The influence of soil conditions on the decomposition of organic matter in the soil

Abstract

The biochemical decomposition of plant residues and other organic matter in the soil is of fundamental importance for soil fertility. It causes the breaking down of coarse plant fragments which otherwise might open up the soil too much: it leads to the production of colloidal complexes known as humus which exert many beneficial effects both chemical and physical, and it brings about the formation of nitrates, the most important of the nitrogenous plant nutrients.