Soil Microbiology: Sana'a University Faculty of Science Biology Department

SOIL MICROBIOLOGY
 Sana’a University
 Faculty of Science
 Biology Department
 Student presenter: Badraddeen Hazzaa

 Supervisor: Dr. Ebtesam AL-Hamzy
• Soil microorganisms and Soil
Structure
• The role of organic matter in soil
structure
• Synthetic soil conditioners
• Soil structure in relation to root
growth
• Evaluation of soil structure
Soil microorganisms
 Soil microbiology is the study
of microorganisms in soil, their functions, and
how they affect soil properties.
 Microorganisms in soil are important because
they affect soil structure and fertility.
 Soil microorganisms can be classified as bacteria,
actinomycetes, fungi, algae and protozoa.
 Each of these groups has characteristics that
define them and their functions in soil.
 Up to 10 billion bacterial cells inhabit each gram
of soil in and around.
Bacteria and Archaea
 Bacteria and Archaea are the smallest organisms in
soil apart from viruses.
 Bacteria and Archaea are prokaryotic.
 Most soil bacteria live close to plant roots and are
often referred to as rhizobacteria (lives on rhizosphere)
Some genera like:

 Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, Clostridium,
Achromobacter, Sarcina, Enterobacter etc
Soil microorganisms
Actinomycetes
Bacteria
Fungi
Algae
after Balser, Univ of Wisconsin

Actinomycetes
 Actinomycetes are a fungi-like bacteria forming long
filaments that stretch through the soil.
 Actinomycetes live predominantly aerobically and are
heterotrophs.
 They have sometimes been classed as fungi because
they both look like, and decompose similar material
as fungi.
 Antibacterial agents work against them but antifungal
agents do not.
 Make “earthy” smell by producing Geosmin.
 Adaptable to drought.
 One of the most notable characteristics of the
Actinomycetes is their ability to produce antibiotics
,like Streptomycin.
 EXAMPLES:
 • Nocardia asteroides
 • Dermatophilus congolensis
 • Streptomyces etc.
Fungi
 Fungi are important in the soil as food sources for
other larger organisms, pathogens, beneficial
symbiotic relationships with plants or other
organisms and soil health.
 The quality as well as quantity of organic matter
in the soil has a direct correlation to the growth of
fungi,because most fungi consume organic matter
for nutrition.
 Fungi thrive in acidic environments, while
bacteria and Actinomycetes cannot survive in
acidic soil.
Saprophytic fungi (decomposers)
 – Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom)
 – Lentinula edodes (shiitake)
 – Stropharia rugosoannulata (king tropharia).
Mutualistic Fungi
 – Zygomycota
 – Basidiomycota
Algae
 Filamentous, colonial, unicellular
 Photosynthetic
 Algae can be split up into three main groups:
– Cyanophyceae
– Chlorophyceae
– Bacillariaceae
Blue-green algae(Cyanophyceae)
are responsible for
nitrogen fixation.
Protozoa
 Protozoa are eukaryotic organisms
 The first microorganisms to reproduce sexually,
asexually.
 Protozoa can be split up into three categories
– Flagellates
–Amoebae
– Ciliates.
- Apie complex
Advantages of Soil Organisms
1. Organic matter decomposition and soil aggregation.
2. Breakdown of toxic compounds.
3. Inorganic transformations that make available
nitrates, sulphates and phosphates as well as
essential elements such as Fe and Mn.
4. Create healthy nutrients for plants.
5. Improve Soil Health and quality (nutrient rich,
water holding capacity).
6. Fight off diseases for plants.
7. Degrade human-caused pollutants (fertilizers,
pesticides used in agriculture).
8. Improve plant health and longevity.
9. Transform dead plant materials into soil organic
matter.
Biological mechanisms of soil aggregate formation and
turnover
(modified from Six et al., 2002)

soil structure
Soil Major part of the natural
environment,Vital to the
existence of life on the
planet.
Soil is the result of the
process of the gradual
breakdown of rock, such as
weathering and erosion.
Soil Composition
 Soil composition is an important aspect of
nutrient management.
 The basic components of soil are:
 Minerals 45%(Sand ,Silt ,Clay)
 Organic matter 5%
(Organism10%,Root10%,Humus 80%)
 Water 25%
 Air 25%.
Soil Composition
Soil Organic Matter
ROOT 10%
Organic matter is 5% humus

