scholarly journals Role of soil in the regulation of human and plant pathogens: soils' contributions to people

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1834) ◽  
pp. 20200179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandipan Samaddar ◽  
Daniel S. Karp ◽  
Radomir Schmidt ◽  
Naresh Devarajan ◽  
Jeffery A. McGarvey ◽  
...  

Soil and soil biodiversity play critical roles in Nature's Contributions to People (NCP) # 10, defined as Nature's ability to regulate direct detrimental effects on humans, and on human-important plants and animals, through the control or regulation of particular organisms considered to be harmful. We provide an overview of pathogens in soil, focusing on human and crop pathogens, and discuss general strategies, and examples, of how soils' extraordinarily diverse microbial communities regulate soil-borne pathogens. We review the ecological principles underpinning the regulation of soil pathogens, as well as relationships between pathogen suppression and soil health. Mechanisms and specific examples are presented of how soil and soil biota are involved in regulating pathogens of humans and plants. We evaluate how specific agricultural management practices can either promote or interfere with soil's ability to regulate pathogens. Finally, we conclude with how integrating soil, plant, animal and human health through a ‘One Health’ framework could lead to more integrated, efficient and multifunctional strategies for regulating detrimental organisms and processes. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People’.

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1834) ◽  
pp. 20200169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pete Smith ◽  
Saskia D. Keesstra ◽  
Whendee L. Silver ◽  
Tapan K. Adhya

This theme issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). The papers in this issue show that soils can contribute positively to the delivery of all NCP. These contributions can be maximized through careful soil management to provide healthy soils, but poorly managed, degraded or polluted soils may contribute negatively to the delivery of NCP. Soils are also shown to contribute positively to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Papers in the theme issue emphasize the need for careful soil management. Priorities for soil management must include: (i) for healthy soils in natural ecosystems, protect them from conversion and degradation, (ii) for managed soils, manage in a way to protect and enhance soil biodiversity, health, productivity and sustainability and to prevent degradation, and (iii) for degraded soils, restore to full soil health. Our knowledge of what constitutes sustainable soil management is mature enough to implement best management practices, in order to maintain and improve soil health. The papers in this issue show the vast potential of soils to contribute to NCP. This is not only desirable, but essential to sustain a healthy planet and if we are to deliver sustainable development in the decades to come. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of soils in delivering Nature’s Contributions to People’.


2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-96
Author(s):  
A. J. Reinecke ◽  
S. A. Reinecke

Pathogens Soils are very heterogeneous substrates providing an environmental matrix with varying spatial and temporal gradients of pH, organic carbon, particle size distribution and moisture content. Chemical, physical as well as biological factors are operational and soil includes a vast variety of soil-dwelling invertebrates and microbes that interact with each other and the environment to influence plant productivity directly and indirectly. A review of recent literature on the role of soil biodiversity highlights the important role of soil invertebrates, notably earthworms, in influencing soil characteristics and soil borne plant pathogens. Earthworms are widely recognized as having critical functions in soil in regulating key processes that impact favourably on plant productivity and simultaneously eliminating or reducing soil borne diseases. The aim of this review is firstly to contribute towards a clarification of the role of soil biodiversity in general and to focus specifically on that of earthworms and their role in influencing plant pathogens and parasites. Evidence is provided that their activities can support plant productivity and suppress pathogens. Once the nature and extent of their role is better known and they are confirmed to support plant productivity to the extent that many soil biologists believe, the next logical step is to utilize knowledge of their ecology to create and manage favourable environmental conditions to ensure their survival and activity in agricultural soils. Agricultural management practices that favour soil organisms are also reviewed. Implementing these will make the services of soil biota available to improve and sustain agro-ecosystems. This requires a better understanding of the preferences and tolerance ranges of these organisms and their interactions before we can apply methodologies in general to manipulate environmental conditions to maximise the benefits that they may offer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1834) ◽  
pp. 20200184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela McElwee

