ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an assessment of the soil environment under conservation management practices as related to microbial populations, activities, and processes related to plant growth. The soil microbial community regulates the production and destruction of environmental pollutants such as nitrous oxide, methane, nitrate, and other biologically toxic compounds. Agricultural management practices greatly influence the soil ecosystem and the stability and diversity of the microbial community. Tillage and crop residue management practices are major determinants of soil temperature and water regimes and the spatial and temporal availability of energy and nutrients to microorganisms. Tillage loosens the soil and prepares a seedbed for germinating seeds and controls the growth of weeds that compete with crop plants for needed water and nutrients. Understanding the unique ecology of conservation tillage systems in controlling the relative predominance and potential activity of soil microorganisms and plants has aided technological developments to improve the efficiency of agricultural production.
