ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the quantities of elements needed to construct humus. The sequestration of carbon in humus not only requires the availability of nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus compounds in soils to combine with carbon to produce humus, but also additional quantities of these nutrients for the growing plants. The transformation processes for sequestering carbon are not 100 % efficient, and uptakes of nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus by plants are likewise not 100 % efficient. Therefore, the quantities of nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus needed both to produce excellent yields and to sequester carbon are difficult to calculate. The chapter includes calculations for sequestering carbon into humus, and the quantities of N, S, and P calculated are the quantities needed to build the humus structure. Maintaining good crop growth, maintaining low concentrations of plant nutrients in the drainage water, and sequestering carbon in the soil is a challenge to the farmer.
