Dynamic of soil biology in soils under conservation agriculture

LUIS G. WALL

Rosario

Congreso; 7th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture; 2017

American Confederation of Farmers Organizations for a Sustainable Agriculture (CAAPAS)

The development of scientific knowledge and the increasing environmental consciousness of humanity are changing the agriculture paradigm from a chemical model to a biological one. Soil is not just a physical and chemical support for growing plants. Soil is a complex alive system in which crops develop. No-Tillage is an important component of conservative agriculture, as the rotation and diversification of crops are. During the last 8 years we have studied the effects of soil management on biological properties, from DNA to worms, integrating soil biochemistry, microbiology and fauna. We found that soil biological indexes show dramatic changes according to changes in soil management, either tillage/no-tillage or intensification of crop rotation, suggesting that soil starts to function according to the conservative practice much more earlier than the physical and chemical indexes are modified. Thus, biology dynamics in soil under conservation agriculture appear as a valuable tool for farmers to monitor their management processes.