Microbial community structure in organic farming and their management

Abstract

The major challenge faced after green revolution is the conversion of sustenance type of farming to intensive agriculture with the use of high yielding varieties and massive loading of chemicals in the form of fertilizers and pesticides. This led to the shift of the primary goal from sustainable agriculture to profit generation. Overexploitation of natural resources under such farming practices led to “second generation problems” such as degradation of soil health and quality, groundwater pollution and its depletion, reduction of above and below-ground diversity. Using hybrid varieties under intensive farming gives higher yield and crop production. However, such new hybrids could adversely affect soil microbes which are the main driver of numerous soil ecosystem services like organic matter mineralization and nutrient cycling. Use of HYVs (high yielding varieties) coupled with a heavy dose of agrochem- icals, monocropping, and less crop rotation in cropping system under modern farming severely damage nutrient cycles by negatively affecting the establishment and functioning of soil microbes.