Understanding Beneficial Microbes and Insects

Bacteria

Bacteria are the most numerous type of soil organism.

Every gram of soil contains at least a million of these tiny one-celled organisms and highly fertile soils can have as much as 650 million bacteria per gram. There are many different species of bacteria, each with its own role in the soil environment. One of the major benefits bacteria provide for plants is in making nutrients available to them. Some species release nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and trace elements from organic matter. Others break down soil minerals, releasing potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Still other species make and release plant growth hormones, which stimulate root growth.

Several species of bacteria transform nitrogen from a gas in the air to forms available for plant use, and from these forms back to a gas again. A few species of bacteria fix nitrogen in the roots, while others fix nitrogen independently in other locations. Bacteria are responsible for converting nitrogen from ammonium to nitrate and back again, depending on certain soil conditions. Other benefits to plants provided by various species of bacteria include increasing the solubility of nutrients, improving soil structure, fighting root diseases, and detoxifying soil.

Fungi

Fungi come in many different species, sizes, and shapes in soil. Some species appear as threadlike colonies, while others are one-celled yeasts.

Slime molds and mushrooms are also fungi. Many fungi aid plants by breaking down organic matter or by releasing nutrients from soil minerals. Fungi are generally quick to colonize larger pieces of organic matter and begin the decomposition process. Some fungi produce plant hormones, while others produce antibiotics including penicillin. There are species of fungi that trap harmful plant-parasitic nematodes. The mycorrhizae are fungi that live either on or in plant roots and act to extend the reach of root hairs into the soil. Mycorrhizae increase the uptake of water and nutrients, especially phosphorus. They are particularly important in degraded or less fertile soils. Roots colonized by mycorrhizae are less likely to be penetrated by root-feeding nematodes, since the pest cannot pierce the thick fungal network. Mycorrhizae also produce hormones and antibiotics that enhance root growth and provide disease suppression. The fungi benefit by taking nutrients and carbohydrates from the plant roots they live in.

Actinomycetes

Actinomycetes are threadlike bacteria that look like fungi. While not as numerous as bacteria, they too perform vital roles in the soil.

Like the bacteria, they help decompose organic matter into humus, releasing nutrients. They also produce antibiotics to fight diseases of roots. Many of these same antibiotics are used to treat human diseases. Actinomycetes are responsible for the sweet, earthy smell noticed whenever a biologically active soil is tilled.

Algae

Many different species of algae live in the upper half-inch of the soil.

Unlike most other soil organisms, algae produce their own food through photosynthesis. They appear as a greenish film on the soil surface following a saturating rain. Algae improve soil structure by producing slimy substances that glue soil together into water-stable aggregates. Some species of algae (the blue-greens) can fix their own nitrogen, some of which is later released to plant roots.

Protozoa

Protozoa are free-living microorganisms that crawl or swim in the water between soil particles. Many soil protozoa are predatory, eating other microbes. One of the most common is an amoeba that eats bacteria.

By eating and digesting bacteria, protozoa speed up the cycling of nitrogen from the bacteria, making it more available to plants.

Nematodes

Nematodes are abundant in most soils, and only a few species are harmful to plants.

Root feeding nematodes are usually kept in check by a healthy soil microbial system which contains predatory nematodes and micro arthropods. The harmless species eat decaying plant litter, bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, and other nematodes and as they do so, they release nutrients stored in the bodies of their prey. Like other soil predators, nematodes speed the rate of nutrient cycling.

Arthropods

In addition to earthworms, slugs, and snails, there are many other species of soil organisms that can be seen by the naked eye.

Among them are sow bugs, millipedes, soil centipedes, and springtails. These are the primary decomposers. Their role is to eat and shred the large particles of plant and animal residues. Some members of this group prey on smaller soil organisms. Springtails are small insects that eat mostly fungi. Their waste is rich in plant nutrients released after other fungi and bacteria decompose it. Also of interest are dung beetles, which play a valuable role in recycling manure.

Earthworms

Earthworm burrows enhance water infiltration and soil aeration.

Fields that are tilled by earthworm tunneling can absorb water at a rate 4 to 10 times than that of fields lacking worm tunnels. This reduces water runoff, recharges groundwater, and helps store more soil water for dry spells. Vertical earthworm burrows pipe air deeper into the soil, stimulating microbial nutrient cycling at those deeper levels. When earthworms are present in high numbers, the tillage provided by their burrows can replace some expensive tillage work done by machinery.

Earthworms eat dead plant material left on top of the soil and redistribute the organic matter and nutrients throughout the topsoil layer. Nutrient- rich organic compounds line their tunnels, which may remain in place for years if not disturbed. During droughts these tunnels allow for deep plant root penetration into subsoil regions of higher moisture content. In addition to organic matter, worms also consume soil and soil microbes. The soil clusters they expel from their digestive tracts are known as worm casts or castings.

Castings range from the size of a mustard seed to that of a sorghum seed, depending on the size of the worm. The soluble nutrient content of worm casts is considerably higher than that of the original soil. A good population of earthworms can process 20,000 pounds of topsoil per year. In some exceptional cases earthworms can produce turnover rates as high as 200 tons per acre.

Earthworms also secrete a plant growth stimulant. Reported increases in plant growth following earthworm activity may be partially attributed to this substance, not just to improved soil quality.

Earthworms thrive where there is no tillage, generally, the less tillage the better, and the more shallow the tillage the better. Worm numbers can be reduced by as much as 90% by deep and frequent tillage. Tillage reduces earthworm populations by drying the soil, burying the plant residue they feed on, and making the soil more likely to freeze. Tillage also destroys vertical worm burrows and can kill the worms outright.

Earthworms prefer a near-neutral soil pH, moist soil conditions, and plenty of plant residues on the soil surface. They are sensitive to certain pesticides and some incorporated fertilizers. Carbamate insecticides, including Furadan, Sevin, and Temik, are harmful to earthworms, notes worm biologist Clive Edwards of Ohio State University. Some insecticides in the organophosphate family are mildly toxic to earthworms, while synthetic pyrethroids are harmless to them. Most herbicides have little effect on worms except for the triazines, such as Atrazine, which are moderately toxic. Also, anhydrous ammonia kills earthworms in the injection zone because it dries the soil and temporarily increases the pH there. High rates of ammonium-based fertilizers are also harmful to earthworms.