The latter looks rough and has visible remains of the original plant or animal matter. Humus is different from decomposing soil organic matter. It is difficult to define humus precisely because it is a very complex substance which is not fully understood. The decomposition rate of the different compounds will affect the composition of the humus. The composition of humus varies dependent on the composition of the primary materials and the secondary microbial and animal products. It is a material that belongs to the biosphere. The primary material needed for the process of humification are plant materials. Humus is amorphous and lacks the "cellular structure characteristic of plants, micro-organisms or animals". It also significantly affects the bulk density of soil. The ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) of humus commonly ranges between eight and fifteen with the median being about twelve. Humus has many nutrients that improve the health of soil, nitrogen being the most important. It is also used to describe a topsoil horizon that contains organic matter ( humus type, humus form, or humus profile ). In agriculture, "humus" sometimes also is used to describe mature or natural compost extracted from a woodland or other spontaneous source for use as a soil conditioner. Humus is the Latin word for "earth" or "ground". It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. Hard bedrock (R) is not in a strict sense soil. Besides the three major soil horizons of (A) surface/topsoil, (B) subsoil, and (C) substratum, some soils have an organic horizon (O) on the very surface. Humus has a characteristic black or dark brown color and is an accumulation of organic carbon.
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