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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] What Does It for Broccoli?
  • Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2006 08:50:09 -0600


Marty, this gives a simple overview of microbial action in soil. To answer
your question, "a rich supply and varied source of organic matter will
generally support a wider variety of organisms".

paul, tradingpost@riseup.net
---------------
The outstanding scientific discovery of the twentieth century is not
television, or radio, but rather the complexity of the land organism. Only
those who know the most about it can appreciate how little we know about it.
- Aldo Leopold in Round River, 1933
--------------

Organic matter, microbes, and plant health

"Soil organisms contribute a wide range of essential services to the
sustainable
functioning of all ecosystems. They act as the primary driving agents of:
nutrient cycling, regulating the dynamics of soil organic matter, soil carbon
sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions; modifying soil physical structure
and water regimes; enhancing the amount and efficiency of nutrient acquisition
by the vegetation; and enhancing plant health. These services are not only
critical to the functioning of natural ecosystems but constitute an important
resource for sustainable agricultural systems."

"Each type of soil organism occupies a different niche in the web of life and
favours a different substrate and nutrient source. Most soil organisms rely on
organic matter for food; thus a rich supply and varied source of organic
matter
will generally support a wider variety of organisms."

"Building of soil fertility is the cornerstone of organic agriculture. Organic
practices create suitable conditions for soil biotic and abiotic resources
through: manipulation of crop rotations and strip-cropping; green manuring and
organic fertilization (animal manure, compost, crop residues); minimum
tillage;
and avoidance of pesticides and herbicides use. Scientific research in Europe
has demonstrated that organically-managed soils significantly increase
biological activity and total density and diversity of soil micro-organisms.
Such biodiversity enhances nutrients recycling and soil structure."

from Organic Agriculture: The Challenge of Sustaining Food Production, United
Nations Sub-Group Meeting on Wildlife, Biodiversity and Organic Agriculture,
Ankara, Turkey, 15-16 April 2003
http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/AD090E/AD090E00.HTM

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 4/7/2006 at 8:06 AM Marty Kraft wrote:

>Paul
>
>My reason was to have a better understanding of the soil and its
>relationship to various plants. Perhaps there have been some studies
>done that answer my question. Maybe adding some other specific
>organisms might benefit the non micorizzal fungi plants. The better I
>understand soil ecology the better I can aid nature in restoration.






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