Summary
This review article explores the mechanistic pathways through which belowground biotic interactions drive the well-documented benefits of crop diversity to agricultural productivity and sustainability. The authors synthesise evidence on how soil microorganisms, root-associated fungi, and soil fauna mediate cascading effects that enhance nutrient acquisition, disease suppression, and competitive dynamics in diverse crop systems. The paper suggests that understanding these belowground-driven processes is essential for optimising polyculture and intercropping systems in sustainable agriculture.
UK applicability
The mechanistic insights are broadly applicable to UK temperate farming systems, particularly for designing diverse cropping and agroecological approaches. However, the review's conclusions may require UK-specific validation given regional variation in soil types, climate, and microbial communities.
Key measures
Mechanisms of crop diversity benefits via soil biotic pathways; aboveground–belowground interaction networks; crop yield and resource use efficiency as mediated by soil biology
Outcomes reported
The study examined how belowground cascading biotic interactions (soil organisms, root-associated microbes, and their interactions) mediate the productivity and performance benefits of crop diversity in agricultural systems.
Topic tags
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