What is the role of effective microorganisms of plant growth and role of microorganisms in recycling of carbon and nitrogen through air and soil?
Effective Microorganisms and Plant Growth:
Effective microorganisms (EM) are a mixed culture of beneficial bacteria and fungi that can significantly impact plant growth. They work in several ways:
Promoting nutrient uptake: EM microbes can help unlock nutrients otherwise unavailable to plants, like phosphates, through a process called solubilization. Additionally, they can fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it directly accessible to plants. Boosting soil health: EM improves soil structure and aeration by promoting the decomposition of organic matter. This leads to better water retention and the production of essential soil nutrients. Enhancing photosynthesis: Some EM microbes produce plant growth hormones like auxins and cytokinins, stimulating plant growth and photosynthesis. Suppressing diseases: EM creates a competitive environment in the soil, making it harder for harmful pathogens to establish themselves. This can decrease plant diseases and pest infestations.
Overall, EM application can lead to higher yields, improved plant quality, and increased resistance to stress conditions.
Microorganisms in Carbon and Nitrogen Recycling:
Microorganisms play a crucial role in the continuous cycling of carbon and nitrogen through the air and soil, forming the backbone of terrestrial ecosystems. Here's how:
Nitrogen cycle:
- Nitrogen fixation: Certain bacteria (e.g., Rhizobia) can convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants through a process called nitrogen fixation.
- Decomposition: Microbes break down organic matter, releasing nitrogen back into the soil.
- Nitrification: Some bacteria convert ammonium released during decomposition into nitrite and nitrate, readily absorbed by plants.
- Denitrification: Other microbes convert nitrates back into atmospheric nitrogen under certain conditions.
Carbon cycle:
- Decomposition: Microbes break down dead organisms and organic matter, releasing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
- Photosynthesis: Plants use carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce organic compounds during photosynthesis.
- Methanogenesis: Anaerobic microbes in wetlands produce methane, another important form of carbon, from organic matter.
In essence, these cycles ensure the continuous circulation of these essential elements between the atmosphere, soil, and living organisms, sustaining life on Earth.
Microorganisms and fungi break down wood and return carbon to the biogeochemical cycles. If these organisms become absent, carbon would accumulate in the wood, where it could not be recycled into the environment. The fixation of nitrogen is dependent on microorganisms mostly through biological nitrogen fixation. Microorganisms have the potential to improve plant growth under abiotic stress conditions by promoting the production of low-molecular-weight osmolytes, such as glycinebetaine, proline, and other amino acids, mineral phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, organic acids, and producing key enzymes. Beneficial microorganisms have been shown to play a role in atmospheric nitrogen fixation, organic wastes and residues decomposition, detoxification of pesticides, suppression of plant diseases and soil-borne pathogens, enhancement of nutrient cycling, and production of bioactive compounds such as vitamins, hormones. Effective microorganisms enhance soil fertility and promote growth, flowering, fruit development and ripening in crops. It can increase crop yields and improve crop quality as well as accelerating the breakdown of organic matter from crop residues. Bacteria provide large quantities of nitrogen to plants and nitrogen is often lacking in the soil. Many bacteria secrete enzymes in the soil to makes phosphorus more soluble and plant available. Bacteria known as Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) are diverse and represent a wide range of phyla. They also perform a wide variety of growth-promoting functions. One of the most extensively studied groups of PGPRs is that of the various Azospirillum species.Soil microorganisms, by actively participating in the decomposition and transformation of organic matter through diverse metabolic pathways, play a pivotal role in carbon cycling within soil systems and contribute to the stabilization of organic carbon, thereby influencing soil carbon storage and turnover. Microbes and fungi decompose dead animals, plants and matter. When they do so, they release carbon dioxide into the air due to respiration and contribute to the carbon cycle. In the soil and ocean there are certain microbes that have the ability to convert ammonia into nitrites. This contributes to the nitrogen cycle. But microbes don't just eat nature's waste, they recycle it. The process of decomposition releases chemicals that can be used to build new plants and animals.
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