Skip to main content
Main menu
eBooks
Titles
Authors
Subjects
Overview
For Librarians
For Individuals
Librarian Tools
FAQS
About Us
Social Media
Visit CSIRO Publishing on Facebook
Follow CSIRO Publishing on Twitter
Follow CSIRO Publishing on Instagram
Follow CSIRO Publishing on Linkedin
User menu
Contact Us
Search
Search for this keyword
Advanced search
Contact Us
CSIRO Publishing
Search for this keyword
Advanced Search
eBooks
Titles
Authors
Subjects
Overview
For Librarians
For Individuals
Librarian Tools
FAQS
About Us
Visit CSIRO Publishing on Facebook
Follow CSIRO Publishing on Twitter
Follow CSIRO Publishing on Instagram
Follow CSIRO Publishing on Linkedin
Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture:
A Guide
By
Graham Stirling
,
Helen Hayden
,
Tony Pattison
,
Marcelle Stirling
Search within this book
Read Online
Read
Citation Manager
Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture
Book
| Published in 2016
DOI:
10.1071/9781486303052
ISBN (electronic):
978-1-4863-0306-9
Citation Manager Formats
BibTeX
Bookends
EasyBib
EndNote (tagged)
EndNote 8 (xml)
Mendeley
Papers
RefWorks Tagged
Ref Manager
RIS
Zotero
Share
Reddit
Facebook
Email
Tweet Widget
Facebook Like
Google Plus One
Table of Contents
Book Info
PDF
Page
ix
Preface
By
Graham Stirling, Helen Hayden, Tony Pattison and Marcelle Stirling
PDF
Page
xii
Acknowledgements
PDF
Page
xiv
Acknowledgements for figures, and copyright issues
PDF
Page
xvii
About the authors
PDF
Page
1
1
.
Introduction
:
Soil health, soil biology, sustainable agriculture and evidence-based information
PDF
Page
2
What is soil health?
PDF
Page
2
What is sustainable agriculture?
PDF
Page
3
Soil health and sustainable agriculture are inextricably linked
PDF
Page
3
The role of soil organisms
PDF
Page
3
The need for holistic solutions to soil-health problems
PDF
Page
4
Why is evidence-based information important?
PDF
Page
5
Outline of the book, and its purpose
PDF
Page
7
2
.
Soil physical, chemical and biological properties, and the key role of organic matter in promoting soil and plant health
PDF
Page
7
Soil composition
PDF
Page
7
Mineral particles
PDF
Page
8
Air
PDF
Page
10
Water
PDF
Page
11
Organic matter
PDF
Page
12
Soil properties
PDF
Page
13
Soil physical properties
PDF
Page
14
Soil chemical properties
PDF
Page
17
Soil biological properties
PDF
Page
18
The key role of organic matter in modifying soil properties and improving soil health
PDF
Page
18
Organic matter and soil physical health
PDF
Page
19
Organic matter and soil chemical health
PDF
Page
20
Organic matter and soil biological health
PDF
Page
20
Common soil physical and chemical constraints
PDF
Page
21
Concluding remarks
PDF
Page
27
3
.
Organisms in the soil food web and their functions
PDF
Page
27
Soil biodiversity
PDF
Page
29
Bacteria
PDF
Page
30
Fungi
PDF
Page
31
Archaea
PDF
Page
31
Cyanobacteria and algae
PDF
Page
32
Protozoa
PDF
Page
33
Nematodes
PDF
Page
34
Mites and collembolans
PDF
Page
35
Enchytraeids, symphylans, tardigrades and other mesofauna
PDF
Page
37
The macrofauna
:
Millipedes, centipedes, spiders, termites, ants, scorpions and earthworms
PDF
Page
38
The soil food web
PDF
Page
41
Interactions between organisms in the soil food web
PDF
Page
46
Ecosystem services provided by the soil biota
PDF
Page
46
Improvement of soil structure and soil water regimes
PDF
Page
47
Production, storage and release of nutrients
PDF
Page
49
Suppression of soilborne pests and pathogens
PDF
Page
50
Plant growth promotion
PDF
Page
51
Degradation of toxic compounds
PDF
Page
51
The soil–root interface
:
A key site of biological activity
PDF
Page
53
Maintenance of the energy sources required to sustain soil biological processes
PDF
Page
54
Concluding remarks
PDF
Page
55
4
.
