Unravelling the Dynamics of Soil Health: Key Insight and Future Direction

Abstract

A healthy soil serves as a dynamic living system that provides a variety of ecosystem services, including maintaining plant production, managing the recycling and breakdown of soil nutrients, and eliminating greenhouse gases from the environment. Because soil microbial activity and variety are the primary determinants of soil health, soil health and sustainable agriculture are intimately related. Tillage and organic farming have been demonstrated to enhance soil health by raising the quantity, variety, and activity of microorganisms in the soil. While organic farming may result in exclusion of synthetic fertiliser inputs, and improve stability in environment sustainability, conservation tillage has the potential to increase growers' profitability by reducing inputs and labour costs when compared to conventional tillage. The capacity of a crop production system to consistently generate food without causing environmental damage is known as agricultural sustainability. Beneficial microbes, nematodes, cyanobacteria, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) improve plant water and nutrient availability, phytohormone synthesis, soil nutrient cycling, and plant resilience to environmental challenges. Concepts related to soil health are frequently used to compare soils, analyse changes, and gauge how well land-use management is working. The external elements influencing soil health and their significance for sustainable agriculture will be covered in this review.