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Of course, when we want to plant or garden, we know that loose soil is a crucial need. Soil is a medium for plant growth and development. Apart from that, land also has its own ecosystem. Various types of organisms live in the soil and play an important role in soil fertility.
One of them is soil microorganisms. Although not visible to the naked eye, these microorganisms also play a role in maintaining the ecosystem and soil conditions. Here are the 5 main groups of soil microorganisms.
1. Bacteria
Illustration of soil microbes (pixabay.com/malucero-3694418)
Bacteria are among the microorganisms with the largest population in soil. Reporting from Ohio State University, One teaspoon of loose soil generally contains about 100 million to 1 billion bacteria. Bacteria are divided into different classifications based on their shape, gram positive or negative, aerobic or anaerobic, and other classifications. Bacteria play an important role in maintaining the soil ecosystem, for example by improving its structure and breaking down and recycling the nutrients needed by plants. It is known that some bacteria can break down nutrients such as nitrogen Azotobacter, AzospirillumAnd Clostridium.
In addition to good bacteria, there are also pathogenic bacteria in the soil that can transmit pests and diseases to plants. However, a healthy and diverse population of soil bacteria can produce antibiotic compounds to protect plants from disease. Different bacterial populations compete with each other for balanced nutrients and water, thereby reducing the population of pathogenic organisms.
2. Actinomycetes
ilustrasi actinomycetes (mdpi.com)
Actinomycetes still belongs to the bacterial group. Even if their population is not as large as that of bacteria, their presence in the soil is very important. Coverage from Frontiers in Soil Science, Actinomycetes represents an important population of microorganisms in soil, particularly for biological control of pests and plant diseases and for increasing plant growth. Reporting from Ohio State University, Streptomycetes (unique Actinomycetes) is known to produce more than 50 different types of antibiotics to protect plants from pathogenic bacteria.
3. Mushrooms
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Mushroom illustration (researchgate.net)
Fungi play an important role in the soil microorganism ecosystem. Reporting from Ohio State UniversityMost fungal groups decompose lignin and other difficult-to-digest materials. Fungi can form a network of hyphae that interact with soil particles, roots and stones, forming fibers to help search for nutrients in the soil. This tissue then releases enzymes into the soil to break down complex molecules, which are then reabsorbed into the fibers. Fungi absorb soil nutrients and distribute them to the plant roots that need them.
4. Algae
Algae illustration (pixabay.com/fraugun-6139425)
Soil algae are simple photosynthetic microorganisms that live and develop in soil. This algae can grow in almost all soil environments, both surface and subsurface. NCBI reporting, Algae are one of the most unique organisms with great potential for application in the world of agricultural complexes as a biological fertilizer and means of maintaining soil conditions, as well as increasing fertility and plant productivity. Algae is known to help soil improve its properties such as carbon content, aeration, texture and nitrogen fixation. The presence of algae can therefore also provide information about the environmental health of the soil.
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