Component Input to soil Loss from soil

The Nitrogen Cycle

Atmospheric
nitrogen
Atmospheric Crop Industrial fixation
fixation harvest (commercial fertilizers)
and deposition

Animal Volatilization
manures
and biosolids Plant
residues
Runoff and
Biological erosion
fixation by
legume plants Plant
uptake
Denitrification
Organic
nitrogen
Nitrate
Ammonium (NO-3)
(NH+4)
Leaching
 Component Input to soil Loss from soil

The Phosphorus Cycle

Crop Atmospheric
Animal harvest deposition
manures
and biosolids Mineral
fertilizers
Plant
residues

Runoff and
Primary
Organic phosphorus erosion
minerals
•Microbial Plant (apatite) Mineral
•Plant residue uptake surfaces
•Humus (clays, Fe and
Al oxides,
carbonates)
Soil solution
phosphorus
Secondary
•HPO4-2
compounds
Leaching •H2PO4-1
(CaP, FeP, MnP, AlP)
(usually minor)
 Component Input to soil Loss from soil

The Potassium Cycle

Animal
Crop manures
harvest Plant
residues and biosolids

Mineral
fertilizers

Runoff and
erosion

Plant Exchangeable
uptake potassium

Soil solution
potassium (K+)
Fixed
Mineral
Leaching potassium
potassium
 Component Input to soil Loss from soil

The Sulfur Cycle

Atmospheric
sulfur Volatilization
Atmospheric
deposition Crop
harvest

Mineral
fertilizers
Plant
Animal
residues
manures
and biosolids
Elemental Runoff and
sulfur erosion

Absorbed or Plant
mineral sulfur uptake

Organic Reduced sulfur

sulfur
Sulfate
Sulfur
(SO-4) Leaching