Soil community composition and ecosystem processes - Comparing agricultural ecosystems with natural ecosystems

Soil organisms play principal roles in several ecosystem functions, i.e. pr omoting plant productivity, enhancing water relations, regulating nutrient mineralisation, permitting decomposition, and acting as an environmental bu ffer. Agricultural soils would more closely resemble soils of natural ecosy stems if management practices would reduce or eliminate cultivation, heavy machinery, and general biocides; incorporate perennial crops and organic ma terial; and synchronise nutrient release and water availability with plant demand. In order to achieve these goals, research must be completed to deve lop methods for successful application of organic materials and associated micro-organisms, synchronisation of management practices with crop and soil biota phenology, and improve our knowledge of the mechanisms linking speci es to ecosystem processes.