Fungi doesn't honestly sound like a good thing! Ick right? In farming though, fungi can be a good thing. More importantly, new research published in the journal Environmental Microbiology notes that organic farms come out ahead in the healthy fungi department.
According to this new research, farming practices can have a significant impact on the diversity of beneficial microbial fungi. Fungi, known to be beneficial for crop productivity, soil recovery and maintenance of healthy ecosystems, is more abundant in the soil of organic farms than in the soil of conventional farms.
The study team, led by Dr Christopher van der Gast at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), UK and Dr Gary Bending from the University of Warwick, UK spent time investigating the distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), at nine arable and horticultural farms in England. The team collected soil from organically and conventionally managed fields at all of the farms. The organically managed farms had soil with greater AMF richness and because of this, the organic farms promoted higher diversity than the conventional farms.
The report notes that "AMF are a vital component of terrestrial ecosystems, representing a dominant microbial group in most soil habitats. Within the soil AMF form a mutually beneficial relationship with plant roots that is known to have a major impact on above ground ecology and productivity."
Beyond healthier soil and better distribution of microbial communities, this research highlights an important point - how farms and microbial functioning are managed can have a major impact on issues such as food supply and climate change.
Get the whole scoop at Science Daily or learn more at the Telegraph.
Photo by Tim McCabe, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
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