ABSTRACT
Soil is an important ingredient of any agroecosystem. It provides anchorage and acts as repository of nutrients essential to sustenance of an agroecosystem. Soil regulates most of the important functions of maize agroecosystems and plays a vital role with regard to nutrient dynamics and productivity. The depth of soil influences extent of below-ground portion of an agroecosystem. It also affects below-ground nutrient storage and physico-chemical transformations. Soils harbor microbes and other biota that mediate innumerable biochemical transformations. Many of these transformations have direct bearing on nutrient dynamics in the ecosystem. The soil types, their textural class, soil quality, organic matter content, and mineral nutrients often referred collectively as soil fertility, is a crucial factor that decides perpetuation and productivity of an agroecosystem. Soil also holds the all important moisture. Soil moisture and its interactions with nutrients are key aspects that influence nutrient dynamics in the ecosystem. Aspects like nutrient availability to roots, physico-chemical transformation, recycling, accumulation, and losses are highly dependent on soil type and moisture regime. Soil moisture is required to support physiological activity of the crops both in the below-and above ground phase of the ecosystem. Maize agroecosystem is no exception to the above soil related phenomena.
