Increasing awareness of soil microbial ecosystem services
Problem: All agricultural soils harbour a microbiome, consisiting of a high diversity of bacteria, archaea fungi and protists. Together they provide ecosystem services which are crucial for sustinable agriculture and a healthy environment. Agricultural soils management may not deliberately impact soil microbial diversity function, however it may possibly trigger adverse effects e.g. higher production of greenhouse gases, increased levels of soil borne plant pathogens or inefficient use of fertilisers.
Solution: Microbiomes strongly respond to environmental changes and management practices such as tillage and fertilisation. This responsiveness can be used for stirring their activities. Farming systems should be managed to promote diverse microbiomes, thereby stablising microbial ecosystem services.
Practical recommendations:
- Diverse cropping systems: Crops provide energy and carbon to the soil microbiome via roots and residues. Crop diversity, thereby inhibiting enrichment of microbial pathogens.
-Include legimes, bacteria inside of root nodules fix atmospheric nitrogen therby increasing N richeness without fertiliser.
-Preserve soil structure, microorganisms collaborate best inside of ontact soil affregrates. Destroying reduces the efficiency of their services and releases valuable carbon.
- Do not fertilise with N without adding organic C, microbial activities are temperature sensistive.
-Minimise spatial areas of pesticide inputs, pesticides can have off target effects on soil microbiomes which can be reduced by targeted applicaton techniques avoiding unintended dispersal.
More information: https://zenodo.org/record/3839781
DiverIMPACTS - Diversification through Rotation, Intercropping, Multiple Cropping, Promoted with Actors and value-Chains towards Sustainability
Ongoing | 2017-2022
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- France