Soil is an unconsolidated layer of minerals, organic matter, water, air and organisms on the land surface that is fertile and capable of growing plants. Minerals, organic matter, water, air and living organisms are the basic components of soil as a material object. Fertility and plant growth are the basic characteristics of soil, i.e. fertility, and the unconsolidated layer is the loose and porous physical state, which is clearly different from hard, consolidated rocks, etc.
Soil is a stage product formed by the weathering of rocks and then by soil formation. During the weathering process, rocks become loose and porous, and some minerals completely decompose into soluble substances. Biological activity not only accelerates the process of rock weathering, but also creates conditions for the soil to accumulate organic matter, so that a soil with a certain biological activity and capable of growing plants is born.
In the whole process of plant life, the soil has the ability to supply and coordinate the nutrients, water, air and heat required for normal plant growth and development, this ability is called soil fertility production practice and scientific experiments show that soil nutrients and water are important to evaluate soil fertility for crop growth.
During growth and development, crops have to continuously absorb light, heat, air, water and nutrients from the external environment in order to carry out normal physiological metabolism, growth and development. Water and nutrients are mainly obtained from the soil, and special nutrients are also obtained from the soil. Some of these nutrients are constituents of crops and some regulate the physiological functions of crops.
These nutrients are absorbed, transported and assimilated by the crop mainly through the roots. Transformation into their own substances, which can promote crops for growth and development. The uptake of these mineral elements by crops, then, is not free and easy, but is influenced by the external environmental temperature, aeration conditions, concentration of the solution and soil acidity.
Therefore, some growers choose touse soil data loggersto test the content of various substances in the soil to ensure the growth of their crops.
