Fertilization management reshapes plant-nematode interactions across global ecosystems.
Xu X, Krashevska V, Zhao Z, Liu S, Liu J
Soil Health
Every bag of synthetic fertilizer you skip in favor of compost is quietly shifting the microscopic life in your soil toward organisms that actively help your plants grow rather than harm their roots.
Soil is full of tiny worms called nematodes — some eat bacteria and help plants, others eat roots and hurt them. This study looked at farms and gardens worldwide and found that compost and organic fertilizers encourage the helpful kind to dominate, while chemical fertilizers tip the balance toward the root-damaging kind. The effect is strongest in warm regions like South Asia and Central Africa, but the core lesson applies anywhere: feed your soil organically and its tiny inhabitants will feed your plants back.
Key Findings
Organic fertilizers increased total nematode abundance and shifted communities toward bacterivores, which correlated with higher plant productivity across global ecosystems.
Mineral fertilizers weakened the positive nematode-plant productivity relationship and produced a negative correlation between plant productivity and herbivorous (root-feeding) nematodes.
The beneficial effects of organic fertilization and bacterivorous nematodes on plant productivity were strongest in warmer climates, including South Asia, Central Africa, and Northern South America.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A global study found that organic fertilizers boost soil nematode diversity and abundance in ways that directly increase plant productivity, while synthetic mineral fertilizers weaken this beneficial relationship and can even cause plant-damaging nematodes to thrive.
Abstract Preview
Understanding how fertilization shapes the composition and functioning of soil nematodes is critical for maximizing agricultural sustainability and plant productivity. However, we lack a unified un...
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