Soil biology for resilient, healthy soil

Lehman, R. Michael; Acosta-Martínez, Verónica; Buyer, Jeffrey S.; Cambardella, Cynthia A.; Collins, Harold P.; Ducey, Thomas F.; Halvorson, Jonathan J.; Jin, Virginia L.; Johnson, Jane M. F.; Kremer, Robert J.; Lundgren, Jonathan G.; Manter, Daniel K.; Maul, Jude E.; Smith, Jeffrey L.; Stott, Diane E.

doi:10.2489/jswc.70.1.12a

Cited by 98 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…For example, the location of cover crop mixtures combining hairy vetch and cereal rye along the second db-RDA axis in spring (figure 1b) was intermediate between hairy vetch and cereal rye monocultures, suggesting that the mixtures retained the fungal group associations specific to each of these species. Due to the limitations of PLFA (Frostegård et al 2011), the question of microbial community diversity associated with cover crop mixtures will need to be addressed with molecular analytical tools; however, this study offers preliminary evidence that further investigation of the linkages between above and belowground diversity in cover cropping systems is warranted and relevant to improving soil health (Lehman et al 2015a).Soil Biological Activity. Soil biological activity, indicated by the daily respiration rate during a seven day incubation, differed among treatments in both fall and spring (table 6).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…A number of soil organisms contribute functions that ultimately provide these services, including a diverse array of soil microorganisms. Though linking structural features of soil microbial communities (i.e., biomass and composition) to specific soil functions remains an open field of investigation (Lehman et al 2015a), soil health management recommendations frequently target the following two goals for the soil microbial community: increasing microbial biomass and enhancing microbial diversity (USDA NRCS 2012).Plant communities are a primary source of the carbon (C) supporting microbial growth and activity; therefore, crop management can be used to promote increases in the size of the soil microbial community in agricultural systems. For instance, a recent meta-analysis demonstrated that crop rotations increase soil microbial biomass by an average of 21% relative to monocultures (McDaniel et al 2014b).…”

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“…Building healthy, resilient soils is a central focus of US soil conservation programs, and cover cropping is a core strategy promoted to enhance physical, chemical, and biological properties of managed soils (Lehman et al 2015a; USDA NRCS 2012). While considerable research has shown that including cover crops in a crop rotation influences soil biology, understanding of cover crop species-specific effects on soil microbial community size, composition, and function and the time frame in which these effects are manifest remains limited.…”

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“…2007). Studies designed to isolate cover crop-specific effects on microbial communities from other influential management practices are essential to building our understanding of interactions between cover crops and microbes.A diverse soil microbial community is viewed as capable of providing a broad range of functions and demonstrating greater resilience of those functions to physical and chemical disturbance (Lehman et al 2015a). While there is no "optimal composition" for a healthy microbial community, promotion of certain microbial groups has been shown to enhance soil health.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…A diverse soil microbial community is viewed as capable of providing a broad range of functions and demonstrating greater resilience of those functions to physical and chemical disturbance (Lehman et al 2015a). While there is no "optimal composition" for a healthy microbial community, promotion of certain microbial groups has been shown to enhance soil health.…”

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Living cover crops have immediate impacts on soil microbial community structure and function

Finney

Buyer²,

Kaye

2017

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

144

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Cover cropping is a widely promoted strategy to enhance soil health in agricultural systems. Despite a substantial body of literature demonstrating links between cover crops and soil biology, an important component of soil health, research evaluating how specific cover crop species influence soil microbial communities remains limited. This study examined the effects of eight fall-sown cover crop species grown singly and in multispecies mixtures on microbial community structure and soil biological activity using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles and daily respiration rates, respectively. Fourteen cover crop treatments and a no cover crop control were established in August of 2011 and 2012 on adjacent fields in central Pennsylvania following spring oats (Avena sativa L.). Soil communities were sampled from bulk soil collected to a depth of 20 cm (7.9 in) in fall and spring, approximately two and nine months after cover crop planting and prior to cover crop termination. In both fall and spring, cover crops led to an increase in total PLFA concentration relative to the arable weed community present in control plots (increases of 5.37 nmol g -1 and 10.20 nmol g -1, respectively). While there was a positive correlation between aboveground plant biomass (whether from arable weeds or cover crops) and total PLFA concentration, we also found that individual cover crop species favored particular microbial functional groups. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were more abundant beneath oat and cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crops. Non-AM fungi were positively associated with hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L.). These cover crop-microbial group associations were present not only in monocultures, but also multispecies cover crop mixtures. Arable weed communities were associated with higher proportions of actinomycetes and Gram-positive bacteria. Soil biological activity varied by treatment and was positively correlated with both the size and composition (fungal:bacterial ratio) of the microbial community. This research establishes a clear link between cover crops, microbial communities, and soil health. We have shown that while cover crops generally promote microbial biomass and activity, there are species-specific cover crop effects on soil microbial community composition that ultimately influence soil biological activity. This discovery paves the way for intentional management of the soil microbiome to enhance soil health through cover crop selection.Key words: cover crops-phospholipid fatty acid analysis-soil biological activity-soil health-soil microbial communities Building healthy, resilient soils is a central focus of US soil conservation programs, and cover cropping is a core strategy promoted to enhance physical, chemical, and biological properties of managed soils (Lehman et al. 2015a; USDA NRCS 2012). While considerable research has shown that including cover crops in a crop rotation influences soil biology, understanding of cover crop species-specific effects on soil microbial community size, compo...

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