The following research article, developed by BioFlora’s team at the Integrated Life Science Research Center, describes how soil structure and stability are critical factors for agricultural water management.
Please share it with your PCA or call your BioLynceus® representative to arrange a visit.
Executive Summary
Soil aggregate structure and stability are critical factors for agricultural water management. This document discusses the relationship between microbes and soil aggregate formation and soil architecture. Potential management strategies for developing good soil aggregate formation are explored.
How Are Soil Aggregates Formed?
Growers are faced with numerous problems associated with water. In general, there is a shortage of water for irrigation purposes, and the water that is available is frequently expensive and of inferior quality (i.e., high salt content). Additionally, heavy rainfall is frequently accompanied by field erosion, loss of agricultural soil, and silting of streams and rivers.
Soil with little aggregate formation may be too compact and problematic for water penetration or healthy plant root development. All these issues are linked to soil aggregate structure.
Soil consists of mineral particles, organic matter (dead and alive), water, and air. Some mineral matter is bound together by electrochemical changes, but a significant portion of aggregate formation is due to the action of microbes.
What Is the Role of Soil Microbes?
Good soil tilth is indicated by physical soil qualities that allow air and water to enter and leave pore spaces while retaining enough of each to meet plant and microbial needs. With the formation of stable micro- and macroaggregates, soil porosity and structure are maintained even after wetting.
Microbes in the soil produce many sticky substances that cement soil mineral particles together in small clumps called microaggregates. These sticky substances, such as polysaccharides, mucilages, and glomalin, help cement mineral particles and organic matter together to form the small units of soil aggregate formation.
Glomalin, a sticky substance produced by some fungi, is particularly resistant to microbial degradation and does not dissolve easily in water, making it an ideal sealer for stable soil aggregates.
The small microaggregates are bound together by filaments or strands of fungi, actinomycetes, and other binding agents to create larger aggregates called macroaggregates. These microbial strands, along with fine plant roots and root hairs, act as structural rebar, holding the microaggregates together.
The combination of microaggregates and macroaggregates creates the soil pore structure that is responsible for water and air movement. Fine pores are important for capturing and retaining water through capillary action, holding it in place for plant availability.
Agricultural management practices that do not encourage productive microbial growth in the soil reduce the chances of building and maintaining soil structure that is optimal for plants and water management.
How Can BioLynceus® Products Help Support Good Soil Structure?
Products such as Lot 125® provide a high diversity of microbes to assist in inoculating the soil with soil aggregate builders. Additionally, the diversity of carbon complexes contained in this product helps provide food for the microbes to ensure they can grow and populate the soil with appropriate microorganisms, building better soil structure in the process.
© Integrated Life Science Research Center