ealalysls and mlerllaurganlsms Me llderlum, vanadlum, and lim‘ all asslsl reel baelerla m me elealierl el avallallle sell flihv/gzn lasealalyslsl GASEOUS MOSAICS OVER TIME, SOIL Mlclzasn‘zs Lllle pH, ealllln exellange, and slrllelure, narural sell ls always a mrlsale al aerelllr and anaerelsle palehes erlled lnrere—slles, where erlller oxygen luele el nr . elhylenelanaerrllllllsllesdevelap alllylenelnhlllllslln llle sellse el suspendlllgl, llllerelllal aellylly, and lllle carbon dloxide, ls presenl as IAZ ppm ln sell l5mrlll I98“ As llle elhylerle al an erygerlaexhausled slle drlluses eul, nxygun needs back and Hun/ares lhe slle Under nalurrl leresls and grasslands, llllseyele, er drrlee, el oxygen—elnylene ls eellllnuells, and mm mllvgc'n lllele eeeurs as ammerlra. uselul le planls arld plarll reels wnerl we cullivale and aerale, rlllnagerl laeeemes a rlrlrale er a rlllrlle lwhleh lherl lrlhllall elhylerle preduslllarll, arld lune ralller lllan [trmus lrurl lerrrls, lllus rrlalllng elhylene lerrllallen dllrleull llhe preeess lrerrl deeaylng leal lll elllylerle predurluan .eeulres a lerlells lmll ealalysll Also, planl rlulrlenls are \Igmly bound la lerrle rm and beeerrle unavallable [m reel uplalle ll renews lllal llle preduclierl el elllylerle ls rssenllal le planl heallll ind lhe avallallllrly el nulrlenls ll ls lrllperlanl lll reallse lhal lle aerellle eendlllen el sells sueh as we 5d [mm pleughlne er dlumg nel enly ereales a eendlllarl el "unavmdablz" nulrlenls arld lerrle lrerl, her also eludlses humus, whkh gels le all as earllen dlaallde. Also, mslsl plarll reel palhegerls reeulle llle aelelale ellndlllell AS well, lhe nllrale lerrn lll nimgen, whlen ls hlgMy mdhlle, ltnhes eul when ban sells lnrll plalllsl eswpy lhe slle In all, ploughmg alld earlh |urmng ereale a rlel less el nulrlenls ln several ways. lhus almespherle pallullerl, slrealrl pellullell, and low sell llulrlelll slales Smilh llllldl lllerelllre reeerrllrlends lellsl sml dlslurllanee. lhe use el surlaee muleh lnul IlKurpol’iled) as all elllylene pkculscr leld leaves are lresl ler lhlsl, and very small hul llequerll ammerlla le ser. ulllll sell balanees are leeevered The ldeal eerldlllens would be . pemanenlpaslule, . Felesl - olellards vvllh permanenl gm" enap as mulch, - No—dlg er mulelled gardens. . No» or lew—eulllvalllln of lleld elep, ar lleld erep helween slrlps lll leresl le prevlde leaves and nulrlerlls, and - The use el legumes ln a sllmlar plepenlen lll lllal eeeurrllle lll nalllral planl asseelallerls ln lheasea, al all slash lll lhe sueeesslerl. Under lllese eendlllells, sell mlneral avallalalllly ls made pesslhle and sells du rlel Ile up llulelerlls lrl arldes or predllee PolluunLi When we azhlwe lhls halanee, sell less and mlneral dclltxznzy lseeenle yeflerday‘s prehlerrls. And when planl lea) lllel selll delleleney ean be adlusled wllll aqueeus lellar sprays, nalure lhen slarls lu lurlerlen igaln re elrlarn rluerlenls hem sells ‘a mlerelaes and reel lnyeel-rhlza al lhe mleleslle leyel. mm, A, ml, The Livlng Sell”, Pemlllelllllne lllernlll on, July ‘5! l 8 1 THE SOIL BIOTA oh semearrd and peer puslllle, ll ls dlllleull lll keep sheep al a sleelllrl; rale el s-a/ha The very same paslure may suppell 275 l at paslure gmbs, llr up le e.5|ol’eal1hwnm\s/ha , ell lhal llllle grasses) meal el llle rrllmal blemass er yleld ls underground, dul el sigh! Everl where wheal ereppln, rs earrled en mnllnlleusly ler m: eyeles lllelllhamsled, ukl lhe plough layer suppom as l ell llvulg mmbii‘ hlemass mew eelenllsl, 2 Dee 'szl About l.z |/hi el orgillit rarlaen ls lehlrned annually le IM sell a: reel and slalll rrlalerlal hem graln (my 5e large ls lhe sell lylelrlass lllal lls gmwlh lnusl be very slew. speradle, and based en a lurlurver el humus/reed ulllhln lhe sell ralller lllall a lood lnpul hem lhe wheal erep wasles. l-lumus ln lllls sell has a mean age el mm years, and pmbably del-lves lrem leresll lllal long pleeeded llle wheel; ll ylelds up ls rlulrlenls very slowly, and ls leslslanl le laaelerlal allaell However, ll ls equally elesr lhal (here are per-reds el sudden lood supply lrerrl reel masses al harvesl and hem reel exudales during llle growth lll wheal move el planl {nun may lae lesl as sugivs er sempeunds leleased lellle serl vla reelsl. However he sell lllela aehleve ll, llley Exls| all a very meagre leeel supply lnr such a lalemass, ralller hke an elepharll eahrlg a «bug: lame a diy‘ ol llle lelal hlerrlass al Rmhlnmsted, wall ls fungi, zeal is haelerla, m yeesls, algae, and plelerealls, and arlly m llle Inge! launa sueh as unhworms, nerrlallldes, arlhrapeds and rrlelluse laurla lllle mum and mamhunal, and their larvae. suell elasses el organlslrls are laurld ln sells everywhere, lrl dlllerenl pleperlierls Andamn (Nrw selmllsl, d Oct 'lsl gives some ldea el llle eerrlplerlly lselew gmuhd, where every square melre er leresl lepsell ean eerllaln a lhellsarld speeles el anlnlals, arld I-l km el fungal hypllae: Very small ammalr are alale llr llvea llasleally aqua|K llle lrl sell, lll lhe waler lllm allaelled le sell Crumbs, whilel-x‘u speeles are eenllned lepere spaees and llle bunvws lal macmlauna A wheal lleld ls rusl lhe plaee mesl llkely la preduee hlgll levels el sell blela, and plnugh rlepplllg has lln Carladal redueed humus Ilvels le 1% el lhe hrlglrul levelr over rrluell el llle wheal eeurllry. clrmalleally llle lsalanee and pleperllerl ul sell lllela vanes gleauy, wull lhe and sells el eenllereus and lull leresl yleldlrlg lew earlhwerms, and llle humle peels even less, so lhal llle sell mycled by wvrms alse varles lrelrl z-lsn l/ha lll.sa25 errl deplh el sell/yearl 205