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Microbial Diversity and Soil Health in Tropical Agroecosystems

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Advances in Soil Microbiology: Recent Trends and Future Prospects

Part of the book series: Microorganisms for Sustainability ((MICRO,volume 4))

Abstract

Microbial diversity is one important factor which controls agroecosystem productivity and quality. Microbial diversity is critical to ecosystem functioning due to its specificity in processes for which microbes are responsible. The presence of diverse soil microbes, bacteria, fungi, and archaea plays a critical role in cycling of major elements (C, N, P) which helps to maintain good soil health. These microbes help in maintaining soil structure, reduce susceptibility to pests and diseases, and eliminate hazardous substances from soil. In this review we addressed two significant questions concerning soil health: (1) how microbial diversity and community structure most effectively describe soil health and can be used as indicators and (2) how can soil health assessed by such indicators be improved or maintained? A summary of available techniques to characterize microbial community structure and diversity is provided, and information pertaining to strategies that can improve microbial diversity in relation to soil health by adopting suitable agricultural practices to sustain soil and crop productivity is furnished. These techniques include those for structural profiling, functional profiling, and other tools being used to assess microbial community diversity and their management through agricultural practices for improving the quality of soil and enhancing the crop productivity. Healthy soil supports high microbial diversity, activity, fertility, nutrient cycling, and disease-suppressive abilities. There is a considerable interest in understanding the nutrient cycles that regulates C, N, and P (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) exchange between the soil and atmosphere and how this exchange responds into tropical agroecosystem functioning under diverse edapho-climatic conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Dipanti Chourasiya, Mahaveer P. Sharma, Hemant S. Maheshwari & Aketi Ramesh

  2. ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau Nath Bhanjan, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Sushil K. Sharma

  3. KIIT School of Biotechnology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

    Tapan Kumar Adhya

Authors
  1. Dipanti Chourasiya
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  2. Mahaveer P. Sharma
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  3. Hemant S. Maheshwari
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  4. Aketi Ramesh
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  5. Sushil K. Sharma
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  6. Tapan Kumar Adhya
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Correspondence to Tapan Kumar Adhya .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. KIIT School of Biotechnology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

    Tapan Kumar Adhya

  2. Department of Microbiology, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

    Bibhuti Bhusan Mishra

  3. Division of Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India

    K. Annapurna

  4. Department of Agricultural & Food Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India

    Deepak Kumar Verma

  5. National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha, India

    Upendra Kumar

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Chourasiya, D., Sharma, M.P., Maheshwari, H.S., Ramesh, A., Sharma, S.K., Adhya, T.K. (2017). Microbial Diversity and Soil Health in Tropical Agroecosystems. In: Adhya, T., Mishra, B., Annapurna, K., Verma, D., Kumar, U. (eds) Advances in Soil Microbiology: Recent Trends and Future Prospects. Microorganisms for Sustainability, vol 4. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7380-9_2

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