Soil Life – Trace and Save

The Rhizosphere: A key player in nutrient accessibility and plant stress resilience

2023-07-19/in Blog/by Lomé Smit

Reading Time: 5 minutes

The rhizosphere represents a fascinating and complex system, which plays a crucial role in the functioning of the soil ecosystem and the health of plants. This zone is characterized by an intricate web of biological, chemical, and physical interactions between the plant, the soil microorganisms, and the soil itself. One of the key functions of the rhizosphere is to facilitate nutrient uptake by plants, by enhancing the availability and accessibility of nutrients in the soil. Another important role of the rhizosphere is to mitigate plant stress, by providing a range of protective and supportive functions. Understanding the mechanisms underlying nutrient cycling and stress response in the rhizosphere can help us to develop more sustainable and efficient agricultural practices, which can improve soil fertility and plant productivity, while minimizing environmental impact.

Soil fungi connections

2021-09-28/in Blog, Carbon Farming, Consumer, Producer/by Portia Phohlo

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Soil fungi increase security, awareness, and knowledge for those connected to them. Any soil management action that results in the breakage of these connections, such as tillage and fungicides, destroys the entire nerve system of the soil thus isolating plants and soil organisms from each other.

Protozoa and protozoa tea

2021-04-07/in Blog/by Tenita Nell

Reading Time: 4 minutes

What are protozoa? Protozoa are microbes beneficial to soil health. They help to cycle nutrients such as nitrogen as well as attract earth worms. Find here instructions to make your own protozoa tea to inoculate the soil.

Could compost tea be part of the solution?

2021-02-09/in Blog, Producer/by Jason Deschamps

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Compost tea, if used correctly, can help reduce the use of harmful pesticides through the introduction of beneficial microbes and at the same time bring nutrients that are essential for plant growth and soil functions.

Living roots are key

2021-01-27/in Blog/by Jason Deschamps

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Soils have become high nutrient input systems resulting in the use of substantial amounts of synthetic fertiliser to grow our crops. There is a simple solution to this problem, we need to feed our “underground herds”

Dung beetles have been largely undervalued

2020-12-11/in Blog/by Craig Galloway

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Dung beetles are part of nature’s process of returning nutrients from animals to the soil so that they can be used to grow more fodder for the animals.

Without oxygen in the soil, nothing works

2019-06-28/in Blog, Carbon Farming, Producer/by Portia Phohlo

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Oxygen is one of the overlooked but most important requirements for microbial and root development. In fact, I’d even posit that it is more important than food, water, and warmth.

Are herbicides really helping you?

2019-05-28/in Blog, Producer/by Craig Galloway

Reading Time: 6 minutes

There has been a lot of research conducted about the impact of applying herbicides. The problem is that there is a full spectrum of findings showing positive, negative and negligible effects on soil biology. This can be very confusing.

Video – What is the importance of the soil food web?

2019-02-28/in Blog, Carbon Farming, Producer/by Portia Phohlo

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The soil food web represents the diversity of life that lives in the soil. Earthworm counts can be used as an indicator of the diversity of life that is present in the soil.

Mycorrhizal fungi: The plant’s secondary root system

2018-04-09/in Blog, Producer/by Portia Phohlo

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The relationship between plant roots and mycorrhizae is often reduced to just the exchange of nutrients and water, but the relationship goes much deeper. Read this blog to find out about other benefits of this mutualistic relationship.

Posts

The Rhizosphere: A key player in nutrient accessibility and plant stress resilience

Soil fungi connections

Protozoa and protozoa tea

Could compost tea be part of the solution?

Living roots are key

Dung beetles have been largely undervalued

Without oxygen in the soil, nothing works

Are herbicides really helping you?

Video – What is the importance of the soil food web?

Mycorrhizal fungi: The plant’s secondary root system

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