Cabbage Integrated Pest Management : An Ecological Guide.

Major Agronomic Practices3.4 Soil3.4.1 The living soilWhen looking at the soil of a field, it may seem like a lifeless amount of sand and pieces of organicwaste. But in fact the soil is very much alive! Many millions of small organisms live in the soil, most ofthem can only be seen with a microscope. These organisms include small nematodes, earthworms,bacteria, fungi, mites, and spring tails. Little is known about the way all of these organisms interact andrestrain each other. But most of them are harmless to the crop and have a beneficial function in decomposingcrop left-overs and other conversion processes in the soil. Others may serve as food for predators suchas spiders. And some other organisms may be classified as neutrals: they do not damage the crop anddo not have a clear beneficial function in the agro-ecosystem. See also section 3.5.3 on role of microorganisms.The Living Soil : soil contains many small organisms like nematodes, fungi, and small insects.(Picture from Schoubroeck et al, 1989).Soil is living and should stay alive, so it is important to:1. Feed it through regular supply of organic material (=food for microorganisms),2. Protect it from erosion, for example by covering the soil,3. Remove or reduce disturbing factors such as (broad spectrum) pesticides and high dosesof chemical fertilizers.Related exercises from CABI Bioscience/FAO manual:2-A.4. The living soilFor more exercises on living soil, see B. Settles’ manual on the website of Community IPM!Cabbage Ecological Guide - 200016