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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 humus form is not the same as the term humus. Forest humus form describes the various arrangement of organic and mineral horizons at the top of soil profiles. [ 1 ] It can be composed entirely of organic horizons, meaning an absence of the mineral horizon. [ 2 ]
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 .
[2] "H" Humus: A horizon defined by the accumulation of disintegrated organic matter in which the original structures are undetectable. It differs from the "F" horizon as more humification due to organisms' actions. It can partially merge into the mineral soil such as the "MODER". [2] The Fa horizon is used to distinguish moder. [6]
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure.
Vermicast (also called worm castings, [a] worm humus, worm poop, worm manure, or worm faeces) is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by earthworms. [1] These excreta have been shown to contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients than the organic materials before vermicomposting.
The specific heat of pure water is ~ 1 calorie per gram, the specific heat of dry soil is ~ 0.2 calories per gram, hence, the specific heat of wet soil is ~ 0.2 to 1 calories per gram (0.8 to 4.2 kJ per kilogram). [90] Also, a tremendous energy (~584 cal/g or 2442 kJ/kg at 25 °C) is required to evaporate water (known as the heat of ...
Topsoil is composed of mineral particles and organic matter and usually extends to a depth of 5-10 inches (13–25 cm). Together these make a substrate capable of holding water and air which encourages biological activity.