Fact Sheets - Microbial Biomass

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Summary

Microbial biomass is an important indicator of soil health because it is closely related to nutrient release from crop residues. The microbial biomass consists mostly of bacteria and fungi, which decompose crop residues and organic matter in soil. This process releases nutrients, such as nitrogen (N), into the soil for plant uptake. About half the microbial biomass is located in the surface 10 cm of soil and most of the nutrient release also occurs here.

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