Name: Pangarungan Johaina P.

Subject/Section: SSC001/QqRr
Date: December 12, 2021

Study Guide:

1. Why is the organic matter content of a soil usually greatest in the surface horizon?
Answer: The organic matter is significantly improves the soil's capacity to
store and supply essential nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus,
pottasuim, calcium and magnesium) and to retain toxic elements. Organic
matter is made up of organic components obtained from the remains of
species such as plants and animals, as well as their waste products in the
environment. Surface horizons are soil layers with a high concentration of
organic elements. It allows the soil to cope with changes in soil acidity and
helps minerals to decompose faster.
There are three distinct organic layers in a typical forest region and all of the
plant and animal debris that falls to the ground gets turned into humus.
Organic matter serves as a reservoir of nutrients and water in the soil, aids
and reducing compaction and surface crusting to increases infiltration of the
soil.

2. What is meant by the turnover of soil organic matter (SOM)?

Answer: The turnover of soil organic matter is determined by balance of
inputs and outputs. The mean residence time and total SOM in function of
turn over rates of its constituent pools an element and to assess turnover, the
mean residence time or half-life of an element is usually utilized and is the
average time between when a carbon atom enters the soil until it exists the
soil.

3. If the annual input of C to a soil is 1.5 t/ha, and the total soil C content is 40,000
kg/ha, what is the average turnover time for the soil C?
Answer: Organic matter make up just to 2-10% of most soil mass and
important role in physical, chemical, and biological functionof agricultural
soils.

4. What is the generic name for organisms that cannot live in the presence of O2?
Answer: An anaerobic organism it is any organism that does not require
molecular oxygen for growth. It may react negatively or even die if free
oxygen is present. In contrast, an aerobic organism (aerobe) is an organism
that requires an oxygenated environment. Because they may grow in the
presence or absence of free oxygen, some species are known as facultative
anaerobes.

5. What is the generic description for fungi that (i) live on dead organic matter, (ii) live
by feeding on living tissues, and (iii) live in symbiotic association with plant roots?
 Answer: Most fungi decomposer called saprotrophs. And they feed decaying
on organic matter and return nutrients to the soil plant use.
They live on dead organic matter, (SAP ROPHYTE).
They live by feeding on living tissues, (HETEROTROPHS).
They live in symbiotic association with plant roots (MYCORRHIZAL).

6. Which group of invertebrate organisms is most important for comminuting organic

matter in (i) soils of moist temperate regions, and (ii) soils of the tropics?
Answer: Millipedes are the most important communicators of organic matter
in moist temperate soils, and they produce one of the most substantial
contributions due to the large volumes of litter they ingest.

7. The CEC of organic matter measured at pH 5 is 80 cmol charge/kg, and is entirely

due to carboxyl groups that are fully dissociated at pH 5. However, there are an
additional 55 cmol charge/kg of phenolic groups that have an average pKa value of
7. Calculate the CEC of the organic matter at pH 8. Refer to Box 3.6 below.

Asnwer: The CEC of organic matter pH 8 is 130 cmol charge/kg.

8. A soil sample containing the equivalent of 20 g o.d. soil was fumigated in CHCl3 for
24 h, before being flushed free of CHCl3, and incubated at 25°C for 10 days. The
CO2 released was trapped in 25 mL of 0.02 M NaOH, and the unneutralized NaOH
at the end of incubation titrated with 0.02 M HCl. A control incubation was carried
out with a sample of unfumigated soil. The results of the titration were as follows:

Treatment mL 0.02 M HCl required

Control 22.5
Fumigated Sample 2.5

Calculate the microbial biomass C (in mg/kg soil), assuming a Kc value of 0.45. Note
– the atomic mass of C is 12 g. (Refer to Box 3.2).

● microbial biomass C (in mg/kg soil) is 533 mg/kg.

9. Wheat straw added to soil contains 45% C and 0.5% N. Soil micro-organisms that
feed on this straw and decompose it have a C: N ratio of 6: 1. In decomposing the
straw, 60% of the straw C is assimilated by the micro-organisms and the remaining
40% is respired as CO2. Calculate

Answer: They applied the nitrogen fertilizer to the ratio wheat straw to enable
soil microorganisms to decompose post harvest to high organic carbon soil
amendments like wheat straw and to maintain the microbes take up in the soil.

a) The C: N ratio of the straw.

● 9
b) The fraction of the N required for microbial growth that can be obtained
 from the straw.
● 0.11 (11%)
c) If not all the microbial N can be obtained from the straw, from where is the
balance of microbial N obtained?
● from the soil mineral
d) What is the name given to the ratio of C assimilated to the total C substrate?
● Growth Yeild

10. You apply 4 tons of corn stover as mulch for green onion. How much N is
immobilized provided that C:N ratio for immobilization is 25:1 (C:N ratio for corn
stover is 55:1)

Answer: Corn stover = C= 55 x 4= 280

N 1 1

Immobilization = 220 ÷ 25- 220 x 1

1 1 1 25
= 220= 8.8
25
Immobilization = 8.8 N