N mineralization from 1% soil organic matter

We received an interesting question about total organic material (OM246) test results and expected nitrogen (N) mineralization. First, I'll discuss that specific topic, and then I'll explain how much N mineralization one can expect.

The OM246 test is designed to put a number to all the organic material in a specific depth of the rootzone. All organic material includes living and dead plant material and humus. Roots and rhizomes are included in OM246, but those living plant parts are not…