Phosphorus (P) sorption processes in soils contribute to important problems in agriculture: a deficiency of this plant nutrient and eutrophication in aquatic systems. Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a major role in sorption processes, but its influence on P sorption remains unclear and needs to be elucidated to improve the ability to effectively manage soil P. The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of SOM on P sorption. The study was conducted in sandy soil profiles and in topsoils before and after removal of SOM with H₂O₂. The results were interpreted with the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Our results indicated that SOM affected P sorption in sandy soils, but that P sorption also depended on specific soil properties (e.g. values of the degree of P saturation (DPS), P sorption capacity (PSC) and pH) often related to land use. Removal of SOM decreased PSC in most of the topsoils tested; other soil properties became important in controlling P sorption. An increase in P desorption observed after SOM removal indicated that SOM was potentially that soil constituent which increased P binding and limited P leaching from these sandy soils.

Natural organic matter (NOM) plays key environmental roles in both aquatic and soil systems. A long‐standing approach for evaluating NOM composition and activity is to extract soils with alkali solutions to obtain humic substances, namely humic acids (HA), and fulvic acids (FA), or to briefly expose isolated fractions of dissolved organic matter to alkali. Critics have claimed these methods create laboratory artifacts and are thus unsuitable for studying NOM behavior in field conditions. In response, we describe case studies in which humic fractions were analyzed to identify significant processes in environmental or agricultural issues. Specifically, humic fractions played a key role in maintaining toxic levels of arsenic (As) in drinking water supplies in South and Southeast Asia. Elsewhere, binding reactions of FA and HA with prions were shown to provide a plausible mechanism for variable persistence of prion infectivity across soil types. Humic substances were also shown to enhance iron (Fe) uptake by plants in solution culture and field conditions. Their specific binding sites for mercury (Hg) as determined in laboratory conditions enabled accurate modeling of soil Hg binding under varying conditions. A young HA fraction reproduced in controlled conditions the capacity of animal manure to maintain potassium (K) availability in strongly K‐fixing field soils, leading to development of a commercially successful humic‐K fertilizer. Humic fractions accurately represented NOM across multiple settings and research objectives while providing novel opportunities for advanced analyses. The study of humic fractions has helped resolve scientific and practical issues in aquatic and soil systems.Core Ideas: Humic substances (HS) affect As, Hg, and Fe cycling in water, sediment, and soil matrices. Humic binding of prions may control the persistence of their infectivity across soil types. A humic fraction simulated the organic component of manure in improving soil K cycling. Soil and aquatic HS responded in quantity and composition to location and land use.