Management of Soil Biota and Their Processes

Smith, Jeffrey L.; Collins, Harold P.; Crump, Alex R.; Bailey, Vanessa

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-415955-6.00018-9

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…The production of food and fiber continues to increase agriculture's C footprint through the increased use of fuel and fertilizer, and contributes to widespread soil and water quality degradation, and loss of habitat diversity and biodiversity. To decrease this footprint, nutrient management in sustainable systems must be a top priority [216]. Soil biology is the foundation for soil health and the biological processes which moderate nutrient availability to plants, in addition to buffering plants from changes in water availability and pest, pathogen, and weed pressures.…”

Section: Soil Biology Research Investments Needed To Ensure Our Futurmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding and Enhancing Soil Biological Health: The Solution for Reversing Soil Degradation

et al. 2015

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Our objective is to provide an optimistic strategy for reversing soil degradation by increasing public and private research efforts to understand the role of soil biology, particularly microbiology, on the health of our world's soils. We begin by defining soil quality/soil health (which we consider to be interchangeable terms), characterizing healthy soil resources, and relating the significance of soil health to agroecosystems and their functions. We examine how soil biology influences soil health and how biological properties and processes contribute to sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services. We continue by examining what can be done to manipulate soil biology to: (i) increase nutrient availability for production of high yielding, high quality crops; (ii) protect crops from pests, pathogens, weeds; and (iii) manage other factors limiting production, provision of ecosystem services, and resilience to stresses like droughts. Next we look to the future by asking what needs to be known about soil biology that is not currently recognized or fully understood and how these needs could be addressed using emerging research tools. We conclude, based on our perceptions of how new knowledge regarding soil biology will help make agriculture more sustainable and productive, by recommending research emphases that should receive first priority through enhanced public and private research in order to reverse the trajectory toward global soil degradation.

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Section: Soil Biology Research Investments Needed To Ensure Our Futurmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding and Enhancing Soil Biological Health: The Solution for Reversing Soil Degradation

et al. 2015

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“…The composting of crop residues is a tool for solving this problem. Composting or fermentation of agricultural organic waste is an important technique in modern agricultural Agronomy 2023, 13, 2521 2 of 15 technologies [4][5][6]. Biothermal transformation of organic material occurs during composting resulting in products enriched with humus and available forms of nutrients, with a reduced ratio of carbon (C) to nitrogen (N).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Taxonomic Composition Changes of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Residue Composts Induced by Biochar and Calcium Carbonate Application

Orlova,

Shakhnazarova,

Orlova

et al. 2023

Agronomy

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Plant residues are the main source of humus and some nutrients in soils. The composting of organic waste using modifiers is a promising way to obtain high-quality organic fertilizers. Here, the effect of biochar and calcium carbonate on the abundance and taxonomic composition of bacteria and fungi in mature plant compost has been studied using metagenomic analysis. Plant materials with different initial C:N ratios—low (22, clover), medium (38, rye) and high (68, oats)—served as composting materials in the pot experiment. The plant material mixed with sterile sand was modified by the addition of biochar or calcium carbonate. Both ameliorants increased pH values and humic acid content in composts irrespective of plant material composition. Representatives of the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota and Firmicutes dominated among bacteria and representatives of the division Ascomycota dominated among fungi in the mature composts, as in the initial plant samples. The abundances of bacteria and fungi in the cereal composts were higher than in the composts with clover. The effect of biochar and calcium carbonate on the number and taxonomic composition of bacteria and fungi in composts from the same plant material was similar, while the effect of reagents in composts from different raw materials was ambiguous. No one dominant group of bacteria was found to develop in response to biochar or calcium carbonate application in any of the types of composts studied. However, the structure of the fungal community both at the phylum and genus levels changed significantly under the influence of these additives. The addition of calcium carbonate and biochar led to an increase in the abundance of the same groups of fungi, but this increase was different for composts made from different plant materials.

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“…Cover cropping in no-tillage (NT) systems promote sustainable management and high food production simultaneously. Cover cropping improves soil conservation by reducing erosion and increases soil quality by enhancing the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil (Derpsch et al, 2014;Smith et al, 2015). Decomposition of the crop residues remaining on the soil surface releases nutrients back to the soil for uptake by the subsequent cash crop during yearlong cultivation in tropical regions (de Freitas and Landers, 2014; Mueller et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Steering crop yields, soil nitrogen processes and the microbiome in tropical agriculture system: the role of forage grass cover crops

Momesso

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Cover crops under no-till usually lead to a reduction of negative agricultural impacts throughout residues accumulated in the soil surface. Introducing different species of cover crops represents a promising strategy to promote high grain yield, but their effects on plant-soil-microbiome system performance are highly context-dependent and influenced by several factors. The study described in this thesis focused on plant growth performance (maize and upland rice), soil environment and microbial composition. We combined the use of Urochloa as cover crops receiving N input to investigate their effects on plant-soil-microorganism interactions and soil microbial community. In Chapter 2 and 3, we examined the practical effects of N management strategies applied to cover crops on residues production and nutrient accumulation, nutrient leaf concentration, yield components and grain of crops cultivated after Urochloa spp. Results showed that both Urochloa species supply and recycle high amount of residues and N to the tropical no-till system and thus less N can be applied to main crops. In addition, N management strategy is dependent to the subsequent crop because of their N demand to achieve high grain yields. Maize requires high N amounts than upland rice. Then, N application on pre-seeding could be an alternative management option to supply N to maize because this method resulted in similar nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) as conventional fertilization method; while adjusting early N application to cover crops to increase yields of subsequent rice is an alternative that can promote its production. Both maize and rice performed greater following U. brizantha compared to U. ruziziensis. As maize has an expressive global cultivation, we continued our study evaluating the effects of N fertilization of cover crops on soil microbiota and the N cycle in tropical grasscrop no-till systems at the end of growing season in Chapter 4. The findings pointed that maize yield increased N fertilizer should be N application time used (currently recommended method following U. brizantha to achieve high crop yield while controlling N loss from tropical soil via nitrification and denitrification. Similarly, our investigation in Chapter 5 of impact of N inputs to cover crops cultivation on microbiome and N cycle evidenced that, high N uptake by U. brizantha supports the competitive advantage of this plant species over microorganisms for N sources. Clearly, U. brizantha has advantages over U. ruziziensis for use in agriculture systems. Thus, the entire system was investigated in Chapter 6 and confirmed the hypothesis that Urochloa residue maintenance on the soil surface and N addition benefit the growth and grain yield of cash crops as well as the chemical, physical and biological properties of the soil. We considered the Urochloa-maize rotation in no-till as a olistic approach to evaluate soil diversity and crop productivity in agricultural systems. In conclusion, analyzing the entire agricultural system is a smarter strategy to step towards improving the soil heath while increasing the crop grain yields. Only Urochloa brizantha receiving conventional application N method is a planning management practice as environmental and beneficial approach to farmers.

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Management of Soil Biota and Their Processes

Cited by 8 publications

References 88 publications

Understanding and Enhancing Soil Biological Health: The Solution for Reversing Soil Degradation

Understanding and Enhancing Soil Biological Health: The Solution for Reversing Soil Degradation

The Taxonomic Composition Changes of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Residue Composts Induced by Biochar and Calcium Carbonate Application

Steering crop yields, soil nitrogen processes and the microbiome in tropical agriculture system: the role of forage grass cover crops

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