Soil organic matter and its impact on soil properties and nutrient status

In 2050, the population of the world is expected to be 9 billion, which means we have to produce six times more food. With this population explosion and increase in food demand, the agricultural land is depleting at an alarming rate, jeopardizing future progress. In order to overcome this problem, the soil organic matter plays a dynamic role in the maintenance and improvement of soil properties. Organic matter determines larger part of soil and has tremendous ecological significance; it influences ecosystem productivity, soil health, and climate quality. The soil organic matter maintains and improves many physical, chemical, and biological properties. This chapter explicates the effect of organic matter on physical, chemical, and biological properties, including soil structure, water retention, available water capacity, thermal conductivity, erodibility, infiltration, soil aggregate formation, soil color, soil compaction, soil aeration, pH, buffering capacity, CEC, base saturation, zeta potential, exchangeable cations, soil fertility and nutrient release, microbial population, soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen transformation, mycorrhizal population, root length and root growth, and soil enzymes. It was concluded that increase in the organic matter enhanced these properties, while reduction in organic matter had a detrimental impact on these properties.