Development of research on the interaction of organic and mineral components of soils

This article describes the major stages of research from the end of the 1930s to the present which led to the development of a method for classifying soils by particle distribution and density, one of the most promising methods for identifying and subsequent study of the functionally significant components of the soil's organic matter. The results of using this method to study the organic matter of Sod-Podzolic and Chernozem soils in long-term experiments during the past decade are summarized.