What is Soil Organic Matter

Organic matter includes all organic substances, which become soil organic matter after entering the soil. The organic part of plant straw, tree branches and leaves, grass series, animal residues, human and animal manure and urine, and municipal waste is the primary form, and humus, which is absorbed by plants and stabilized in the soil after being fully decomposed by microorganisms, is its advanced form.

Its function is to nourish microorganisms and soil animals and to stimulate soil activity. The microorganisms attached to the soil organic matter are the almighty little creatures in the soil ecosystem, the providers of biological nutrients and the maintainers of life. Soil organic matter and microorganisms live together and are the conditions for each other's existence. Microorganisms are the life of organic matter, and organic matter is the food of microorganisms. The stock of microorganisms grows with the growth of organic matter. The two are an inseparable whole, including microorganisms when talking about organic matter and including organic matter when talking about microorganisms. When microorganisms are separated from the soil to function relatively independently, they also use organic matter as a carrier. Animals such as earthworms in the soil use organic matter as a carrier and as food, directly changing their living environment. Organic matter also enhances the activity of soil enzymes, of which humic acid is an active substance that can promote the growth and development of plants and microorganisms.