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Effects of Mulching on Soil Biota and Biological Indicators of Soil Quality

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Mulching in Agroecosystems

Abstract

The concept of soil health has gained importance recently, recognizing the soil as a living entity. In the recent scenario of urbanization and excessive land use, agricultural land is subjected to degradation and desertification. For sustainable agriculture production and ecological interactions, there is a dire need for management strategies to improve soil health and quality. Mulching is among the important conservation strategies to enhance soil health by improving soil biota, organic contents, and soil aggregation. In this chapter, we encompassed the different categories of living entities dwelling in soil and their key activities to enhance ecological relations of soil. Based on the literature study, mulches are proved to be very efficient in improving soil biota, soil moisture retention, maintaining the soil temperature, nutrient dynamics, decrease in severity of soil contaminants, suppression of weeds, and control in insects pests. The addition of mulch in the soil fluctuate a number of indicators of soil biota, which account for soil health. Species diversity, microbial biomass, soil respiration, organic content, and enzymatic respiration mainly determine quality status of soil biota, which are influenced by mulches. We have also given the overview of indices of species diversity, i.e., richness, evenness, and phylogenetic indices altered by the introduction of mulches in soil and thus modify the ratio of pests predators. Moreover, based on field conditions, crop and mulch type, and environment-specific application of mulch can become more productive for soil conservation, plant growth and soil biota.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China

    Noor-ul-Ain

  2. Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinay Sciences, Superior University, Lahore, Pakistan

    Ali Aslam

  3. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Fasih Ullah Haider

  4. Gansu Provincial Key Lab of Arid-Land Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Fasih Ullah Haider

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  1. Noor-ul-Ain
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  1. College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China

    Kashif Akhtar

  2. University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan

    Muhammad Arif

  3. Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Riaz

  4. College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Haiyan Wang

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Noor-ul-Ain, Aslam, A., Haider, F.U. (2022). Effects of Mulching on Soil Biota and Biological Indicators of Soil Quality. In: Akhtar, K., Arif, M., Riaz, M., Wang, H. (eds) Mulching in Agroecosystems. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6410-7_2

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