Soil is not just dirt. It is a living system in flux, silently supporting all that we see on top it. People often don’t realize this. The idea of a “Invisible Internet”grow from soil food web—the invisible network for bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and earthworms interact often in ways that are complicated but rather different than we could expect. This study investigates that world. It looks at how these organisms interact, how nutrients flow and why it matters more than you would think. But there is a problem. Agricultural practices today are stressing this system, sometimes gradually, sometimes in an avalanche. The balance is disrupted by chemical inputs, overuse and like everything poor management. Not always visible. Still happening. At the same time, new tools are coming up. This is beginning to change how we see such things as Artificial Intelligence (AI) (for example). It is used to analyze data; to facilitate a more educated decision making and it provides an alternative way of soil management with the possibility of being more sustainable although quite imperfect. An experimental design is suggested to analyze these effects based on the comparison of normal soil, compost amended soil, and chemically fertilized soil. Simple idea, but important. Organic amendments are expected to improve biodiversity and soil structure; however, chemical fertilizers might gradually result in low biological activity (Albanese et al., 2022) In Romania, for instance, this is extremely pertinent given the eminent threat of soil degradation. The future of soil lies in what we do today. Even if there are cons, an attractive route forward could be combining ecological/biology know-how with AI.

soil food web, artificial intelligence, sustainability, soil management, nutrient cycling

agronomy

Presentation: poster