What is Soil Organic Matter?
Thesaurus of Sustainability
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The soil organic matter content of a soil can play a key role in its health, affecting more than one of the characteristics mentioned above. It is the fraction of soil consisting of plant and animal residues in different stages of decomposition that is rich in carbon and nitrogen (phosphorus, sulfur, and trace minerals).
Soils can have from a trance to up to 20-30% organic matter. However, a content between 1-6% is more common on most soils used in agriculture.
