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Soil Health pp 313–335Cite as

Role of Soil Organisms in Maintaining Soil Health, Ecosystem Functioning, and Sustaining Agricultural Production

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Part of the book series: Soil Biology ((SOILBIOL,volume 59))

Abstract

Soil is the fundamental natural resource on which all living and nonliving things are evolved and sustained for carrying out vital life processes. Sustainable agriculture directly relies on soil health which is defined as the capacity of the soil to ascertain environmental quality, sustain biological productivity, and maintain health of all living beings. The biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem interact with each other for proper functioning of all processes. Soil organisms consist of different living forms dwelling in the soil which spend at least one part of their life cycle in soil. These include soil megafauna, macrofauna, mesofauna, microfauna, and microflora. The life within the soil is hidden and so often suffers from being out of sight and out of mind, but their role in maintaining soil health and ecosystem productivity is indispensable. This chapter is an attempt to highlight the contribution of soil organisms in sustaining soil health, fertility, and agricultural productivity.

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Acknowledgment

I am highly thankful to Dr Arun Kumar, Senior Scientist, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur for helping me in preparing figures.

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  1. Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

    Neemisha

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  1. Neemisha
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  1. Department of Botany, Swami Shraddhanand College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India

    Bhoopander Giri

  2. Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Ajit Varma

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Neemisha (2020). Role of Soil Organisms in Maintaining Soil Health, Ecosystem Functioning, and Sustaining Agricultural Production. In: Giri, B., Varma, A. (eds) Soil Health. Soil Biology, vol 59. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44364-1_17

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