Summary
This narrative review synthesises the role of soil health — particularly microbial diversity and activity — in supporting sustainable agriculture. It examines how organic farming and conservation tillage practices enhance soil microbiota and associated ecosystem services, whilst discussing the practical trade-offs: conservation tillage reduces costs and labour, whilst organic farming may increase management burden through higher demands for manual weed and pest control and variable fertiliser inputs. The paper contextualises arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, cyanobacteria and beneficial nematodes as key drivers of soil functionality.
UK applicability
The principles of soil microbiota management and the comparison between conservation and conventional tillage are directly relevant to UK agriculture. However, the review's treatment of organic farming economics may require contextualisation to UK labour costs, regulatory frameworks and market premiums.
Key measures
Soil microorganism diversity and abundance; water use efficiency; nutrient availability to plants; phytohormone production; soil nutrient cycling; plant resistance to environmental stresses; grower profitability; labour and input costs
Outcomes reported
The review examined how farming practices (organic and conservation tillage systems) influence soil microorganism abundance, diversity and activity, and their role in enhancing water use efficiency, nutrient cycling, and plant stress resistance. It assessed the trade-offs between soil health improvements and management costs across different farming approaches.
Topic tags
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