Newswise — Feb. 1, 2018 – Microbes are in your gut, in your medicine…and in the soil! The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) February 1 Soils Matter blog post explains how the soil microbiome makes a big impact on plants’ productivity and health.
“The health of the soil microbiome can affect the health of the plants living in it,” says Jo Anne Crouch, USDA-ARS. “Many of the worst diseases in crops or other environments are linked with changes in the soil microbiome. And many of the changes made in soil affect both the soil microbiome and the plants that live in them.”
Even an urban setting such as the U.S. National Mall hosts an incredible population of microbes: 1,600 species were found during renovations to the lawn in 2010!
“Just like humans live in towns and cities where people cooperate, soil microbes rarely act alone. They normally occur as populations within complex communities, the soil microbiome,” Crouch says.
To read the entire blog post, visit http://soilsmatter.wordpress.com.
Follow SSSA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSSA.soils, Twitter at SSSA_Soils. SSSA has soils information on www.soils.org/discover-soils, for teachers at www.soils4teachers.org, and for students through 12th grade, www.soils4kids.org.
The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is a progressive international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. Based in Madison, WI, and founded in 1936, SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members and 1,000+ certified professionals dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. The Society provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.
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