Find out the role of microbes in the following and discuss it with your teacher. (b) Soil
1. Microrganisms in the soil help in enriching the nutrient quality of the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and cyanobacteria act as biofertilizers. 2. Microbes add organic matter to the soil, a process also called as humification. 3.Certain species of bacteria and cyanobacteria have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen into an organic form which is used by plants for nutrients 4. In the root nodules of leguminous plant rhizobium has symbiotic association. 5. Azotobacter and Azospirillium are free-living nitrogen fixers present in the soil 6. Mycorrhiza, fungal symbiotic association absorbs phosphorous from the soil and provides it to plant whereas Nostoc, Anabaena, Oscillatoria are nitrogen-fixing cynobacteria. Microrganisms are used for the production of single-cell protein as well as it is used to maintain soil fertility and enrich its nutrients.
