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About 45% of a plant's dry mass is carbon; plant residues typically have a carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) of between 13:1 and 100:1. As the soil organic material is digested by micro-organisms and saprophagous soil fauna , the C/N decreases as the carbonaceous material is metabolized and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is released as a byproduct which ...
The total essential plant nutrients include seventeen different elements: carbon, oxygen and hydrogen which are absorbed from the air, whereas other nutrients including nitrogen are typically obtained from the soil (exceptions include some parasitic or carnivorous plants). Plants must obtain the following mineral nutrients from their growing ...
For example, a 10-10-15 fertilizer has 10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent available phosphorus (P 2 O 5) and 15 percent water-soluble potassium (K 2 O). Sulfur is the fourth element that may be identified in a commercial analysis—e.g. 21-0-0-24 which would contain 21% nitrogen and 24% sulfate.
More recently, the role of living plants has been emphasized where carbon is released as plants grow. [17] Soils can contain up to 5% carbon by weight, including decomposing plant and animal matter and biochar. About half of soil carbon is found within deep soils. [18] About 90% of this is stabilized by mineral–organic associations. [19]
However, in the same time soil microbes contribute to carbon sequestration in the topsoil through the formation of stable humus. [151] In the aim to sequester more carbon in the soil for alleviating the greenhouse effect it would be more efficient in the long-term to stimulate humification than to decrease litter decomposition. [152]
Wind throw is the toppling of a tree due to the force of the wind, this exposes the root plate and adjacent soil beneath the tree and influences slope stability. Wind throw is a factor when considering one tree on a slope; however, it is of lesser importance when considering general slope stability for a body of trees as the wind forces involved represent a smaller percentage of the potential ...
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[20] [21] Soil organic carbon is typically 5–50% derived from char, [22] with levels above 50% encountered in mollisol, chernozem, and terra preta soils. [23] Root exudates are another source of soil carbon. [24] 5–20% of the total plant carbon fixed during photosynthesis is supplied as root exudates in support of rhizospheric mutualistic ...