Microbiological Analysis of Soil as an Aid to Soil Characterization and Classification 1

The famous French chemist Berthelot once said "la terre Vegetale est regar del comme une chose vivante" , "arable soil is considered °fcs a living thing." With the advance,«J DW understanding 4f th» role of microorganisms in soil processes, we jaust come to recognize ibis truth more and more* Any system of characterization of a soil •which is based merely on its physical make up? or evan on its chemical composition will fail to give ua a correct idea of the dynamics of the given soil, A knowledge «,? the soil processes is intimately connected with the understanding o$ the nature and activities of~ the soil population. The Polish .bacteriologist Niklewski wrote some fifteen years ago that the value of microbiological ̂ methods for soil characterization seems to be~in a more exact study of the soil properties than it is possible by the ordinary methods of physics and chemistry, Christensen alsa stated that the microbiological condition o^-tHe soil, which reflects the qualitative BK& quantitative composition Of i$s microflora and microfauna caa T» considered as -.eoa expression of its chemical and physical condition.