Soilborne diseases
:
A major impediment to crop production
PDF
Page
55
Diseases caused by
Rhizoctonia
PDF
Page
60
Root rot, crown rot and vascular wilt diseases caused by
Fusarium
PDF
Page
63
Take-all of cereals caused by
Gaeumannomyces graminis
PDF
Page
64
Root rot and damping-off diseases caused by
Pythium
and
Phytophthora
PDF
Page
67
Pachymetra root rot of sugarcane
PDF
Page
68
Diseases caused by
Sclerotinia
and
Sclerotium
PDF
Page
69
Bacterial wilt caused by
Ralstonia solanacearum
PDF
Page
70
Crown gall
PDF
Page
71
Diseases caused by nematode pests
PDF
Page
71
Sedentary endoparasites
PDF
Page
74
Migratory endoparasites
PDF
Page
77
Ectoparasites
PDF
Page
78
Estimating the amount of pathogen inoculum in soil
PDF
Page
79
Effects of environment and management on pathogen inoculum levels and disease severity
PDF
Page
80
Diagnosis of soilborne diseases
PDF
Page
81
Integrated disease management
PDF
Page
83
5
.
Impact of natural enemies on soilborne pathogens
PDF
Page
83
Interactions within the soil food web and their effects on soilborne pests and pathogens
PDF
Page
85
Classical, inundative, and conservation biological control, and its relevance to soilborne pests and pathogens
PDF
Page
87
Disease-suppressive soils
:
Organic matter-mediated and specific forms of suppression
PDF
Page
88
Benefits and limitations of different forms of suppression
PDF
Page
89
Identification of disease-suppressive soils, and indicators of suppression
PDF
Page
93
Impact of management on disease suppression
PDF
Page
94
The key role of organic matter in improving soil health and enhancing disease suppression
PDF
Page
96
Examples of disease suppression
PDF
Page
96
Biological suppression of Rhizoctonia root rot
PDF
Page
100
Take-all decline of cereals
PDF
Page
101
Disease suppression in horticulture
PDF
Page
101
Specific suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes
PDF
Page
103
The role of organic and biological products in improving plant growth or enhancing disease suppression
PDF
Page
104
Soil improvers, bio-stimulants and plant-growth promoters
PDF
Page
104
Bio-inoculants
PDF
Page
104
Biopesticides
PDF
Page
105
Confirming the efficacy of organic and biological products
PDF
Page
105
Concluding remarks
PDF
Page
107
6
.
A practical guide to improving soil health and reducing losses from soilborne diseases
PDF
Page
109
Assess soil health and identify any physical, chemical and biological constraints
PDF
Page
109
Soil physical and chemical factors
PDF
Page
112
Soilborne diseases
PDF
Page
113
Low biological activity and diversity
PDF
Page
114
Determine the main limiting factors
PDF
Page
118
Identify options for improvement
PDF
Page
120
Monitor soilborne pathogens and beneficial organisms
PDF
Page
121
Modify soil and crop management practices
PDF
Page
130
Instigate a continuous process of assessment, modification and re-assessment
PDF
Page
130
Concluding remarks
PDF
Page
133
Case study
:
Growers and consultants use a root disease testing service to monitor pathogens and reduce losses from soilborne diseases
PDF
Page
137
7
.
Grain farming systems to improve soil health and enhance biological suppression of soilborne diseases
PDF
Page
138
Conservation agriculture
:
The first step in building an active, diverse and resilient soil biological community
PDF
Page
138
Conservation agriculture and soil organic matter
PDF
Page
140
The key role of high cropping intensities and crop rotation
PDF
Page
141
The biological impact of conservation agriculture
PDF
Page
144
Second-tier practices to continue the soil improvement process
PDF
Page
144
Avoidance of compaction through traffic control
PDF
Page
145
Biomass-producing cover crops and organic amendments
PDF
Page
146
Integrated crop and livestock production
PDF
Page
146
Site-specific management of inputs
PDF
Page
146
Integrated pest management systems
PDF
Page
147
Options to further improve best-practice farming systems
PDF
Page
147
More effective plant nutrition
PDF
Page
148
Greater levels of disease suppression and biological control
PDF
Page
149
Improved resilience under stress
PDF
Page
149
Concluding remarks
PDF
Page
150
Case study
:
Reducing risk in a drought-prone environment by improving nutrient use efficiency
PDF
Page
155
8
.
Annual and perennial pastures to improve soil health in grain-cropping systems
PDF
Page
155
The role of perennial pastures in improving soil health
PDF
Page
158
The impact of climate and pasture species on soil biological properties
PDF
Page
159
The contribution of mixed farming systems to sustainability
PDF
Page
159
Choice of pasture species
PDF
Page
160
Options for the future
PDF
Page
161
Concluding remarks
PDF
Page
162
Case study
:
Living roots mean a healthy, living soil
PDF
Page
165
9
.
