Understanding and utilising soil microbiomes for a more sustainable agriculture

Description

Microbiomes are communities of microorganisms living in soil and other habitats. In recent years, a new wave of research into understanding soil microbiomes has emerged, with stakeholders across the supply chain recognising the fundamental importance of these communities in optimising both crop and soil health. Despite these advancements, many soil microorganisms and their ecological functions remain only partially understood.

Understanding and utilising soil microbiomes for a more sustainable agriculture summarises the wealth of recent research in this important area. It reviews advances in techniques for analysing soil microorganisms, the composition and dynamics of soil microbial communities, the ecosystem services they support and how they can be enhanced.

Table of contents

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Part 1 Advances in analysing soil microbiomes

• 1.Advances in soil viromics in understanding viral diversity and function: Azza Larafa, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada/Université de Montréal, Canada and Mamadou L. Fall , Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada;
• 2.Advances in metaproteomics for analyzing soil microorganisms: Paolo Nannipieri, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), Italy; Jing Se, Zhejiang University, China; and Laura Giagnoni, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics (DICATAM), Italy;

Part 2 Bacteria and fungi in soil

• 3.Emerging roles for soil Bacteroidetes in complex carbon and organic phosphorus cycling: Ian D. E. A. Lidbury, Lucy Rogers, Sophie R. M. Groenhof and Andrew Hitchcock, University of Sheffield, UK; and Lauren S. McKee, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden;
• 4.Advances in understanding Actinobacteria in soil: Yuanyuan Bao, Xin Li and Ruirui Chen, Nanjing Forestry University, China; Youzhi Feng, Nanjing Forestry University, China and Chinese Academy of Sciences, China;
• 5.Fungi: advances in understanding the role of root-associated fungi in soil: Nimalka Weerasuriya, University of Western Ontario, Canada and A & L Biologicals, Canada; Noor Saeed Cheema, Marianna Wallace and R. Greg Thorn, University of Western Ontario, Canada; and Saveetha Kandasamy, Soledad Saldias and George Lazarovits, A & L Biologicals, Canada;

Part 3 Analysing structure and dynamics of soil microbiomes

• 6.Advances in understanding microbial communities in the rhizosphere: R. Regmi, Qi Yang, and Vadakattu V. S. R. Gupta, CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Australia;
• 7.Nematodes and their trophic interactions in the soil microbiome: Liliane Ruess, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany;
• 8.Advances in understanding soil microbiomes in ecosystem functioning across trophic chains: Karoline Jetter, University of Ulm, Germany; and Patrick Schäfer, Justus Liebig University, Germany;

Part 4 Soil microbiomes and ecosystem services

• 9.Advances in understanding the role of soil microbiomes in carbon cycling in soil: Alain F. Plante, University of Pennsylvania, USA; and Jennifer Pett-Ridge, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA;
• 10.Advances in understanding the role of soil microbiomes in nutrient cycling: Tim Clough, Lincoln University, New Zealand;
• 11.Advances in understanding and exploiting the role of soil microbiomes in protecting crops against pathogens and pests: Rekha Kandaswamy, Bhagyam Agri-Enclave Pvt. Ltd, India; Himani Datta, SGS North America Inc., USA; Niladri Chaudhry, Food Corporation of India, India; Anuradha Gautam, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India; and Vasvi Chaudhry, University of Tübingen, Germany;
• 12.Advances in understanding the role of soil microbiomes in promoting crop resilient to drought stresss: Zakaria M. Solaiman and Kadambot H. M. Siddique, The UWA Institute of Agriculture, and UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Australia;

Part 5 Promoting soil microbiomes and their contribution to soil ecosystem services

• 13.Understanding and optimizing soil physical properties to promote soil microbiomes: Wei Shi, North Carolina State University, USA;
• 14.Assessing the impact of inorganic fertilisers on soil microbiomes: Joann K. Whalen, McGill University, Canada and Center for Sustainable Soil Sciences (C3S), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco; and Shamim Gul, McGill University, Canada and University of Balochistan, Pakistan;
• 15.Understanding how land-use management affects soil microbiomes: Lucas William Mendes, Thierry Alexandre Pellegrinetti and Alexandre Pedrinho, Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Brazil; and Dennis Goss-Souza, Federal Institute of Paraná, Brazil;