Nitrification

Nitrification is a process that breaks down the ammonia in soil to form nitrates. It is a key part of the nitrogen cycle, a natural cycle of processes by which nitrogen in the environment is converted into various forms.

Process

Nitrification is a two-step process carried out by different types of bacteria. The first step is the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite, carried out by bacteria such as Nitrosomonas and Nitrosococcus. The second step is the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate, carried out by bacteria such as Nitrobacter and Nitrospira.

Importance

Nitrification is important for the health of plants. Plants need nitrogen to grow, but they can only absorb it in the form of nitrates. Nitrification is the process that converts the ammonia in soil, which plants cannot use, into nitrates, which plants can use.

Inhibitors

Nitrification can be inhibited by certain chemicals, known as nitrification inhibitors. These chemicals can be used to reduce the amount of nitrates in the soil, which can help to reduce the amount of nitrogen that is lost to the environment.

See also

• Denitrification
• Nitrogen cycle
• Nitrosomonas
• Nitrobacter

Nitrification Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.

Translate to: East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski