Image of soil with a close-up of a bacterium and the cellular pathways involved in carbon dioxide productions. Available substrates from soil organic matter are processed through ...

More information: Ying Wang et al, Carbon pathways in soil: unraveled by 13 C natural abundance, Soil Biology and Biochemistry (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109872 ...

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 ...

Inhabiting the interface between plant roots and soil, mycorrhizal fungi play a unique but underappreciated role in soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. Their hyphae provide an efficient mechanism for ...

AMES, Iowa – When it comes to keeping organic matter contained in wet soils, timing is everything. At least, that’s what a new study led by an Iowa State University ecologist suggests. The findings, ...

The attempt to better quantify Iowa’s soil carbon loss comes as the Biden administration is investing at least $20 billion to reduce farming’s impact on climate change, part of an overall $2 ...

Composting is the controlled decomposition of organic materials into a valuable soil-like substance called compost. Using compost as a soil amendment will add a small amount of nutrients to the ...

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42291-6 Farmers add calcium to their soil for many reasons related to increasing crop yields—including regulating pH and improving soil structure.