This paper reviews the literature on soil and nature's contributions to people (NCP) around learning and inspiration, physical and psychological experiences, and supporting identities, revealing a range of relationships to imagining, understanding and experiencing soil. Often labelled elsewhere as ‘cultural ecosystem services’, these NCP provide a range of benefits that are mostly non-material, non-consumptive and intangible. The review finds that NCP framings help to highlight how soils have contributed to inspiring learning and creative works, like art; to mental and physical health benefits, such as through recreation and gardening; and to cultural identities and practices, including religious practices and efforts for social justice. Overall, soils have played a large role in human creative endeavours, are the root of significant relationships to the environment and can be conceptualized through key metaphors, ideas and theory as a bridge linking culture and nature together. Yet despite the wide-ranging contributions of soils to these NCP, the literature remains uneven and much more remains to be understood, including how relational values of care and stewardship with soils can be fostered and how attention to the co-produced ‘biosocial’ nature of soil can help improve practices for soil health. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People’.


Author(s):  
Rahel Deribe Bekele ◽  
Alisher Mirzabaev ◽  
Dawit Mekonnen

Using a household and plot-level survey conducted in 2016/17 in ten districts of Ethiopia, this study explores whether there is a difference in farmers’ adoption of sustainable land management (SLM) practices between their rainfed and irrigated plots. The paper also investigates the varying influence of different types of irrigation water management systems and associated irrigation technologies on the adoption of SLM practices in irrigated plots. Our findings show only a small difference in the average number of SLM practices between rainfed and irrigated plots, even though significant differences are observed between many of the practices applied individually among these plots. The econometric estimation shows that the role of the combined effect of irrigation water management system and irrigation technology on adoption of SLM practices is quite varied and very significant. The evidence highlights that farmers adopt more SLM practices in their plots with pump irrigation compared to those plots where gravity irrigation is applied. This finding implies that pump irrigation systems enhance complementarities with SLM practices. Furthermore, the results indicate that the type of irrigation water management and the technology applied could play an important role in restoring degraded lands and maintaining soil fertility, even when farmers’ adoption of irrigation were not explicitly triggered by concerns for soil health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1834) ◽  
pp. 20200185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pete Smith ◽  
Saskia D. Keesstra ◽  
Whendee L. Silver ◽  
Tapan K. Adhya ◽  
Gerlinde B. De Deyn ◽  
...  

This special issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). Here, we combine this assessment and previously published relationships between NCP and delivery on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to infer contributions of soils to the SDGs. We show that in addition to contributing positively to the delivery of all NCP, soils also have a role in underpinning all SDGs. While highlighting the great potential of soils to contribute to sustainable development, it is recognized that poorly managed, degraded or polluted soils may contribute negatively to both NCP and SDGs. The positive contribution, however, cannot be taken for granted, and soils must be managed carefully to keep them healthy and capable of playing this vital role. A priority for soil management must include: (i) for healthy soils in natural ecosystems, protect them from conversion and degradation; (ii) for managed soils, manage in a way to protect and enhance soil biodiversity, health and sustainability and to prevent degradation; and (iii) for degraded soils, restore to full soil health. We have enough knowledge now to move forward with the implementation of best management practices to maintain and improve soil health. This analysis shows that this is not just desirable, it is essential if we are to meet the SDG targets by 2030 and achieve sustainable development more broadly in the decades to come. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People’.


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Xavier Rousseau ◽  
Paulo Rogério Dos Santos Silva ◽  
Cláudio José Reis de Carvalho

Deforestation of the Amazonian rainforest and conversion to agriculture with the use of fire creates a mosaic of occupied lands and secondary forests. Considering the fundamental role of soil macrofauna and the lack of information about its resilience to deforestation, this study characterized the earthworms, ants and other soil arthropod communities in secondary forests of 40 and 20 years of age and in cropping system and pastures prepared with slash-and-burn or chop-and-mulch in the Brazilian Eastern Amazonia. Soil macrofauna was sampled according to the TSBF (Tropical Soil Biological and Fertility) methodology. Four sub-indices and one “macrofauna soil health index” were calculated using five principal component analyses. The macrofauna index identified better soil health in chop-andmulch crops, followed by the 40 yr-old forest and the chop-and-mulch pasture. These results confirmed the fundamental role of old secondary forests for soil biodiversity conservation and the potential of the chop-and-mulch technique to mitigate the effects of land use changes.


