ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the importance of soil structure to disease-suppressive attributes of a soil, and how to manage structure and soil bio-physical health to enhance disease-suppression capacity of soils of agroecosystems. Tillage and crop rotations can impact disease-suppressive attributes of soil though changes in soil structure. Crop rotation, conservation agriculture with residue mulch and input of compost are among important practices for enhancing disease-suppressive attributes of agricultural soils through their impact on soil health. Decline in soil biodiversity because of reduction in the soil organic carbon content may lead to imbalances that give advantages to harmful over beneficial organisms and adversely impact human health. Changes in soil health have direct and indirect impacts on human health. Exposure to pesticides also have severe impacts on human health. Furthermore, pesticide use in crops can also be reduced by a creating disease-suppressive soils.
