Microorganisms play a crucial and fascinating role in both mineral cycling and soil fertility, through their involvement in soil decomposition and nutrient cycling:

Mineral Cycling:

• Decomposition: Microorganisms break down dead plant and animal matter, releasing essential minerals like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. This process makes these minerals available for plants to absorb and use for growth, completing the mineral cycle. Different types of microbes specialize in different stages of decomposition, like bacteria breaking down large molecules and fungi tackling tough cellulose.
• Weathering: Some microbes produce organic acids that dissolve minerals locked in rocks and soil particles. This releases the minerals in a usable form for plants and replenishes the soil's nutrient reservoir.
• Nitrogen fixation: Certain specialized bacteria, like those in legume root nodules, convert atmospheric nitrogen (unusable for plants) into ammonia (usable for plants). This process fixes atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, contributing significantly to soil fertility, especially in nitrogen-deficient environments.

Soil Fertility:

• Nutrient cycle: Microorganisms not only release nutrients from organic matter but also play a vital role in their transformation and movement within the soil. Through various chemical reactions, they convert nutrients into plant-available forms and help retain them in the soil. This ensures a balanced and readily accessible supply of nutrients for plant growth.
• Humus formation: By decomposing organic matter, microbes contribute to the formation of humus, a rich, dark substance that improves soil structure, aeration, and water retention. These factors provide a healthy environment for plant roots and enhance overall soil fertility.
• Disease suppression: Some microbes act as natural antagonists to soil-borne pathogens, suppressing their growth and protecting plants from diseases. This maintains a healthy soil ecosystem and contributes to sustainable crop production.

In summary, microorganisms are nature's tiny workhorses, performing the essential tasks of decomposing organic matter, cycling minerals, and maintaining soil fertility. By understanding their complex roles, we can develop sustainable agricultural practices that promote healthy soil and abundant plant growth.

Dr Murtadha Shukur thank you for your contribution to the discussion

The roles of microbes in nutrients cycling and soil fertility are as follows 1.The soil microbes such as bacteria, fungi help to decompose organic materials to release nutrients and make them available to plants through the process of mineralization and humification.Besides, bacteria and fungi also involved in symbiotic nitrogen fixation and mychorriza which nutrients available to plants.The added organic matter to the soil also improve soil properties both physical and chemical thereby improving soil fertility on sustainable basis.2.However,it must be noted that the type of organic materials added to the soil determines the rate of decomposition and nutrients release,if the organic materials are high in lignin and high C/N ratio,the decomposition of the materials will be a bit tough for the microbes and they will be forced to use the existing nutrients in the soil as substrates for energy sources,thereby depleting the nutrients base and reducing the soil fertility in a process called immobilization.Hence,there is need to process organic materials to reduce high C/N ratio for faster decomposition process

Dr Moyin-Jesu Emmanuel Ibukunoluwa thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Microbes are critical in the process of breaking down and transforming dead organic material into forms that can be reused by other organisms. This is why the microbial enzyme systems involved are viewed as key 'engines' that drives the Earth's biogeochemical cycles. Microorganisms are responsible for the degradation of organic matter, which controls the release of plant nutrients, but is also important for the maintenance of soil structure and sustainability of soil quality for plant growth. The microbe plays an essential role of organic matter degradation in nutrient cycling; microorganism present in soil digests the organic matter including dead organisms. The nutrients get released by the breakdown of the organic molecule to make it available for plants to uptake nutrients in the soil through roots. Microorganisms play a crucial role in nutrient cycling in soil. The composition and activity of microbiota impact the soil quality status, health, and nutrient enrichment. Microbes are essential for nutrient mobility and absorption. Through their varied functions, they stimulate plant growth and reduce diseases. Soil microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and archaea, perform vital ecosystem functions, such as decomposition and nutrient cycling, and form symbiotic relationships with plants. Soil microbes can break down plant organic matter to carbon dioxide or convert it to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) compounds. This leads either to long-term carbon storage, because DOC can bind to soil particles, or to the release of carbon back to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. The soil fertility improving functions of soil microorganisms include release of plant nutrients such as P,K and Zn from insoluble inorganic forms, decomposition of organic residues and release of nutrients, formation of beneficial soil humus by decomposing organic residues and through synthesis of new compounds. Microorganisms are responsible for the degradation of organic matter, which controls the release of plant nutrients, but is also important for the maintenance of soil structure and sustainability of soil quality for plant growth. Decomposition is a process that releases nutrient materials in the structure of plant and animal tissues to the soil solution where the nutrients are once again potentially available to plants. The nutrient cycle is a system where energy and matter are transferred between living organisms and non-living parts of the environment. This occurs as animals and plants consume nutrients found in the soil, and these nutrients are then released back into the environment via death and decomposition.