2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. 331-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Reeleder

The role of biodiversity as it affects the control of soil-borne fungal pathogens is discussed. Soil-borne fungal plant pathogens have often proven difficult to manage with conventional methods of disease control. Nonetheless, researchers have characterized several naturally occurring “disease-suppressive” soils where crop loss from disease is less than would otherwise be expected. Suppressive soils can also result from the incorporation of various amendments into soil. In most cases, disease control in such soils has been shown to be biological in nature; that is, soil organisms appear to directly or indirectly inhibit the development of disease. Increased knowledge of the identity and functioning of these organisms may support the development of techniques that can be used to develop suppressiveness in soils that are otherwise disease-conducive. Populations of pathogens themselves have been shown to exhibit considerable genetic diversity; the ability of populations to respond to disease control measures should be considered when developing a management strategy. New molecular techniques can be exploited to better characterize soil communities, including the pathogens themselves, as well as community responses to various disease control options. The contributions of Canadian researchers to these areas are discussed and models for further study are proposed. Key words: Biocontrol, molecular technologies, functional diversity, integrated pest management


2005 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 42-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.R. Johnston ◽  
S.R. Pennycook ◽  
M.A. Manning

This paper discusses the role of taxonomy in understanding the epidemiology of fruit rotting diseases and in determining the biosecurity status of the fungi associated with those diseases The taxonomy of most highly specialised fruitrotting pathogens is well understood but some degree of uncertainty or confusion applies to the taxonomy of many less specialised pathogens The taxonomic lumping of morphologically similar but genetically and biologically distinct taxa often confounds our ability to understand diseases frustrates the interpretation of research data and can result in misinformation about biosecurity status Such unspecialised pathogens are widespread in New Zealand but whether they cause a problem in a specific orchard depends on environmental conditions management of the orchard and host plant susceptibility As management practices and preferred cultivars change so does the spectrum of these lowspecificity taxa that cause disease problems Five examples illustrate the need for unambiguous taxonomy to facilitate more effective control and management strategies of plant pathogens Accurate identification allows a clear understand the biology of the pathogens and subsequently the epidemiology of their associated diseases


EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hochmuth ◽  
Laurie Trenholm ◽  
Don Rainey ◽  
Esen Momol ◽  
Claire Lewis ◽  
...  

Proper irrigation management is critical to conserve and protect water resources and to properly manage nutrients in the home landscape. How lawns and landscapes are irrigated directly impacts the natural environment, so landscape maintenance professionals and homeowners must adopt environmentally-friendly approaches to irrigation management. After selecting the right plant for the right place, water is the next critical factor to establish and maintain a healthy lawn and landscape. Fertilization is another important component of lawn and landscape maintenance, and irrigation must be applied correctly, especially following fertilization, to minimize potential nutrient losses. This publication supplements other UF/IFAS Extension publications that also include information on the role of soil and the root zone in irrigation management. This publication is designed to help UF/IFAS Extension county agents prepare materials to directly address nutrient losses from lawns and landscapes caused by inadequate irrigation management practices. This 6-page fact sheet was written by George Hochmuth, Laurie Trenholm, Don Rainey, Esen Momol, Claire Lewis, and Brian Niemann, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, October 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss586


2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Ozan Büyükyılmaz

The development and expansion of knowledge management as an important management philosophy has a significant impact on human resources management as well as on organization as a whole. In this context, knowledge management processes have been used as a strategic tool within human resources management.Therefore, functions of human resources management must adapt itself to this change. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of human resources management in the management of knowledge and to reveal the effects of knowledge management practices on the functions of human resources byexamining the relationship between human resources and knowledge management. In this context, a theoretical investigation was conducted. It has been determined that significant changes occurred on the functions of human resources management such as selection and recruitment, performance management, remuneration and reward, training and development within the framework of the knowledge management strategies.


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