Actinobacteria isolated from the study soil. These bacteria, which play an important role in carbon cycling processes, were more abundant under perennial grasses.
Corn was planted every year on these plots since 2001. While the corn fields had healthier soils than soybean fields, their soils weren’t as healthy as those growing perennial grasses.
The grass “creeping red fescue” and the legume “birdsfoot trefoil” produced the healthiest soils in the study. Healthy soils had lots of biological activity, diverse microbes, and plenty of fungi.