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Journal article
An Innovative Framework Fosters Practical Application of Nematode‐Based Indices in Soil Health Assessment
European journal of soil science, Vol.76(4), e70149
2025
Abstract
Nematodes are versatile bioindicators of the soil food web in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. Multiple nematode‐based indices (NBIs), derived from morphological, life history and community traits, provide invaluable information on various aspects of soil health. However, a standardised approach is required to explicitly link NBIs to the soil health concept. Moreover, unifying all NBIs into a single quantitative index could offer a more comprehensive and straightforward bioindicator for soil health. The ecological foundations for individual NBIs have been well established, but a single standardised bioindicator for soil microfaunal communities including nematodes, remains absent. Here, we integrated existing knowledge on NBIs into an innovative framework for quantitatively assessing soil health and ecosystem functions. Moreover, we propose a new Nematode Soil Health (NSH) index which summarises all NBIs into a single quantitative bioindicator. The framework was tested with five case datasets covering different soil types, depths, land uses and seasonal variations. Results for Datasets 1 and 2 indicated no significant difference in NSH values among soil types (Ferrosol, Chromosol and Vertosol) but significantly greater NSH in topsoil compared to subsoil layers. Dataset 3 revealed that soil amendments with fauna significantly increased the NSH index compared to defaunated soils, supporting the role of soil faunal communities in maintaining soil health. The NSH index (in Dataset 4) was also significantly higher in perennial pastures than annual croplands and exhibited (in Dataset 5) seasonal variation, with higher values in spring compared to autumn. Although this framework requires further calibration, testing and standardisation on more nematode community datasets, it could be combined with quantitative estimations or graphical representations of NBIs to provide additional information relevant to soil health conditions. The NSH index has the potential to foster the practical application of NBIs in soil health assessment programs, enhancing their adoption by practitioners and farmers.
Details
- Title
- An Innovative Framework Fosters Practical Application of Nematode‐Based Indices in Soil Health Assessment
- Authors/Creators
- Reza Ghaderi - School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia, Department of Plant Protection, School of Agriculture Shiraz University Shiraz IranHelen L. Hayden - School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia, Department of Applied Chemistry and Environmental Science, School of Science RMIT University Melbourne Victoria AustraliaRamesha H. Jayaramaiah - Murdoch University, Centre for Sustainable Farming SystemsHang‐Wei Hu - The University of MelbourneJi‐Zheng He - The University of Melbourne
- Publication Details
- European journal of soil science, Vol.76(4), e70149
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Society of Soil Science.
- Number of pages
- 15
- Identifiers
- 991005792773207891
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.45 Soil Science
- 3.45.1113 Soil Fauna Dynamics
- Web Of Science research areas
- Soil Science
- ESI research areas
- Agricultural Sciences