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The benefits of SOM result from several complex, interactive, edaphic factors; a non-exhaustive list of these benefits to soil function includes improvement of soil structure, aggregation, water retention, soil biodiversity, absorption and retention of pollutants, buffering capacity, and the cycling and storage of plant nutrients.
A closer look at the biological material in the process of decaying reveals so-called organic compounds (biological molecules) in the process of breaking up (disintegrating). The main processes by which soil molecules disintegrate are by bacterial or fungal enzymatic catalysis. If bacteria or fungi were not present on Earth, the process of ...
In freshwater bodies organic material from plants can form a silt known as mulm or humus on the bottom. This material, some called undissolved organic carbon breaks down into dissolved organic carbon and can bond to heavy metal ions via chelation. It can also break down into colored dissolved organic matter such as tannin, a specific form of ...
Humus allows soil organisms to feed and reproduce and is often described as the "life-force" of the soil. [53] [54] The process that converts soil organic matter into humus feeds the population of microorganisms and other creatures in the soil, and thus maintains high and healthy levels of soil life. [53] [54]
An ester or salt of carbonic acid that increases the alkalinity of the soil. Most commonly found in vineyards with chalky-limestone soils. Chalk Limestone based vineyard soil that is almost pure calcium-carbonate. Associated with several wine regions such as the Champagne wine region of France. Chip-budding
Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent nutrients are added to the top layer of soil, commonly known as the litter layer or O horizon ("O ...
The decomposition of food, either plant or animal, called spoilage in this context, is an important field of study within food science. Food decomposition can be slowed down by conservation . The spoilage of meat occurs, if the meat is untreated, in a matter of hours or days and results in the meat becoming unappetizing, poisonous or infectious.
Some artisanal crops and foods for which terroir may apply include wine, cheese, coffee, single malt whisky, onions, and tea. Terroir is the basis of the French wine appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, which is a model for wine appellation and regulation in France and around the world. The AOC system presumes that the land from ...