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We have a great interest in how increases in the diversity of soil amendments can increase the delivery of soil ecosystem functions and services, including the creation of soil organic matter.
Our idea is that when one type of organic ammentment is applied to soil the Carbon Use Efficiency (CUE) is lower than when a mixture of biochemicaly contrasting amendments are applied because the mixture creates a more heterogenous environment that alters the soil microbial communitiy and favours k-strategists which have a higher CUE over r-strategists which have a lower CUE.
The DIVERSE (DIVerse crop residues Engender Resilience of Soil functions and Ecosystem services) project will test the idea that cover crop green manure mixtures are a tractable means to increase the diversity of carbon compounds entering soils and that this increased biochemical diversity leads to a greater diversity of enzymes produced by the soil microbial community, and, in turn, the potential to make more nutrients available to crops during and after disturbances such as floods and droughts.
You can read more about the preliminary findngs of the DIVERSE project here.
Papers on Diversity
Duddigan, S., Shaw, L.J., Sizmur, T., Hussain, Z., Jirra, K., Kaliki, H., Sanka, R., Soma, R., Thallam, V., Vattikuti, H.P. and Collins, C.D., 2024. Quantifying the contribution of individual inputs used in Zero Budget Natural Farming. Soil Use and Management, 40(4), p.e13126.
Nannipieri, P., Hannula, S.E., Pietramellara, G., Schloter, M., Sizmur, T. and Pathan, S.I., 2023. Legacy effects of rhizodeposits on soil microbiomes: a perspective. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 184, p.109107.
Shu, X., Zou, Y., Shaw, L.J., Todman, L., Tibbett, M. and Sizmur, T., 2022. Applying cover crop residues as diverse mixtures increases initial microbial assimilation of crop residue‐derived carbon. European Journal of Soil Science, 73(2), p.e13232.
Duddigan, S., Collins, C.D., Hussain, Z., Osbahr, H., Shaw, L.J., Sinclair, F., Sizmur, T., Thallam, V. and Ann Winowiecki, L., 2022. Impact of zero budget natural farming on crop yields in Andhra Pradesh, SE India. Sustainability, 14(3), p.1689.
Shu, X., Zou, Y., Shaw, L.J., Todman, L., Tibbett, M., and Sizmur, T., 2021. Cover crop residue diversity enhances microbial activity and biomass with additive effects on microbial structure. Soil Research.
Struijk, M., Whitmore, A.P., Mortimer, S.R. and Sizmur, T., 2020. Obtaining more benefits from crop residues as soil amendments by application as chemically heterogeneous mixtures. SOIL, 6(2), pp.467-481.
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