@article{fdi:010037840,
  title = {{H}istorical evolution of soil organic matter concepts and their relationships with the fertility and sustainability of cropping systems},
  author = {{M}anlay, {R}apha{\¨e}l {J}. and {F}eller, {C}hristian and {S}wift, {M}. {J}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{S}oil organic matter ({SOM}) is understood today as the non-living product of the decomposition of plant and animal substances. {B}ecause it is now recognised that {SOM} tightly controls many soil properties and major biogeochemical cycles its status is often taken as a strong indicator of fertility and land degradation. {N}onetheless the building of the {SOM} concept has not been easy. {A} reason for this is that the {SOM} concept is the product of interdisciplinary cognitive production as well as of a cultural moving context. {H}istorically, three periods involving {SOM} in relation to cropping sustainability, can be distinguished. (1) {U}ntil 1840, some still believed that plant dry matter was mainly derived from uptake of matter supplied by {SOM}, which was termed humus at that time. {A}griculturists who believed this based the management of cropping systems fertility on the management of humus, i.e. through organic inputs. {I}n 1809 {T}haer proposed a "{H}umus {T}heory" that remained very influential for 30 years, as well as a quantified assessment of the agro-ecological and economic sustainability of farming systems. (2) {F}rom the 1840s to the 1940s, {L}iebig's "mineral nutrition theory", progressive abandonment of recycling of nutrients between cities and country, and breakthroughs in the processes of fertilizer industry paved the way for intensive mineral fertilization as a substitute for organic practices. {A}lthough understanding of {SOM} and soil biological functioning was improving it had little impact on the rise of new mineral-based cropping patterns. (3) {S}ince the 1940s, {SOM} has been gaining recognition as a complex bio-organo-mineral system, and as a pivotal indicator for soil quality and agro-ecosystems fertility. {T}his has resulted from: (a) methodological and conceptual breakthroughs in its study, leading to significant scientific developments in characterising the role of humus as an ecosystem component; (b) a growing societal demand for the assessment of the environmental cost of intensification in modern agricultural practices, which has led to growing interest in organic farming, agroforestry, conservation tillage, and the use of plant cover;},
  keywords = {agro ecology ; history ; humus ; soil fertility ; soil organic matters ; sustainability},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{A}griculture {E}cosystems and {E}nvironment},
  volume = {119},
  numero = {3-4},
  pages = {217--233},
  ISSN = {0167-8809},
  year = {2007},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.agee.2006.07.011},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010037840},
}