Chapter 10 - Effects of Compaction on Soil Biota and Soil Biological Processes

Abstract

Summary Optimum crop production requires integrated management of interacting soil physical-chemical properties and biological processes. This chapter considers how soil biology aspects can be integrated into agro-ecosystem management, to overcome the problems of conventional high-input, “physical-chemical” agriculture. A good soil structure is a prerequisite for satisfactory crop growth and adequate functioning of soil organisms. Soil structure supplies plant roots and soil organisms with “habitable pore space” and controls many processes, e.g., the transport of water, oxygen and nutrients. In turn, soil organisms can contribute to an optimum soil structure through aggregate formation and the creation of biopores. Soil organisms also play an important role in plant development, e.g., by supplying nutrients and by controlling pests and plant pathogens. Intensive soil tillage and traffic with heavy machinery can damage soil organisms and their habitats, and thus reduce their positive role. In reduced-input management systems, the role of soil organisms in maintaining or improving soil structure and supplying plant nutrients, becomes more important. In-depth studies on the functioning of soil biota (roots, microbes, fauna) and on soil biological processes, as influenced by soil compaction, are reviewed in the context of integrated management in crop production.