Yield decline of sugarcane
:
A soil health problem overcome by modifying the farming system
PDF
Page
165
The conventional sugarcane farming system
PDF
Page
166
The impact of the conventional sugarcane farming system on soil health
PDF
Page
166
Soil structure/compaction
PDF
Page
167
Pests and pathogens
PDF
Page
168
Soil organic matter
PDF
Page
169
A more sustainable sugarcane farming system
PDF
Page
170
Soil health and biological benefits from the new farming system
PDF
Page
174
The impact of the new sugarcane farming system on soilborne pests and pathogens
PDF
Page
174
Effects on Pachymetra root rot
PDF
Page
174
Managing nematode pests with rotation crops
PDF
Page
176
The impact of tillage on the resurgence of nematode pests
PDF
Page
176
Enhancing suppression of nematode pests with inputs of organic matter
PDF
Page
177
Specific suppression of nematode pests by bacteria in the genus
Pasteuria
PDF
Page
179
Effects of pesticides and fertilisers on the biological health of sugarcane soils
PDF
Page
179
Improving soil health is a long-term process
PDF
Page
180
Concluding remarks
PDF
Page
182
Case study
:
Incremental changes to a sugarcane farming system improve soil health and profitability
PDF
Page
184
Case study
:
Controlled traffic and soybean rotation crops produce multiple benefits in a sugarcane farming system
PDF
Page
187
10
.
Vegetable farming systems
:
The challenge of improving soil health and sustainability in an industry that demands high levels of productivity
PDF
Page
187
High-input vegetable production systems
PDF
Page
189
Possible components of more sustainable vegetable production systems
PDF
Page
190
Crop rotation, cover crops, companion planting and residue retention
PDF
Page
193
Biofumigation
PDF
Page
195
Appropriate planting times and cultural practices
PDF
Page
195
Reduced tillage
PDF
Page
196
Controlled traffic
PDF
Page
197
Precision agriculture
PDF
Page
197
Organic amendments
PDF
Page
199
Nutrient management
PDF
Page
200
Irrigation management
PDF
Page
200
Integrated management of pests and diseases
PDF
Page
201
Organic and biological products
PDF
Page
202
Organic production
PDF
Page
202
Integrated management systems
PDF
Page
204
Concluding remarks
PDF
Page
206
Case study
:
No-till zucchini production reduces costs and improves soil health in the dry tropics
PDF
Page
208
Case study
:
Sustainable vegetable production on land prone to soil erosion
PDF
Page
211
11
.
Options for improving soil health and minimising losses from soilborne diseases in perennial horticultural crops
PDF
Page
211
Reducing or eliminating tillage
PDF
Page
211
Using cover crops to maintain ground cover
PDF
Page
213
Minimising compaction
PDF
Page
213
Mulching
PDF
Page
214
Organic amendments
PDF
Page
216
Examples of disease management systems for perennial crops
PDF
Page
216
The Ashburner system of controlling Phytophthora root rot of avocado
PDF
Page
219
Mulching to reduce specific replant disease in apple orchards
PDF
Page
221
Root disease management in banana
PDF
Page
223
Enhancing specific agents to suppress particular pathogens
PDF
Page
224
Concluding remarks
PDF
Page
225
Case study
:
Managing soil, water and nematode pests on a banana plantation in a tropical environment
PDF
Page
227
Case study
:
Wine-grape production with a focus on sustainability
PDF
Page
231
12
.
Key soil health messages, and practices that should be included in holistic soil improvement programs
PDF
Page
231
The main messages from the book
PDF
Page
233
Key practices to improve soil health and sustainability
PDF
Page
235
References and further reading
PDF
Page
247
Index
More From
Natural Environment
See also:
Soils
Wattles of Victoria and Tasmania
Drought Country
Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook
Applied Environmental Genomics
Ending Plastic Waste
Australia’s Megafires
Soil Hydrology in a Changing Climate
Global Application of Prescribed Fire
Australian Deserts
Understanding Soils in Urban Environments
Wildland Fire Behaviour
Environmental Offsets
Read Online
Read
Citation Manager
Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture
Book
| Published in 2016
DOI:
10.1071/9781486303052
ISBN (electronic):
978-1-4863-0306-9
Citation Manager Formats
BibTeX
Bookends
EasyBib
EndNote (tagged)
EndNote 8 (xml)
Mendeley
Papers
RefWorks Tagged
Ref Manager
RIS
Zotero
Share
Reddit
Facebook
Email
Tweet Widget
Facebook Like
Google Plus One
Search within this book
Related Works
The Value of Water in a Drying Climate
Soil Hydrology in a Changing Climate
Towards Forest Sustainability
The Delicate and Noxious Scrub
Interpreting Soil Test Results