With pesticides and fertilizer usage on the soils along with mono cropping and genetically grown crops which are changing the soil fauna and affecting its ability to perform its function in supporting all the plants needs, and also the needs of the planet in filtering and sequestrating carbon and indeed holding onto water reserves, to mention a few.
Some research well be done about effect of farming practices with charcoal, I think this farming practices was one of activity related to long term carbon sequestration..
Use of cow dung is best which contains microbes which breaks large molecules pesticide etc..in to small molecules and using pseudomonas sp. Bacteria is good
The MESCOSAGR project focused on the impacts of innovative/organic farming practices on C-sequestration. The project PI (A. Piccolo, Suprahumic Systems in the Environment, Federico II University, Naples) published a book in the area that contains several chapters that could be of interest to you. The book was titled "Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Soils: a multidisciplinary approach to innovative methods". There are also multiple projects in China and India that are crop type specific. For a more general reference, I found this UNEP report fairly useful and well referenced: http://www.unep.org/yearbook/2012/pdfs/UYB_2012_CH_2.pdf
Its interesting, long ago, I did a study with the Tea Research institute of Sri Lanka looking at the differences in soil fauna among organic and conventional tea gardens. We examined soil samples from around different parts of the country. Regardless of the environment, we observed significant reduction in soil fauna in conventional tea farming systems where they apply chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as compared to the organic tea farming systems. I am now thinking, if we incorporated tea production levels (i.e. tea harvest) with the above data, we could have answered this question very clearly. Actually, Tea Research Institute records these data very frequently and its bad we missed it!
Fire and soil fauna have something in common: they have a similar complex effect on the soil carbon. On the one hand their activity destroys soil carbon by either burning or mineralisation; on the other hand their activity creates very stable long-living carbon pools by either charcoal formation or humification and bioturbation. As such, carbon sequestration is a trade-off between carbon quality and carbon quantity. But there is even more complication. The micro-organisms in the gut of the earthworms may emit nitrous oxide and cause a greenhouse emission trade-off with the carbon sequestration effect of their bioturbation. All will depend on specific ecological conditions. Some relevant papers on this subject have been produced by Lijbert Brussaard and colleagues at Wageningen University.
I think in the Netherlands the Louis Bolk institute is busy in this topic, http://www.louisbolk.org/research-2/agriculture/soils
or at Wageningen UR
http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Chair-groups/Plant-Sciences/Farming-Systems-Ecology-Group.htm
good luck!
Not exactly long-term C sequestration, but it might interest you,
Best
Minoshima, H., Jackson, L.E., Cavagnaro, T.R., Sánchez-Moreno, S., Ferris, H., Temple, S.R., Goyal, S., Mitchell, J.P., 2007. Soil food web and carbon dynamics in response to conservation tillage in California. Soil Science Society of America Journal 7, 952-963.
Here's a paper by Land Institute scientists that may help:
http://www.landinstitute.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2010/03/03/4bba04e55b47c
Citation: No-tillage conversion of harvested perennial grasslands to annual cropland reduces root biomass, decreases active carbon stocks, and impacts soil biota
Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment: doi:10.1016/j.agee.2009.12.021
I found a term soil fauna a very broad one: sometimes it addresses microorganism and sometimes it addresses meso-fauna (nemathodes?) or macro-fauna - earthworms etc. Is there actually any rule of thumb on that? And one more question: I am working in wetlands and peatlands (meadows or natural areas - so no arable / cultivated land) - is there a good overview of the role (or mechanisms) of soil fauna (micro - or meso) in such areas somewhere?
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