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HOW ARE NUTRIENTS REPLENISHED IN THE SOIL ?
 Nutrients are replenished in the soil by adding it artificially or by crop rotation. .Some fungus live in the roots of the plans. Roots of the plants provide shelter and food to the fungus while fungus provides important nutrients to the plants.

Because of continuous farming nutrients keep declining in the soil. Hence, to replenish those nutrients fertilizers are added to the soil.

Plants require a lot of nitrogen to grow and to be healthy. Although, a lot of nitrogen is available in the atmosphere, but plants cannot absorb nitrogen in gaseous form. There is a bacterium called Rhizobium, which lives in the root nodules of legumes, such as gram, moong, etc. These bacteria can absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere and make it available for the plants. Rhizobium cannot make its food, hence, it provides nitrogen to the legumes and in return legumes provide them food and shelter. This is an example of symbiotic relationship. This has great importance for farmers. Fields in which leguminous plants are grown from time to time, do not need addition of nitrogenous fertilizers. Farmers add nitrogenous fertilizers to the soil to fulfill the requirement of nitrogen of the plants. Nitrogen is necessary to synthesize  proteins.


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