It is equal to an employee's rate of basic pay for his or her position (see definition of rate of basic pay) (exclusive of any premiums or differentials paid at less than the basic rate) except for an employee who is authorized annual premium pay for scheduled standby duty or AUO.
All soil is full of life, and good soils are teeming with it. Plants and animals help keep the soil fertile. Plant roots tunnel through the soil and break it up, and decaying plants form humus. Burrowing animals mix the soil; the excrete of animals contribute nutrients and improve soil structure.
Key points. 1  Soil fertility depends on three major interacting components: biological, chemical and physical fertility. 2  Soil organisms improve soil fertility by performing a number of functions that are beneficial for plants. 3  Some management practices may help improve and maintain the biological fertility of soil. Releasing nutrients from organic matter Soil microorganisms (figure 1) are responsible for most of the nutrient release from organic matter.