxidation of Sulphur and Sulphur Compounds by Bacteria