ABSRTACT e-BOOK

**International Web Conference**

Soil Health Management for Sustainable Crop
Productivity

September 7th & 8th 2020

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /><figcaption>Ashutosh Singh
Amit Kumar Pandey</figcaption></figure>

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Mandan Bharti Agriculture College,
Agwanpur, Saharsa -852201
Bihar
ISBN - 978-81-949290-3-1

International Web Conference

on

Soil Health Management for
Sustainable Crop Productivity

September 7th & 8th 2020

**ABSTRACT E-BOOK**

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**Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry**

MANDAN BHARTI AGRICULTURE COLLEGE
AGWANPUR, SAHARSA - 852 201 (BIHAR)

Bihar Agricultural University

Sabour | Bhagalpur - 813 210 | Bihar | India

www.bausabour.ac.in
# ABSTRACT e-BOOK: International Web Conference on Soil Health Management on Sustainable Crop Productivity
September 7th & 8th 2020

**Chief Patron**

Prof. (Dr.) Ajoy Kumar Singh, Vice-Chancellor, BAU Sabour, Bihar

**Patron**

Dr. R. R. Singh, Dean (Agriculture), BAU Sabour, Bihar

**Convener**

Dr. Umesh Singh, Associate Dean-cum Principal, MBAC, Agwanpur, Saharsa, Bihar

**Editors**

Dr. Ashutosh Singh, Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry

Dr. Amit Kumar Pandey, Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry

Year of Publication : 2021

ISBN : 978-81-949290-3-1

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /></figure>

978-81-949290-3-1

Copyright © Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur-813 210, Bihar

**Correct Citation :** Singh, Ashutosh and Pandey, Amit Kumar (Eds.) (2021) *Abstract e-book*. International Web Conference on Soil Health Management for Sustainable Crop Productivity September 7th & 8th 2020. Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, India. pp 001–132, ISBN: 978-81-949290-3-1.

**Declaration :** Opinions in this publication are those of respective authors and not necessarily that of the organizers. This publication cannot be reproduced, stored, retrieved or distributed mechanically, photographically, electronically or otherwise, in part or full, without the written consent of the Publisher.

**Technical Support :**

Mr. Ajay Kumar, Typist-cum-Computer Operator, MBAC, Agwanpur, Saharsa, Bihar

**Organized by :**

Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry

Mandan Bharti Agriculture College, Agwanpur, Saharsa-852 201

Bihar, India

www.bausabour.ac.in
## Contents

<table><thead><tr><th>Sl. No.</th><th>Title and Author</th><th>Page No.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td colspan="3">EXTENDED SUMMARY</td></tr><tr><td>1.</td><td>Soil Health Card: A Scheme for Sustainable Agriculture<br>Umesh Singh, Ashutosh Singh and Amit Kumar Pandey</td><td>3-8</td></tr><tr><td>2.</td><td>Deteriorating Soil Health and Its Management<br>Pallab Kumar Sarma</td><td>9-17</td></tr><tr><td>3.</td><td>Soil Biota is the Foundation of Sustainable Soil Health<br>Ajeet Kumar and C. K. Jha</td><td>18-23</td></tr><tr><td>4.</td><td>Role of Biochar in Soil Health Management and Mitigation of Climate Change<br>Bikram Borkotoki</td><td>24-32</td></tr><tr><td>5.</td><td>Impact of STCR Approach on Soil Health and Performance of Rice Crop<br>Amit Kumar Pandey, Ashutosh Singh and Niru Kumari</td><td>33-36</td></tr><tr><td>6.</td><td>Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Soil Quality and Performance of Wheat<br>Ashutosh Singh and Amit Kumar Pandey</td><td>37-39</td></tr><tr><td>7.</td><td>Sustainable Soil Fertility Management for Horticultural Crops<br>Pankaj Kumar Ray, Ashutosh Singh and Amit Kumar Pandey</td><td>40-44</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">ABSTRACT</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">THEME- 1</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">SOIL QUALITY INDICATORS FOR SUSTAINABILITY CROP PRODUCTIVITY</td></tr><tr><td>8.</td><td>Assessment of Macro & Micro Nutrients Status of Jalgaon District, Maharashtra State<br>Monika Naphade, G. S. Sidhu and V. D. Patil</td><td>49</td></tr><tr><td>9.</td><td>Soil Carbon Sequestration: Potential Benefit for Agriculture<br>Ashutosh Singh, Amit Kumar Pandey and Pankaj Kumar Ray</td><td>50</td></tr><tr><td>10.</td><td>Management of Soil-Borne Pathogens<br>Pavithra G., Sathish Kumar E, Meenakshi Rana, Seweta Srivastava and Shivam Singh</td><td>51</td></tr></tbody></table>
# SOIL BIOTA IS THE FOUNDATION OF SUSTAINABLE SOIL HEALTH

