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Minimal<br />
interplay with<br />
soil ecosystem<br />
may increase<br />
reliance on<br />
inputs and<br />
inefficiencies<br />
Interplay between<br />
soil and orchard<br />
management<br />
decreases relience<br />
on inputs and<br />
improves<br />
efficiencies<br />
Continued from Page 20<br />
Amélie Gaudin and Astrid Volder, have<br />
been investigating the nature of the symbiotic<br />
connection between mycorrhizal fungi<br />
and almond tree roots to determine the<br />
potential of mycorrhizal fungi inoculation<br />
to reduce water stress.<br />
Cover crops to add farm scale biodiversity and are increasingly being incorporated into<br />
management as a means to foster more sustainable, resilient, and productive agricultural<br />
systems. Photo courtesy of Krista Marshall.<br />
Soil Health Building Principles<br />
A University of California (UC) Davis<br />
graduate student, Krista Marshall, who is<br />
working with Dr. Gaudin, said soil health<br />
building principles aim to minimize soil<br />
disturbance, maximize organic inputs,<br />
increase the amount of living roots and soil<br />
cover, and improve farm scale biodiversity<br />
are increasingly being incorporated into<br />
management as a means to foster more<br />
sustainable, resilient, and productive agricultural<br />
systems.<br />
Management practices that recognize<br />
the importance of soil health have shown<br />
potential to improve services such as water<br />
conservation, nutrient use efficiency and<br />
yields while reducing soil erosion and<br />
leaching potential and improving soil<br />
organic matter and biodiversity—most of<br />
which are underpinned by the microbial<br />
communities that exist in the soil.<br />
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Research<br />
Marshall is currently working on a<br />
research project surveying 13 orchard<br />
blocks that represent a diversity of<br />
practices to better understand how soil<br />
management impacts microbial community<br />
characteristics and the services<br />
mentioned above. Healthy soils are<br />
indispensible to microbial communities,<br />
including mycorrhizal fungi, and should<br />
be a consideration in orchard management<br />
decision-making, Marshall said. “It’s like<br />
a domino effect: the healthier the soil, the<br />
better the conditions for hosting more<br />
robust and diverse microbial communities,<br />
the more potential there is for better<br />
functioning and provision of agricultural<br />
services for crop productivity and<br />
sustainability.”<br />
Mycorrhizal Inoculations<br />
Mycorrhizal inoculations—which<br />
are quickly becoming of interest across<br />
the agricultural community—are being<br />
explored as a means to reap the benefits of<br />
22<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Coast</strong> <strong>Nut</strong> <strong>September</strong> <strong>2019</strong>
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