What affects how well soil holds water?

Since the beginning of agriculture, people have recognized that a sufficient water supply is essential for crop production. The capacity of soil to store and supply water for plant growth is a fundamental agroecosystem service. It also is a soil health indicator. How well this soil water storage function performs affects water use efficiency, irrigation …

What are soil pores?

Pores are in almost everything. Look closely enough and you will find them in the wood and bricks of buildings, your skin, and the ground beneath. Soil pores are the spaces between Earth’s solid pieces (rocks, sands, silts, clays, and organic matter). A visualization depicting if the smallest pore a sunflower can drink water from …

How did the forest develop at the Hailuogou glacier area?

Since the mid-19th century, increasing temperatures have resulted in the retreat of mountain glaciers on all continents. When glaciers retreat, they leave “glacial debris.” This debris serves as new substrate for soil and ecosystem development. This is often called “parent material” in the process of soil formation. The glacial debris is initially loose material, which …

How can I manage my lawn to prevent nitrate pollution?

Lawns are a major part of urban ecosystems. Turf grasses represent one of the major crops in the United States. The area of lawns combined would be about equal to the size of the entire state of Wisconsin. Lawns have several environmental benefits, including carbon sequestration, reducing urban heat, and reducing. However, if they are …

What do nutrients do for plants?

If a plant decided to go on a diet, you know, to keep its plant-like figure, what do you think it would choose to be as healthy as possible? It turns out that plants, like humans, rely on essential nutrients to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. So, what’s the plant equivalent of a protein …

There is a fungus among us!

For over four hundred million years, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi have been forming symbiotic relationships with plants around the globe. Found on almost every continent and in approximately 80% of vascular plants, these important fungi play a pivotal role in plant nutrient uptake in diverse ecosystems. These important fungi begin their life in the soil – …

What do ants and soils do for each other?

Have you ever wondered how important ants are for agriculture and soils? They do not get much credit for their contribution towards our planet Earth. Moreover, many people dislike them. Don’t we? We certainly don’t appreciate them in our homes – or on our picnic tables! Imagine a situation where you are in a corn …

How do different root structures affect soil?

Plant roots modify soil in different ways – depending on the root’s architecture. Most of us think of the soil as the natural habitat for plants, and therefore soils must provide a nurturing and supportive environment for them, right? Well…most of us could not be more wrong about that. The soil is not a very …

Are the west Texas rangelands barren?

Driving through west Texas, you would think that the windmills are all there is to see. Flat, desert-like landscape is not what you expect the highest producing region of beef cattle and cotton in the United States to look like. Through the years, producers in this region have found a way to create life despite …

How does root depth affect the nearby soil?

Roots are not passive actors in the exchange of nutrients with soil. Their growth helps the plant, and the environment!