Soil Amendments with Spearmint, Peppermint and Rosemary Enhance the Community of Free-Living Nematodes and Improve Soil Quality, While Having Strikingly Different Effects on Plant Growth.

Abstract

Sustainable farming practices aim to replace agrochemicals with plant-based alternatives to increase productivity and soil quality. To evaluate the potential use of aromatic plants as soil amendments in tomato seedbeds, in a greenhouse experiment, we used spearmint, peppermint, and rosemary, separately, as soil amendments, in pots sown with tomato, and studied their effect on seedling growth, soil nutrients, and the soil nematode community in terms of trophic and functional structure, metabolic footprint, and genera composition. Non-amended soil was used in the control pots. We further explored the dynamics of the plant–soil–nematode interactions by using aromatic plants at different stages of decomposition (0, 28, and 56 days). Incorporating aromatic plants into the soil led to the proliferation of free-living nematodes, especially of the opportunistic kind, resulting in vigorous and enriched soil. This was more pronounced in the case of the spearmint and peppermint, which also increased the tomato growth. The high soil nutritional status and enhanced plant growth were most prominent when the aromatic plants were left for 28 days to decompose in the soil before sowing. Compared with the mint plants, the rosemary had similar, yet less intense, effects on the soil community, but completely inhibited the growth of the tomato seedlings. Therefore, it is not recommended for use as a soil amendment in tomato seedbeds.