The microbial breakdown of organic matter in soil into simple inorganic forms, particularly of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur, converting nutrients locked in organic material into forms plants can directly absorb. Mineralization rates depend strongly on temperature, moisture and the chemical composition of the organic matter being broken down.
Facts
Process TypeBiogeochemical or Pedological 1 Sources
1. Soil Mineralization (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroductionQuote, Introduction
In soil science, mineralization is the decomposition of the chemical compounds in organic matter, by which the nutrients in those compounds are released in soluble inorganic forms that may be available to plants.
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