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Re: LOW-TECH, HIGH-QUALITY ON-FARM COMPOST
Hello Elaine,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
Perhaps I was rash in posting the fact sheet to SANET.
As I have already posted, I find some of the statements to be questionable.
I am familiar with much of the current literature on the formation of humic
substances. Humic acids and fulvic acids are artifacts of a purely chemical
alkali extraction process and are no longer investigated by most scientists
currently evaluating the ecological significance of organic matter.
The stability of OM in soil is the interactive effect of biochemical
recalcitrance, chemical interactions with mineral surfaces and physical
protection (within aggregates). Current research results suggest that
biochemical recalcitrance may the easiest hurdle for the soil food web to
overcome.
I appreciate your public acknowlegement of the ecological importance of
"aerobic, intermediate aerobic - anaerobic, and true anaerobic conditions"
in soils and compost.
Joel
Joel Gruver
Dept of Soil Science
NC State University
jgruv@hotmail.com
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