Environmental Risks - Soil

Healthy soil is teeming with bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, nematodes, and other tiny creatures. These organisms play an important role in plant health. Bacteria produce natural antibiotics that help plants resist disease; fungi assist plants in absorbing water and nutrients. Together, these bacteria and fungi are known as "organic matter". The more organic matter in a sample of soil, the healthier that soil is. Ten Things You Didn't Know About Soil

Soil can be degraded and the community of organisms living in the soil can be damaged by the misuse or overuse of pesticides. Soil and Pesticides