SOIL ORGANIC MATTERINSUSTAINAblE AGRICULTURE
During the past two centuries, scientists, farmers, and agricultural educators have tended to alternate
their views of soil organic matter (SOM) between the extremes of great appreciation and low
esteem. As an early 20th century bulletin explained, organic matter was “once extolled as the
essential soil ingredient, the bright particular star in the firmament of the plant grower…” before
it “…fell like Lucifer…” as a result of the findings of 19th century agricultural chemists that most
of the plant structure (C, that is) originated in the atmosphere (Hills et al., 1908)....
