Soil Organic Matter

First Paragraph:
Soil is the site of a huge recycling operation, whereby dead organisms and organic waste products are broken down to component parts – molecules, ions, or elements subsequently available as sources of nutrients and energy to the living soil organisms. The laborers in this operation are primarily mesofauna (insects, earthworms, and other visible soil-dwelling creatures) and microorganisms including fungi and bacteria that use the organic material as their food source - and that eventually become fodder for the next generation of recyclers.
Tags:
soil; organic matter; plant nutrition; plant agriculture
Publication Number:
FS1135
Author(s):
Daniel Gimenez
Joe Heckman
Loren Muldowney
Stephanie Murphy
Publisher:
Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
Date Published:
3/26/2012
Number of pages:
3

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  1. Rutgers
  2. Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  3. School of Environmental and Biological Sciences