Month: September 2022

NO BRIGHT LINE. "In undisturbed ecosystems, plants are associated with a continuum of other organisms, the majority of which are microbial. These include epiphytes on plant surfaces, endophytes within plants, and rhizosphere and soil microbes associated with subsurface plant organs and soil interfaces. These microbiomes sequester significant amounts of atmospheric C, thus aiding in mitigation of climate change." https://lnkd.in/eQvzCYA View in LinkedIn

UNCULTURABLE. "Taking into consideration that >99% of environmental microbes are still unculturable under laboratory conditions, application of metagenomic approach has great advantages for investigating the structure and functional potentials of various microbial communities." https://lnkd.in/e5gJ7Hi View in LinkedIn

SOIL DRUGS. "Reintroducing microorganisms into the soil, together with the organic matter that they feed upon, has the potential to be a key part in the next big revolution of human health -- the development of sustainable agriculture and food security based on restored soil health. Just as in the case of the human microbiome, the soil drugs of the future are the ones full of friendly germs, and the foods they like to eat." https://lnkd.in/eyzuPzu View in LinkedIn

IT IS ALL ABOUT ECOLOGICAL BALANCE. “This suggests we might be able to encourage disease-fighting bacterial communities by selecting for the right number and combination of species." Like the gut, the soil is an open system that allows bacteria to come and go, and competition for food and nutrients determines community structure." https://lnkd.in/eBK_vZe View in LinkedIn

BIO VS CHEMICAL FARMING. "Microbial functions parallel many of the management actions humans perform to enhance crop growth in agroecosystems." https://lnkd.in/eQvzCYA View in LinkedIn

"MICROBES can produce alkaloids that deter insect pests, reducing the need for applied pesticides. Microbes fix atmospheric nitrogen, and solubilize phosphorus, which can replace the need for mineral fertilizer. Microbes improve soil aggregation, increasing both soil aeration and soil water holding capacity in ways that may reduce the need for intensive irrigation management or deep ploughing." https://lnkd.in/eQvzCYA View in LinkedIn

THE NEW ANTIBIOTICS. "Just as antibiotics indiscriminately kill both good and bad bacteria in the gut, fungicides and biocides impede the soil’s innate defenses. Studies have shown that gentler practices such as crop rotation, tillage, and fertilization can influence ecological processes in the soil, and may encourage the establishment of microbial communities capable of suppressing disease." https://lnkd.in/eBK_vZe View in LinkedIn

FECAL TRANSPLANTS FOR SOIL. "As gastroenterologists are now reporting the efficacy of transplanting gut bacteria from healthy individuals into human patients suffering from intestinal inflammation and infection, plant researchers may also find that multiple treatments with different concoctions of beneficial microorganisms will have a great impact on soil ecology." https://lnkd.in/eBK_vZe View in LinkedIn

COLLECTING SOIL MICROORGANISMS. Using an irresistible lure of white rice in a pantyhose sack, buried in the roots of an established tree, then amplified in a molasses-rich media is one way to gather a concentrated culture of your local root microorganisms including microrrhyzal fungi. https://lnkd.in/edk8gdF View in LinkedIn

EXPERIMENTAL SOILS were subject to chemical pollution and the response of the soil biome measured. Drastic changes in the soil ecology occurred rapidly, followed by slow degradation of some of the toxic chemicals, and eventual return of the soil ecosystem once the chemicals had gone. These results suggests that soils can bounce back when chemical pollution has stopped. https://lnkd.in/e5gJ7Hi View in LinkedIn