ISHS Acta Horticulturae 255: III International Symposium on Soil Desinfestation
SOIL FAUNA AND HORTICULTURAL SUBSTRATES |
| Author: | A. Heungens |
| Abstract:
Soilless culture and the different measures for automation in horticulture bring into question the significance of soil fauna for soil and plant growth. In this paper the invisible richness and diversity of the soil fauna in autochthonous soils is described together with their influencing factors. In horticultural substrates their numbers often surpass those in autochthonous soils. The significance of the soil fauna is illustrated from the physico-chemical (litter breakdown, humification and mineralization), biochemical (bioactive substances) and ecological (biological equilibrium and interactions between organisms) view-points. The indicator value can give useful supplementary information to chemical analysis and soil physical measurements of a soil or substrate. In the last part are mentioned some culture failures caused by a disruption of the normal population, both at too high or too low numbers, or by a clear disturbance of the biological equilibrium, which require the use of pest control measurements. | |
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