Question

A farmer finds that his soil has high levels of nitrites but low levels of nitrates. What could the farmer add to the soil to most directly increase its concentration of nitrates?

Answer 1

By adding organisms that can convert nitrites to nitrates to the soil.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to increase the concentration of soil nitrates, the farmer needs to add organisms that can convert the nitrites to nitrates.

Nitrites are generally toxic to plants. They need to be converted to nitrates which is the only usable form to plants. Nitrites are converted to nitrates by organisms such as Nitrobacters, Nitrosospira, Nitrosococcus and Nitrosolobus.

Hence, in order to reduce toxicity to plants by nitrites and increase the concentration of nitrates in the soil, the farmer needs to find a way of introducing organisms that can convert the nitrites to nitrates into the soil.

Answer 2

Nitrobacter is added to the soil by farmers in order to increase the level of nitrates in the soil.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nitrobacter is a type of bacteria which converts nitrites into nitrates. Nitrites is more toxic which cannot be used by the plants while nitrate is less toxic and used by the plants as a food source. It takes 2 to 5 weeks to increase the level of nitrates in the soil by using Nitrobacter.