Ajeet Kumar* and C. K. Jha

Assistant Professor-cum-Scientist

Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Pusa

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), Bihar, India

## ABSTRACT

Our understanding of soil health has evolved over the years, just for fertility attributes such as organic matter, soil aggregation, tilth, porosity, and bulk density is considered as key components of healthy soil. Soil is taken for granted, who often think it as an inert support for plants. In reality, it is a dynamic, living resource whose condition is vital for food production and for the function of the ecosystem as a whole. The physical and chemical components of soil are important, but the organisms that live in the soil ensure that it remains fertile and productive in the long term. The biological component of soil is concentrated mainly in the topsoil, occupying a tiny fraction. (<0.5%) of the total soil volume and making up less than 10% of total soil organic matter. A small part of this living component of soil consists of plant roots, microorganisms and soil animals forming the bulk of the biomass. Soil microorganisms like Bacteria, fungi, protozoa and algae form the major part of the soil biomass. There is an enormous number of species in each of these groups, but our knowledge of each of them is limited because many species have not been described taxonomically and most have not been cultured.

**Keywords:** Soil health, Soil organism, Interaction, Soil environment

## Introduction

The long-term application of excessive chemical fertilizers resulted in the degeneration of soil quality parameters such as soil microbial biomass, communities, and nutrient content, which in turn affects crop health, productivity, and soil sustainable productivity. Soil is a dynamic living resource whose wellbeing is vital to both the production of food and fibre for global balance and ecosystem function and in that, it represents a unique balance between physical, chemical and biological factors (Doran *et al.*, 1996). This is well complemented by the concept of soil health. Soil health is defined as the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living system, by recognizing that it contains biological elements that are

<footnote>*Corresponding author e-mail: ajeetrau@gmail.com</footnote>
key to ecosystem function within land-use boundaries to sustain biological activity, promote
the quality of air and water environments and maintain plant, animal and human health
(Doran and Zeiss, 2000). A healthy soil should be capable of supporting life processes such
as plant anchorage and nutrient supply, retain optimal water and soil properties, support soil
food webs, recycle nutrients, maintain microbial diversity, remediate pollutants, sequester
heavy metals, and contribute to disease suppression (Njira and Nabwami, 2013). Soil health
can be synthesized into six main characteristics: i. High biological diversity ii. High
community stability that can provide resilience and self-recovery to chemical and biological
disturbance iii. Ability to maintain the integrity of nutrient cycling and energy flow iv.
Suppression of multiple pests and pathogens v. Ability to improve plant health vi.
Maintenance of water and air quality.

Soil health is determined by physical, chemical, and biological indicators. This paper focuses on biological indicators. Pankhurst et al. (1997) and Martinez-Salgado et al. (2010) noted the following as some of the most important biological indicators of soil health. i. Abundance of soil microflora (e. g. bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes) ii. Soil fauna (e.g. earthworms, nematodes, protozoa) iii. Soil biodiversity iv. Soil biomass carbon v. Soil biomass nitrogen (N) vi. Mineralizable N vii. Soil enzyme activity viii. Soil food web structure ix. Plant growth and diversity; Soil biological indicators highlight some activities and functions of microorganisms in the soil. Russo et al. (2012) summarized the following as beneficial functions of soil microorganisms: release of plant nutrients from insoluble inorganic forms, decomposition of organic residues and release of nutrients, formation of beneficial soil humus by decomposing organic residues and through synthesis of new compounds, production of plant growth promoting compounds, improvement of plant nutrition through symbiotic relationships that lead to transformation of atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into plant available N, increasing root surface area for phosphorus absorption, improvement of soil aggregation through production of binding agents such as glomalin (from mycorrhizal fungi) and polysaccharides (from bacteria), improvement of soil aeration and water infiltration, have antagonistic actions against insects, plant pathogens and weeds (bio control), help in pesticide degradation and rhizoremediation (bioremediation).

