Problem
Soil biology is complex and a lot remains to be understood as to how farming practices and soil properties shape the soil microbiome. When the Innovation Center for Organic Farming launched the project The Microbial Community of the Field, the goal was to shed light on some of these questions and give a stronger data foundation for advisors in their daily work. To achieve this, soil samples were collected across more than 100 agricultural fields over 3 years across Denmark.
Question
How do farming practices and soil properties influence the composition and diversity of soil microbiomes across agricultural fields?
What we did
Biomcare applied a combination of complementary microbiome sequencing solutions to the collected soil samples to obtain a detailed picture of the soil biology, including taxonomy and functional capacity. The project included a comprehensive collection of data on soil properties, nutrient levels, farming practices, crop systems etc. Due to the complex nature of the study, our work included custom biostatistical analysis, many face-to-face and online meetings, adjustments, interpretation discussions and continued explorations of different focuses as they emerged.
Insight
With a study like this, exploration is unavoidably a key part, and the close continued collaboration is of key importance to gain the full value of the data and the project. The analysis generated detailed information on soil microbiomes across more than 100 fields. The microbiome composition could be related to specific soil properties and farming practices. The results made it possible to investigate relationships between soil conditions and microbial communities. It helped to debunk some assumptions and lay the ground for further explorations of new initiatives in modern agriculture.
"Thanks to Biomcare's assistance, we were able to confidently assess the effects of treatments, time, and field conditions on the microbiome."
