Density and Diversity of Microbial Symbionts under Organic and Conventional Agricultural Management

The influence of organic and conventional farming and agroecology on the diversity and functioning of indigenous soil microbial communities was examined using a multifactorial analysis based on an extended minimum data set of classical status and functional tests. Main soil physicochemical properties and selected microbiological indicators, the quantity of heterotrophic or aerobic spore-forming bacteria, basal and substrate-induced respiration, catabolic activity with MicroResp(™), and fluorescein diacetate enzyme activity were characterized. A pot experiment applying the most probable number method was designed with soil dilution series using Pisum sativum L. and Triticum spelta L. to assess the symbiotic infectivity and genetic diversity of key indicator groups of the plant microbiome, e.g. nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Soil pH, humus content, CFU, enzyme activity, and soil respiration were significantly higher in organic soils. The activity of soil microorganisms was mainly related to clay, humus, calcium, and magnesium parameters. A redundancy analysis test of catabolic activities showed that samples were grouped according to different substrate utilization patterns and land uses were also clearly separated from each other. Farming practice influenced the abundance and diversity of microbial populations. Dark septate endophytic fungi were only found in conventional soils. In addition to confirming soil health improvements by organic management, our results highlight the importance of a complex evaluation including both classical status and functional parameters of soil microbiota, which may more reliably indicate a shift in the quality status of soils.