It also influences the rates of chemical and physical processes within the soil. When the soil is frozen, biological activities and chemical processes essentially stop. Physical processes that are associated with ice formation are active if unfrozen zones are associated with freezing zones. Below a soil temperature of about 5 C, growth of roots of most plants is negligible. In areas where soils have permanently frozen layers near the surface, however, even large roots of adapted plants are present immediately above the frozen layer late in the summer.
Most plants grow best within a restricted range of soil and air temperature.
Knowledge of soil and air temperature is essential in understanding soil-plant relationships. Temperature changes with time, as does the soil-water state. It generally differs from layer to layer at any given time.