The soil consists of five major components. They are living organisms, organic matter, air, water and minerals. The soil is generally referred as the loose material of the earth's surface, which supports the growth of plants, bacteria, fungi, algae and protozoa, which make up for the living organisms of soil. Fertile soil is inhabited by the root systems of higher plants, by many animal forms (ex: insects, worms) and by the tremendous number of
microorganisms. The type and quantity of microorganisms present in a soil vary depending upon the physical characteristics and agricultural practices and other parameters such as amount and type of nutrients, available moisture, degree of aeration, temperature and pH. Soil has great variety of microorganisms of bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa and viruses

### Classification of Soil Organisms:

<table><thead><tr><td>Classification</td><td>Body Width</td><td>Examples</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Microflora</td><td>&lt; 10 µm</td><td>Bacteria, Fungi</td></tr><tr><td>Microfauna</td><td>&lt; 100 µm</td><td>Protozoa, Nematodes</td></tr><tr><td>Mesofauna</td><td>100 µm to 2 mm</td><td>Acari, Collembola</td></tr><tr><td>Macrofauna</td><td>2 mm to 20 mm</td><td>Earthworms, Snails</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Microbial population in a fertile agricultural soil

<table><thead><tr><td>Type</td><td>Number per gram</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Bacteria</td><td>2,500,000,000 (2.5 X 10<sup>9</sup>)</td></tr><tr><td>Actinomycetes</td><td>700,000 (7.0 X 10<sup>5</sup>)</td></tr><tr><td>Fungi</td><td>400,000 (4.0 X 10<sup>5</sup>)</td></tr><tr><td>Algae</td><td>50,000 (5.0 X 10<sup>4</sup>)</td></tr><tr><td>Protozoa</td><td>30,000 (3.0 X 10<sup>4</sup>)</td></tr></tbody></table>

**Bacteria**, plays an important role in soil because their diverse metabolic capabilities enable them to exploit sources of energy and carbon in soil. They are the agents for the cycling of inorganic compounds such as nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus. About 70% of soil microbial biomass is contributed by **fungi**, (may be free-living or mutually beneficial or parasitic with plant roots). Fungi exploit a diversity of substrates because of their filamentous nature and decomposers of cellulose and lignins produced by plants. **Mycorrhizal fungi** involved in a mutually beneficial association with roots. They derive nutrients from roots and in turn aid the plant in the uptake of relatively immobile nutrients, by forming a link between plants and soil. Actinomycetes are filamentous bacteria, found in soil, are involved in the decomposition of cellulose, chitin and recalcitrant humic acids.

**Soil microfauna** (protozoa and nematodes) feed on bacteria and fungi and are involved in nutrient recycling in soil. Protozoa constitute only a small proportion (~5%) of soil microbial biomass, they are ecologically important because of their rapid turnover rates and the large grazing pressure, which maintains microbial populations that are physiologically young and in a high metabolic activity. Thus microbial turnover is stimulated, resulting in increased rates of nutrient mineralisation. Nematodes are among the most abundant soil microfauna. Some species are parasites of plants and animals but the majority is beneficial
(commonly known as ‘free-living nematodes), playing an important role in nutrient cycling processes. Thus free-living nematodes are part of the natural food web of organisms, the protozoans, earthworms, mites, insects, fungi and bacteria that reduce the organic remains of animals and plants to their primary constituents.

**Soil mesofauna** (comprise mites, collembola, enchytraeids (small worms), tardigrades (water bears) and small insects, have a diverse group, and collectively play a role in regulating microbial populations and disseminating microbial propagules. They accelerate decomposition of plant residues. **Soil macrofauna** (ants, termites, millipedes, adult and larval insects, earthworms, snails and slugs), have the greatest potential for direct effects on soil functional properties. This activity results in an increase in the surface area of organic substrates available for microbial activity. Certain groups, especially ants, termites, and earthworms, can greatly modify soil structure through the formation of macropores and aggregates. These effects may influence water infiltration and solute leaching through soil. **Soil biota** contributes for maintenance of soil structure by the binding substances. Fungal hyphae, along with fibrous roots from plants, bind soil particles and small aggregates together into larger units. Polysaccharides act as the gums that bind and stabilise aggregates. Soil microorganisms play a dominant role in the decomposition of cellulose, hemicellulose, polysaccharides, hydrocarbons, lignins, proteins and amino acids. They are important in transforming nutrients into forms that can be used by plants. When plant residues are incorporated into soil by cultivation, bacteria start the decomposition process. This immediately results in an increase in protozoa and bacterial feeding nematodes and nutrient cycling proceeds. On the other hand, when plant residues remain on the surface of the soil, a fungal flora develops and populations of fungal feeding organisms increase in the surface layers. The soil biota is therefore much more important than is usually recognized. Suppression of plant pathogens are common in soils that have been intensively cropped for decades. The organisms involved in disease suppression act in different ways. Fungi and bacteria are able to displace each other from specific ecological niches in soil by competing for nutrients. A group of bacteria known as the fluorescent pseudomonads (Pseudomonas spp.), for example, inhibit the growth of pathogens by limiting their access to soluble ferric iron. The bacteria e.g. *Bacillus* spp, and some actinomycetes, produce antibiotics that are detrimental to pathogens. Fungi such as *Trichoderma* and *Gliocladium* are able to parasitize fungal pathogens and are therefore useful biological control agents. The ‘nematode trapping fungi’ are able to capture nematodes by producing unique trapping structures in which
nematodes become ensnared. Some small arthropods (e.g. mites and collembola) feed on parasitic nematodes.

