As part of an international effort to address environmental problems resulting from agricultural overproduction, hundreds of thousands of acres of surplus farmland throughout Europe will be taken out of production in coming years.
Topic
Restoring plant and microbial diversity to overfarmed European lands
Framework
Problem / Solution
Main Point
Restoring plant diversity to overused farmland is challenging due to depleted soils and problematic weeds, but recent research suggests that success depends on restoring both a diverse mix of native plant seeds and beneficial soil microorganisms ("diversity underground fosters diversity aboveground"—final sentences of the last paragraph).
P1: The Challenge of Restoring Overfarmed Land
Europe is trying to take lots of farmland out of production for environmental reasons, but it’s hard to bring back natural plant life because years of farming deplete soil nutrients and create weed problems. You could replace the topsoil, but that’s just not possible at the scale needed. Typically, people assume nature will (very slowly) fix things on its own, but researchers are now testing ways to speed things along.
P2: Experimental Approaches to Plant Diversity
Researchers in the Netherlands set up a big experiment: they cleared a cornfield and divided it up, testing different combinations of native plant seeds. Where they planted a diverse mix of seeds, troublesome thistles disappeared, but if they did nothing, thistles took over. So, planting a broader range of native species helps keep out bad weeds.
P3: The Role of Microorganisms in Restoration
They also tested whether adding soil (full of microbes) from healthier land would help. Plots with the added soil did better than plain ones, but still not as well as untouched, long-restored land. The problem? Old farmland has too many disease organisms but not enough beneficial ones like mycorrhizal fungi, which protect the plants. In short, you need a good underground ecosystem to support a healthy one above. The researchers now think the best bet is to actively add both native seeds and beneficial microbes to the soil to speed up restoring these lands.