Soil organic matter (SOM) is crucial to soil health and carbon storage in agriculture. Adding crop residues to the soil increases SOM, but can also accelerate its decomposition, known as the priming ...

Lynette Abbott continues her discussion on soil health by examining the effects of fertilisers on soil organisms ...

CORVALLIS – Adding organic matter is the best way to improve nearly all kinds of soils. If you’re unsure if your soil needs amendments, take note if it dries and cracks in summer, drains slowly or is ...

Soil mineral nutrition and nutrient cycling form the foundation of agricultural productivity, determining both crop yields and the environmental footprint ...

Researchers discovered that microbes respire three times as much CO2 from lignin carbons compared to cellulose carbons. When soil microbes eat plant matter, the digested food follows one of two ...

Soil ecosystems are critical reservoirs of both organic matter and essential elements, including chlorine. The cycling of chlorine in soils involves its incorporation into organic molecules through ...

Soil holds nutrients for plant uptake, holds water and air for metabolic processes, provides habitat for living organisms, and filters impurities. Soil texture is determined by the mixture of the ...

From lifelong farmers to backyard gardeners, most plant-lovers know that adding organic matter to a field, vegetable plot or flowerpot increases the soil’s moisture. Now, for the first time, ...

To grow acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas, or make naturally alkaline soil suitable for growing most vegetables, you'll need to adjust your soil pH with soil acidifiers and other ...