This treatise described suppressiveness as the ability of a soil to prevent, truncate or delay the development of a disease even though favorable environmental conditions exist. Further research has attempted to explain the actual mechanisms of disease suppression. Investigations into the role of soil fauna in this process are relatively new. From the start, this article argues that the effect of soil fauna on plant growth must be examined in the context of the whole microbiotic community. The author, therefore, puts considerable effort into describing the members of this community, both flora and fauna, that dwell in the rhizosphere.
More detail is provided on the microfauna.
In keeping with its holistic emphasis, the article examines the relationship between flora and fauna in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling before looking narrowly at plant disease. The author reminds us that as nematodes and protozoans feed upon microbial populations, they consequently will affect organic matter decomposition. It is likely that such feeding ultimately liberates nutrients immobilized in microbial cells or reduces competition between microorganisms so that mineralization is actually accelerated. These indirect and direct impacts are important ones for further study. The role of microarthropods in mineralization is also discussed.