Abstract
NO problems of soil science have proved more difficult than those concerning the nature and functions of soil humus. The early work of Sprengel and Berzelius yielded a long list of humic and other acids which are still discussed in textbooks and some scientific papers, even though it has long been shown that they are indefinite complexes greatly modified by the processes of extraction. Physical chemistry and microbiology have cleared up some of the problems involved in the acidity of peats and soils and in the decomposition of plant residues, but methods are still lacking for characterizing adequately the forms of humus in different types of soil.
Humus:
Origin, Chemical Composition, and Importance in Nature. By Prof. Selman W. Waksman. Pp. xi + 494. (London: Baillière, Tindall and Cox, 1936.) 30s.
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Nature and Functions of Soil Humus. Nature 138, 624–625 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/138624a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/138624a0
