Soil health: Impacts of fertilisers on soil organisms

Soil health: Impacts of fertilisers on soil organisms Lynette Abbott continues her discussion on soil health by examining the effects of fertilisers on soil organisms. Most soils are deficient in nutrients needed to support the growth of agricultural plants; therefore, nutrient supplements are essential to sustain food security. Plants require essential macronutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) as well as micronutrients (e.g., zinc, iron, boron). The amounts of nutrients required by different plant varieties are not the same. In natural ecosystems, soil organisms are involved in the cycling of nutrients from soil organic matter and enable the establishment and persistence of plant communities. This may be a relatively slow process in forests or rangelands, depending on the plant species present.