Background

Background

 


State of the Art
Few data about the agricultural soil biodiversity along different EU pedoclimatic regions and its role on crop production.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Evaluation of soil biodiversity at different ecological levels in relation with soil, climate and crop systems. Assessment about relationships between soil diversity and crop yields.


State of the Art
Lack of standardized methods for the whole soil biodiversity assessment and monitoring.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Development of sensitive and representative methods for the evaluation of microorganisms and soil fauna diversity in European croplands.


State of the Art
Although addition of plant growth promoting microorganisms has been encouraged to increase crop yield, little is known about its effect on native microbial communities and time evolution.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Assessment of addition of plant growth promoting microorganisms on soil genetic and functional biodiversity, with monitoring of its real impact on soil native organisms.


State of the Art
Little applied knowledge about mechanisms and interactions of soil microbes and plant health, growth and development.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Advances in soil microbes` use and management to promote plant growth and protection against diseases. Products based on soil microbes formulations will be developed.


State of the Art
Low use of plant-microbes interactions for reduction of nutrient inputs and low development of crop rotations, multiple cropping and intercropping.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Development of new diversified cropping systems to reduce water use, fertilizers and pesticides.


State of the Art
Scarce knowledge and application of catch crops to retain nutrients in the field between the principal crops.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Finding out whether catch crops would improve soil structure and quality and promote soil biodiversity by decreasing nutrient and carbon loss from soils.


State of the Art
Use of pesticides with a schedule calendar, applied independently of the risk of infection.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Development and modelling of pest alert systems to reduce the use of pesticides and to preserve biodiversity.


State of the Art
Little use of trap crops in multiple cropping and rotations for pest control.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Reductions in the use of pesticides, increases in the crops health and improvements in soil biodiversity by trap crops.


State of the Art
Low knowledge about the potential use of by-products to increase soil biodiversity in European agriculture.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Findings in the potential use of adequate organic and industrial by-products as soil amendment as first step of a new fertilization to improve soil biodiversity and C sequestration.


State of the Art
Lack of knowledge on the interactions between soil biodiversity and delivery of ecosystem services or management practices.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Advances in the effects of soil genetic and functional biodiversity on the ecosystem services provided by agricultural soils.


State of the Art
Scarce assessment about the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of soil biodiversity management in European agricultural areas.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Quantification of costs and benefits for farms profitability, general society and environment of management practices based on soil biodiversity exploitation and conservation.


State of the Art
Little dissemination about the existing knowledge about soil biodiversity management benefits on reducing inputs and promoting plant growth and health.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Different case studies will increase end-users knowledge about the use of soil biodiversity to reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers together with increases in crops growth, health and/or value.


State of the Art
The knowledge created in the research institution flow slowly to the end-users and in many cases they are not reached.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
The knowledge created in the project will be directly transferred by continuous and active end-users engagement.


State of the Art
Effectiveness of Fourier-Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in many soil characteristics including some microbiological properties. However, the use of FTIR so estimate soil biological and genetic diversity as provided by metagenomics and next generation sequencing has not been developed yet.

Progress with SoildiverAgro
Calibration of FTIR by chemometric analyses to estimate microbial genetic and functional diversity, nematodes diversity and biodiversity indices as a rapid and cost-effective tool for rapid soil assessment and monitoring.

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