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Role of Microbial Diversity for Soil, Health and Plant Nutrition

  • Chapter
Molecular Mechanisms of Plant and Microbe Coexistence

Part of the book series: Soil Biology ((SOILBIOL,volume 15))

Soil provides the medium for root development, and with the exception of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and some nitrogen, plants depend on soil for all other nutrients and water. Soils develop by the disintegration of rocks, and minerals therein, through biotic actions of the microbes and the fauna sustained by them. Earlier, only the physical and chemical properties of soil were considered important. However, the role of soil biodiversity in maintaining fertility, and the interdependence of soil biological activities with physical and chemical characteristics is well recognized now (Abbott and Murphy 2003; Fitter 2005; Suzuki et al. 2005; Madsen 2005; Manlay et al. 2007). Physical properties and the amount of soil organic matter (SOM) determine the microbial diversity that varies with depth, and soil health. SOM adds to soil fertility, water retention and has a great influence on the growth of the above ground vegetation. Biological indicators such as microbial biomass, soil respiration, enzyme activities and microbial diversity indicate soil health. Significance of soil biodiversity for sustainability of the farming systems has been discussed at length (Brassard et al. 2007). Microbial diversity is an excellent indicator of soil health (Nielsen and Winding 2002). They report that variation in microbial population or activities precede changes that can be noticed in some cases as early signs of soil degradation or amelioration. Water and nutrient supply from soil, particularly N and P, determine the plant growth both in natural and agro-ecosystems. The above ground vegetation is the ultimate source of C for the microbes in the rhizosphere that, in turn, support the macro-fauna. Thus, the above ground vegetation influences the below ground microbial community structure and soil properties (Orwin and Wardale 2005).

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  1. 17, Rohini, Plot No. 29-30, Sector 9-A, Vashi, Navi Mumbai, 400703, India

    C. R. Bhatia

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  1. National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001, India

    Chandra Shekhar Nautiyal

  2. Département de phytologie Pavillon Charles-Eugène Marchand, Université Laval, 1030, avenue de la Médecine, Québec (Québec), G1V 0A6, Canada

    Patrice Dion

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Bhatia, C.R. (2008). Role of Microbial Diversity for Soil, Health and Plant Nutrition. In: Nautiyal, C.S., Dion, P. (eds) Molecular Mechanisms of Plant and Microbe Coexistence. Soil Biology, vol 15. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-75575-3_2

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