Humates
HOW HUMIC ACIDS HELP TO RAISE THE HUMUS CONTENT ON ARABLE LAND
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oil is the most important factor in global agriculture: it forms the basis for 90 percent of any food on our tables but the fertility of our soils, and thus the supply of food to a growing world population, is at risk: Worldwide, humus levels are falling, while the amount of degraded, salinized and deserted soil is increasing. Today, mankind is faced with the important task of preserving and increasing the existing humus content with the help of a well planned humus economy. But what exactly is humus? What function does it have and what can we do to counteract its loss? Humus – from life, of life, for life Humus is generally understood to be the totality of finely decomposed organic matter in the soil. It is mainly formed as a result of the tireless metabolic activity of
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microorganisms. A handful of soil contains more of these soil organisms than there are people in the world. Not all humus is the same In soil science, humus is also distinguished according to its longevity in the soil. The so-called nutritive humus consists of organic substances that are rapidly consumed by soil organisms. Permanent humus, on the other hand, consists of humic substances that are difficult to break down, is decomposed very slowly and
remains in the soil for a long time. It binds nutrients and water, gives the soil structure and makes up about 90 percent of the organic mass of a fertile humus soil. No plant growth without humus – why? The phenomenon of fertility is ultimately the visible interaction between soil and plant life. The humus content plays an outstanding role in this. Permanent humus-rich soil is rich in clay-humus complexes; compounds
March-April 2020
