Summary
This large-scale on-farm study of 54 Swiss fields demonstrates that soil microbiome composition, particularly the abundance of pathogenic fungi, can predict maize growth response to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation with 86% accuracy. The findings indicate that pre-season soil microbiome assessment offers a practical biotechnological tool to optimise inoculation strategies and improve the economic viability of microbiome engineering for sustainable agriculture.
UK applicability
The methodology and predictive framework are likely transferable to UK cereal production systems, though soil microbiome profiles, pathogenic fungal communities, and climate conditions in the UK may differ from Swiss conditions. UK farmers considering AMF inoculation would benefit from similar soil microbiome baseline assessments before investment.
Key measures
Maize growth response to AMF inoculation (%); soil microbiome composition and abundance; soil pathogenic fungal abundance; soil nutrient parameters; predictive model R² (86% of variation explained)
Outcomes reported
The study quantified maize growth response to AMF inoculation across 54 fields, ranging from −12% to +40%, and developed a predictive model using soil microbiome indicators. Pathogenic fungal abundance emerged as the strongest soil microbiome predictor (33% of variation explained) of inoculation success, outperforming nutrient availability measures.
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