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Soil health is a state of a soil meeting its range of ecosystem functions as appropriate to its environment. In more colloquial terms, the health of soil arises from favorable interactions of all soil components (living and non-living) that belong together, as in microbiota, plants and animals.
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals or improper disposal of waste .
A greater diversity of plants in a soil leads to a greater diversity of microbes in the rhizosphere and furthermore can lead to greater suppression of soil diseases. [9] Management, such as informed crop rotation and soil solarization , can create suppressive soils that naturally suppress pathogens.
To see if a plant is being affected by soil acidification, one can closely observe the plant leaves. If the leaves are green and look healthy, the soil pH is normal and acceptable for plant life. But if the plant leaves have yellowing between the veins on their leaves, that means the plant is suffering from acidification and is unhealthy.
Leaching is affected by the soil, the pesticide, and rainfall and irrigation. Leaching is most likely to happen if using a water-soluble pesticide, when the soil tends to be sandy in texture; if excessive watering occurs just after pesticide application; if the adsorption ability of the pesticide to the soil is low.
Soil microbiology is the study of microorganisms ... and fatty acids—that attract and feed beneficial microbial species while repelling and killing harmful ones. ...
The biggest worry is also the biggest unknown. Scientists have found increased levels of harmful heavy metals in the soil and water near the mine. Yanacocha acknowledges that older water studies found problems, but says it has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade its treatment plants.
Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. ... desertification, harmful airborne dust, ...