The Agronomy Letter
Soil and Plant Biology – Measurement and Management
Though this may be madness, yet there is method in't." Hamlet
Soil and plant biology has been in the too hard basket. Now, as
we have improved measurements of organisms and research
quantifying the unique roles in soil and plant health, there are
gains to be had in our farming systems.
No-till cropping is an excellent example, where gains in soil qual-
ity, and farm efficiency, are direct responses to soil biology and
resulting profitability.
The hard bits.
There are many aspects to soil and plant biology for improved
crop productivity. The biology in soils and on plants contains a
diversity of groups such as nematodes, bacteria and fungi. Within
each group is a complex diversity of beneficial and a few patho-
genic species, providing numerous roles in an active ecosystem.
In each crop, and cropping and soil system, different groups will
be in different proportions. There is no value in generalisations,
which makes analysis and recommendations more dynamic, and
challenging. As with soil nutrient analysis, each analysis requires
to be correlated to the specific soil and crop type.
What are the farmer benefits?
Disease Suppression.
Beneficial biology can protect plants from pathogens and other
pests, often by out-competing them by population den-
sity. Simply occupying the plant surface, they ensure pathogens
cannot gain access. What is really important: diverse microor-
ganisms consume soil organic matter at different stages of de-
composition, to the benefit or detriment of crops as specific
pathogens will attack a crop if virulent, and no other food source
is available. CSIRO is conducting outstanding research in this
area. Get this right and we save $ ‘000’s on pest management.
Nutrition.
Biology plays a significant role in nutrient transformations and
cycling, decomposition of organic plant materials, and carbon
cycling.
The microbial community constitutes a reservoir of nutrients
itself. We can now measure in detail, nutrient levels contained in
microorganisms and the roles the diverse groups play in nutrient
transformations. Expect more products on the market supporting
nutrition.
Mycorrhizal fungi, among others, have an important effect with
symbiotic plants, showing equivalent Phosphorous response to
fertiliser applications on Phosphorous poor soils – both acid and
alkaline.
Carbon sequestration.
Of the carbon returned to the soil as plant residue, between 5 and
15 % becomes tied up in the bodies of organisms and 60 to 75 %
is respired as carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere. Only 10 to
25 % is converted to humus in the soil.
How do we sequester more carbon? Photosynthesis - grow more
plants, return more organic material, and practice reduced tillage
methods. Again, CSIRO is conducting world leading research.
Analysis
The Agronomy Letter is an educational service by Darren Cribbes, Consulting Agronomist at Nexus Agronomy.
Claimer— Information presented is referenced and intends to support farmers with information they may consider in the continuous improvement of their farm business.
Please contact us: Telephone 03 5331 8607 Mobile 0400 600 556 or email darren@nexusagronomy.com or www.nexusagronomy.com
Farmers are not interested in a WAG* of how many are in a tea-
spoon of soil. We want to know how many beneficial and how
many pathogens are there – specifically - can we manage them to
improve productivity and efficiency of production for profit.
Numerous methods are available for measuring the biology in
soils. As with soil nutrient tests, we are obliged to understand the
test method to better understand the results. Microscope and plate
counts are common and have some drawbacks. More recently,
molecular and DNA methods are economically accessed, provid-
ing specific results including genius and specie in some tests ( eg
Page 2).
Similarly to soil analysis, a set of information is gathered under a
set of particular circumstances. It is information only. The famer
and their consultant require developing decisions for action.
Can you benefit?
From the view of ecosystem function, the microbial community
is a small but highly significant portion of soil. Farmers incorpo-
rating biology with soil aspects of chemistry and physics will
gain efficiency improvements and be able to measure results.
More specifically, selected beneficial biology can be incorporated
into your current farming practices, providing longer periods of
control and reduced chemical use.
Darren Cribbes
Bibliography
- Brady and Weil,1990, The nature and properties of soils, Mac-
Millan: USA
Note: this book is a must for every farmer.
- Sylva et al.,1997, Principles and Applications of Soil Microbiol-
ogy, Prentice Hall, USA
-Alexander 1991, Introduction to Soil Microbiology, Krieger USA
* WAG - wild ass guess
Spotlight—Soil and Plant Biology
ZONE Manager Business Network will be presenting
a short seminar on local research conducted on
Brown Rot and providing the latest results and man-
agement practices suited to the Swan Hill region, in
June 2011.
We will also explain how ZONE Manager and the
MAIT equipment can support crop monitoring and
forecasting disease risk, putting growers in control.
Call me anytime for a conversation.
This example of a Microbiology Suite analysis shows the detail able to be
obtained using current lab techniques.
Specifically, analysis for disease pathogens can be conducted with accu-
racy in correct identification. Inoculum levels of disease causing pathogen
can also be analysed from soil and plant samples.

Comments Consulting by:

The total mass of microbes in this sample is very good. Total fungi and total bacteria are good,
although the fungi:bacteria ratio may be slightly high. Pseudomonas and actinomycete num- Nexus Agronomy Pty Ltd
bers may be slightly low. Protozoa and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAM) appear to be good. PO Box 347
Images of mycorrhizae colonisation of root and amount of root infected can be supplied. Wendouree VIC, 3355
Nutrients available in soil is measured by calculation of known nutrient content in microorgan-
ism groups. Tel: 03 5331 8607
Mob: 0400 600 556
Analysis includes molecular and DNA protocols. Genus and specie identification available for
seed inoculants and boiological treatments Specialising in soil and
crop agronomy