The BIOSPAS Consortium: Soil Biology and Agricultural Production

LUIS G. WALL

Handbook of Molecular Microbial Ecology I

Wiley-Blackwell

Año: 2011; p. 299 - 305

BIOSPAS is the Spanish acronym for Soil Biology and Sustainable Agricultural Production. The project combines a consortium of scientists belonging to twelve public academic institutions, a non-governmental organization and two private agro-companies. BIOSPAS proposes that efficient and sustainable production of agricultural commodities can take place in an increasingly environment-friendly manner on the basis of deeper, more detailed and comprehensive knowledge of the systems we manage. The study of the soil carried out in this Project observes jointly and simultaneously several qualitative and quantitative biological and edaphic parameters: organic matter fractions; enzymatic activities; fatty acids profiles; glomalin fraction; microbial diversity on DNA basis; metagenomic analysis of nitrogen cycle and P mobilization; culturable bacteria with emphasis on the Pseudomonas and Burkholderia groups, P solubilizers, free N2 fixers, and cellulolitics; meso and macrofauna; biofilm formation; mycorriza analysis; pathogens and diseases expressed in the areas of studies; physics and microorganisation of soil structure; and mathematical analysis of total data. Our goal is to understand how these parameters are related to each other in different management systems, and to which extent they explain productivity variation. We will compare at least 3 systems or uses of soil: 1) very good agricultural management with historically no-tillage management that aim at sustainable practices such as intensive crop rotation and nutrient reposition, 2) their counterpart, mono-cropping without reposition, which is definitely unsustainable, and 3) natural environment, as baseline or control. BIOSPAS web site is at www.biospas.org. This is an example of the integration of metagenomic approaches in a large multifaceted and consortium driven project at the starting level and focused on a broad scientific and practical study in agriculture.