Soil health and microbes

Soil is the basis of all commodity farming; if the soil is not healthy, the crops will not grow and produce. Soil testing gives growers important information about the nutrients and pH of the soil. However, the nutrients in soil are only part of the story. The living things in soil, including plant roots, give a more complete picture of how productive soil may be.

If soil is growing the same crop year after year with no change, nutrients are removed and not replaced. Pests for that crop continue to have ample food supplies and may reproduce at a rapid rate. Weeds may also become a bigger problem, if they are able to out compete the crop. Microbes may become less diverse, which changes the nutrients that are available to plants. The best management practices for soil health in a farm field include: crop rotation between grass crops (corn and wheat) and legumes (soybean and alfalfa); cover crops including a mix of different types; and no-till or strip till practices so soil remains covered most of the year. Soil microbes help prevent disease and reduce plant stress, as well as cycle nutrients.

More and more research is being done to determine how best to protect or increase soil health, including bioprospecting for groups of microbes that are especially efficient at forming new soil and recycling nutrients, as well as research into which crop traits support microbiomes that help enhance soil health.