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Humus is different from decomposing soil organic matter. The latter looks rough and has visible remains of the original plant or animal matter. Fully humified humus, on the contrary, has a uniformly dark, spongy, and jelly-like appearance, and is amorphous; it may gradually decay over several years or persist for millennia. [14]
The term comes from humus, which in turn comes from the Latin word humus, meaning "soil, earth". [1] Humic substances represent the major part of organic matter in soil , peat , coal , and sediments , and are important components of dissolved natural organic matter (NOM) in lakes (especially dystrophic lakes ), rivers, and sea water .
The formation of mull humus form results from various factors, including regional climate, parent rock, vegetation, and soil organism. [3] Mull order presents in deciduous forests, and the development is often associated with a mild climate in terms of warm temperature and moderate precipitation, also rich soil parent materials. [4]
Mor humus is a form of forest floor humus occurring mostly in coniferous forests. [1] Mor humus consists of evergreen needles and woody debris that litter the forest floor. This litter is slow to decompose , in part due to their chemical composition (low pH, low nutrient content), but also because of the generally cool and wet conditions where ...
For instance, sheep manure is high in nitrogen and potash, while pig manure is relatively low in both. Horses mainly eat grass and a few weeds, so horse manure can contain grass and weed seeds, because horses do not digest seeds as cattle do. Cattle manure is a good source of nitrogen as well as organic carbon. [3]
Soil treatment and identification Bulk density (g/cm 3) Pore space (%) Tilled surface soil of a cotton field 1.3: 51 Trafficked inter-rows where wheels passed surface 1.67: 37 Traffic pan at 25 cm deep 1.7: 36 Undisturbed soil below traffic pan, clay loam 1.5: 43 Rocky silt loam soil under aspen forest 1.62: 40 Loamy sand surface soil 1.5: 43 ...
Moder humus form may include only the Ah horizon or ectorganic horizons below end- organic horizons. [2] Fine humus elements have permeated the mineral soil on this horizon. Although soil animals may carry organic matter into the upper region of this horizon, this will only happen over a short distance. [2]
A portion of organic matter is not mineralized and instead decomposed into stable organic matter that is denominated "humus". [1] The decomposition of organic compounds occurs at very different rates, depending on the nature of the compound. The ranking, from fast to slow rates, is: Sugars, starches, and simple proteins; Proteins ...