Nitrification and Denitrification are two biological processes. Nitrification simply means the process by which ammonium is transformed to provide nitrate through the process known as oxidation. This process occurs naturally in the soil, and the conversation is mostly made by nitrifying bacteria. The ammonium will first be converted to ammonia. After this, ammonia will be converted to nitrite NO2. And finally, the nitrite is further changed to nitrate by nitrifying bacteria. And with nitrate in the soil, plants can easily get the needed nitrogen for its growth.
These bacteria need oxygen before they can start to function. On the other hand, denitrification is the process by which nitrate is converted to nitrogenous gases through the process known as reduction. This conversion is done by denitrifying bacteria, and they function without the use of oxygen. This process releases nitrogen into the atmosphere. The first conversion is from nitrate to nitrite and nitrite to nitric oxide. And finally, nitrogen is gotten from nitrous oxide.