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Showing posts from March, 2020

Soil organic carbon

My career as a Plant Pathologist has primarily required me to work on soil-borne (or stubble-borne) pathogens, such as  Verticillium dahliae ,  Pyrenophora tritici-repentis , Blackspot disease complex ( Mycosphaerella pinodes, Phoma medicaginis var. pinodella, Phoma koolunga  and  Ascochyta pisi ) and a number of Fusarium species. In my research on soil microbiology and systems, I have become quite interested in the role of 'Soil Organic Matter' (SOM) and 'Soil organic carbon' (SOC) in Microbial ecology and nutrient cycling. What are SOM and SOC? 'Soil Organic Matter' (SOM) refers to the fraction of soil which is organic in origin and usually refers to larger particulates such as, leaves, bark, branches, dead or decaying insects, animals and microbes. 'Soil organic carbon' (SOC) refers to the carbon fraction of the SOM and generally refers to the smallest fraction of carbon-based molecules. Soil organic carbon can also be decomposed organic matter,