How microbes boost and conserve soil health

Dr WJ Botha, of the Agricultural Research Council: Plant Health and Protection, explains how soil micro-organisms can help to increase crop productivity and reduce the effects of climate change.

- Dr WJ Botha

According to approximations by scientists, global soil organic carbon sources are equal to three times the quantity of carbon present in the atmosphere. Calculations indicate that between 42 and 78 gigatons of carbon have been released from the world’s degraded natural and agricultural soils due to human activity in the pre- and post-industrial periods.

Land rehabilitation to ‘restore’ some of this lost carbon could make a significant contribution to counteracting fossil fuel emissions.

Conservation of soil health is also essential for agricultural sustainability and helps to increase the productivity of agricultural ecosystems.

Plant-connected microbial communities (microbiota) promote plant and root growth and augment crop resistance to numerous abiotic (environmental) and biotic pressures.

Connecting soil microbial diversity and ecosystem performance is crucial to understanding ecosystem reactions to a changing environment.

Soil microbial species play significant roles in biogeochemical cycling, plant growth and carbon sequestration or fixation. Soil contains millions of fungi, billions of bacteria, and vast numbers of other micro-organisms.

Soil microbes promote and accelerate nutrient cycling and protect plants from the destructive effects of abiotic and biotic pressures. The functions of the soil microbiome in cycling soil organic carbon, and the effect of climate change on the soil carbon cycle, are extremely important. Soil ecosystems are influenced by several factors that determine whether soil carbon is preserved or discharged to the atmosphere.