3.2 Soils for plant growth Flashcards
1
Q
soils is a _ _ _ _ _ for plant _ _ _ _
A
soils is a medium for plant growth
2
Q
factors affecting plant growth
A
- Mineral ions
- Organic matter
- pH
3
Q
Mineral ions required by plants
3
NPK
A
- nitrogen as nitrate ions (NO3–),
- phosphorus as phosphate ions (PO43–), potassium as potassium ions (K+)
4
Q
Poor plant growth may be due to?
A
Deficiency in one or more minerals
5
Q
what is nitrate mineral required for?
A
for protein, which is needed for cell growth
6
Q
what is phosphate mineral required for?
A
for respiration and growth
7
Q
what is potassium required for?
A
photosynthesis
8
Q
why is organic matter required for plant growth?
A
- Increased microorganism content
- Increase the water-holding capacity (like a sponge);
- more nutrients → less money spent on nutrient
9
Q
Soil pH
A
- plants may fail to grow in certail soils becausse of the pH
- Affects the uptake of nutrients by plant roots;
- Affects the availability of nutrients;
optimum pH is 5 to 7
10
Q
sandy soil characteristics compared to clay soil
* air content
* water content
* drainage
* ease of cultivation
* fertile
A
- air content- high (Larger air spaces)
- water content- low
- drainage- drains quickly
- ease of cultivation- easy
- fertile- less fertile
11
Q
clay soil characteristics compared to sandy soil
* air content
* water content
* drainage
* ease of cultivation
* fertile
A
- air content- low
- water content- high
- drainage- drains sowly
- ease of cultivation- difficult
- fertile- more fertile
smaller than sandy soil
