Session: Biological Indicators of Soil Health Oral

Division: SSSA Division: Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Title: Biological Indicators of Soil Health Oral

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Format: Oral Topical Session
Keywords: microbial community, microbial function and soil health

Session Description: Soil health is evaluated by monitoring multiple soil chemical, physical, and biological properties. It is increasingly apparent that soil microbes play a role in driving soil chemical and physical processes and are critical for overall ecosystem function, thus, assessments of the soil biological community, its structure and function are critical for understanding soil health. Although significant advances have been made in identifying, measuring, and interpreting soil health indicators, biological indicators that specifically target the microbial community, its members, or functions have not been standardized. This session will highlight traditional and emerging approaches to unravel the soil health biological black box.