of total soil mass 80% Organism10%
The role of organic matter in soil
structure
 Organic matter is one of the important
components of soil, consisting of plant and
animal residues at various stages of
decomposition of soil organisms. SOM increases
soil fertility and acting as reserve of plant
nutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorus, and
sulfur, along with micronutrients. There is a
significant correlation between SOM content and
soil fertility.
 Examples of organic matter include plant residues
such as lawn clippings, leaves, corn stalks and
straw, manures, sludges, wood and food
processing wastes, and green manures (plants
grown for the purpose of incorporation into
the soil)
Soil Organic Matter (SOM) influences all three soil
components & improves soil health
Physical Chemical
Soil
Organic Matter
Soil Health
Biological
 Organic matter contributes to plant growth
through its effect on the physical, chemical,and
biological properties of the soil. It has a:
 nutritional function in that it serves as a source
of N, P for plant growth.
 biological function in that it profoundly affects
the activities of microflora and microfaunal
organisms
 physical and physico-chemical function in that it
promotes good soil structure, thereby improving
tilth, aeration and retention of moisture and
increasing buffering and exchange capacity of
soils.
Humus
 Humus: A brown or black organic
substance consisting of partially or wholly
decayed plant or animal matter that
provides nutrients for plants and increases
the ability of soil to retain water is called
Humus. It makes the upper layers of the
soil become dark. Plants and animal
remains incorporating into the soil, get
subjected to decomposition from the
original material. After further
decomposition, these are converted to
brown to black organic
complexes remaining no longer any trace
of original material.
Humus provides soil with a number
of very important benefits. As follow:
 It enhances a soil’s ability to hold and store
moisture.
 It reduces the eluviation of soluble nutrients
from the soil profile.
 It is the primary source of carbon and nitrogen
required by plants for their nutrition.
 It improves soil structure which is necessary for
plant growth
Synthetic soil conditioners
 A soil conditioner is a product which is added to soil to
improve the soil’s physical qualities.
 Soil conditioners can be used to improve poor soils, or
to rebuild soils which have been damaged by improper
soil management. They can make poor soils more
usable, and can be used to maintain soils in peak
condition
 Synthetic soil conditioners These are
synthetic compounds which act as
stabilizers of naturally occurring soil
aggregates .
 Their value lies in their inherent ability to
resist microbial degration and not in
merely helping in the formation of new
aggregates .
 EXAMPLE as Gypsum releases nutrients
and improves soil structure.
 Gypsum is a CaSO4·2H2O
g
Characteristics of soil conditioners:
• Soil conditioners are natural
and earthy.
• Absorb water rapidly.
• Compost is “Synthetic manure
made from decomposing
materials, fertilizer and soil.
• Leaves and manures are also
natural products.
Functions of soil conditioners:
 They help to improve the amount of
minerals in the soil.
 Soil that is rich in minerals will
produce much healthier vegetation.
 Leaves work by attracting
earthworms which create a healthy
soil .
Soil structure in relation to root growth
 the root system of an actively growing plant or the
remains of root system after harvest contribute to
the organic matter status of soil and hence
indirectly influence soil aggregation. In this
context, leguminous crops are known to improve
soil structure.
 The growth of a plant depends not only on the
capacity of soil to release nutrients but equally on
the capacity of the root system to absorb such
nutrients in an efficient manner.
An ideal root system is one which has the following
characteristics:-
1. capacity to spread quickly into a large volume of
soil.
2. capacity to penetrate soil aggregates and soil
layers of varied compaction and absorb water
and nutrients from sub-soil zones
3. capacity to solubilize and absorb maximum
nutrients and moisture, especially under
drought conditions
4. add large quantities of organic matter to
different soil layers to improve physical
properties of soil.
Soil microorganisms live in association with plant roots and
excrete nutrients & sticky substances
Alfalfa root with bacterial VAM mycorrhizal fungi on

rhizosphere: Jennifer Fox plant root: Paula Flynn
Endo-Mycorrhizal Fungi Excrete Glomalin Glue =
Carbon
Photo: Sara Wright, USDA-ARS

Evaluation of soil structure
 Soil structure is evaluated by determining one or
more of the following parameters:
1. Size of soil particles using dry or wet sieving
methods.
2. Pore-size and its distribution in soil.
3. Saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil in situ.
4. Energy required to cause aggregate
disintegration.
5. Bulk density of soil in situ.
6. Infiltration rates of soil in situ
wet sieving methods
dry sieving methods
bulk density
References
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_conditioner
 "Glossary of Soil Science Terms". Soil Science Society of
America. Retrieved May 10,2012.
 Noble, R (March 2011). "Risks and benefits of soil
amendment with composts in relation to plant
pathogens". Australasian Plant Pathology. 40 (157).
Retrieved 9 July 2018.

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SOIL MICROBIOLOGY

 Student presenter: Badraddeen Hazzaa

Some genera like:

after Balser, Univ of Wisconsin

(modified from Six et al., 2002)

Organic matter is 5% humus

Alfalfa root with bacterial VAM mycorrhizal fungi on

Photo: Sara Wright, USDA-ARS

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