1. Introduction
2. Soil Organic Matter Pools
3. Composition, Distribution and Functions of Soil Organic Matter
4. Soil Carbohydrates and Lipids
5.Role of Organic Matter in Pedogenic Processes
6.Decomposition of Organic Residues in Soil
7. Nutrient Transformations in Soil: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulphur
8.Biochemistry of Humus Formation
9. Trace Metal Interactions with Humic Substances
10. Reactive Functional Groups of Humic Substances
11. Adsorption of Organic Compounds by Clay
12. Clay - Organic Matter Complexes-I
13. Clay - Organic Matter Complexes-II: Role of Organic Matter in Forming Stable Soil Aggregates
14. Humus - Pesticides Interactions in Soil
15. Environmental Significance of Humic Substances
16. Characterization of Soil Organic Matter by UV-visible Spectroscopy
17. Characterization of Soil Organic Matter by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
18. Nuclear Techniques for Soil Organic Matter Studies
19. Managing Soil Organic Matter
20. Analytical Procedures