Application of microbiology in conservation agriculture

Abstract

An intricate relationship exists not only between plants and soil microorganisms but also between soil microbial populations within a microbial community. According to their root exudate composition, different plant species attract different soil microbial communities to their rhizosphere. In turn, root exudates are controlled by the plant, depending on its physiology, genetics, and environmental factors. Microbial communities that can utilize specific carbon sources most effectively and efficiently will be most prevalent in a particular rhizosphere. Soil microbes play crucial roles in the cycling of nutrients in an ecosystem. Through this process, they alter their surrounding environment, but, as a result, the surrounding soil environment also alters soil microbial community function and diversity. Soil is not only a matrix to support crop production, nor an unlimited resource that we can exploit to our short-term benefit without replenishing what we have taken. Since soil organic matter is responsible for the energy supply in an ecosystem, conservation agriculture is winning the race in an effort to enrich the soil by retaining crop residue, crop diversification, and minimum soil disturbance. Consequently, soil microbial activity and diversity increase, thereby restoring balance to the ecosystem, leading to increased and sustainable crop production.