## Soil Inoculation with Effective Microorganisms:

Effective microbes can be brought to a soil that has been proven to have ineffective strains for a specific function such as legume N₂ fixation in the case of rhizobia or improving phosphorus availability in the case of mycorrhizal fungi. Inoculants of phosphorus solubilising microorganisms have also been reported by Mardad *et al.*, 2013. Inoculation is done through application of the concerned microbes to the seed or bringing soil that is infected with the required microorganisms to the new environment. However, antagonistic interactions exist with indigenous strains. Several reports show increase in rhizobial numbers and increase in N₂ fixation leading to soybean yield increases of 50% (Sylvia *et al.*, 2005). Some studies on co-inoculation of legumes with rhizobia to fix nitrogen and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi to enhance P uptake in which the coinoculation increased plant growth more than inoculation with rhizobia alone. This was attributed to the effect of AM fungi in improving P uptake, thereby enhancing nitrogen activity in plant nodules and in turn promoting root and AM fungal development. The introduction of new strains to the environment is still an area that needs further research as to establish how advantageous it is in the long term in terms of soil biodiversity with the consideration of antagonistic interactions between different soil organisms. The interactions that occur between soil organisms and with the soil environment are complex. Thus the soil biota plays a vital role in sustaining a healthy, productive soil capable of supporting plant growth that is appropriate for a particular soil and climate.

## Conclusions

Soil microorganisms have an important contribution to soil productivity and therefore the relationship between soil microbial populations, diversity, functions and soil management practices needs thorough understanding. From this paper it is concluded that inoculation with effective microorganisms have a positive influence on soil microbial activities and generally increase soil microbial populations, diversity and functions. Diversified cropping systems lead to increased populations and diversity of microorganisms and changes in microbial community structure due to diverse types of cell components and root exudates released into the soil that in turn provide diverse substrates for the soil microbes. The crop residues also have an influence on type and numbers of microorganisms proliferating in an environment. This is mainly due to composition of the crop residues in terms of carbon to nitrogen.
Considering beneficial functions of soil biota, it is therefore noted that thorough exploitation of these practices in farming systems has a substantial contribution in improving soil health.

**References:**

Doran, J. W.; Sarrantonio, M. and Liebig, M. (1996). Soil health and sustainability. In: Advances in Agronomy, Sparks, D. L. (Editor). Vol 56. Academic Press, New York.

Doran, J. W. and Zeiss, M. R. (2000). Soil health and sustainability: managing the biotic component of soil quality. *Applied Soil Ecology* **15**: 3–11.

Mardad, I.; Serano, A. and Soukri, A. (2013). Solubilization of inorganic phosphate and production of organic acids by bacteria isolated from Moroccan mineral phosphate deposit. *African Journal of Microbiology Research* **7**(8): 626-635.

Martinez-Salgado, M. M.; Gutierrez-Romero, V.; Jannsens, M. and Ortega-Blu, R. (2010). Biological soil quality indicators: A review. (In): Current Research, Technology and Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Mendez Vilas A (Editor.), Formatex. www.formatex.info/microbiology2/319-328.

Njira, Keston Oliver Willard and Nabwami, Janet (2013). Soil management practices that improve soil health: Elucidating their implications on biological indicators. *Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences* **18**(2): 2750-2760.

Pankhurst, C. E.; Doube, B. M. and Gupta, V. V. S. R. (1997). Biological indicators of soil health. CAB International Wallingford, UK, 451 pp.

Russo, A.; Carrozza, G. P.; Vettori, L.; Felici, C.; Cinelli, F. and Toffanin, A. (2012). Plant beneficial microbes and their application in plant biotechnology. In: Innovations in Biotechnology, Agbo EC (Editor). http://www.intechopen.com/books/innovations-in-biotechnology/plant-beneficialmicrobes-and-their-application-in-plant-biotechnology.

Sylvia, D. M.; Furhmann, J. J.; Hartel, P. G. and Zuberer, D.A. (2005). Principles and application of soil microbiology. 2nd Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall. New Jersey. 640 pp.

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