Role of Soil Organisms in Maintaining Soil Health, Ecosystem Functioning, and Sustaining Agricultural Production

Soil is the fundamental natural resource on which all living and nonliving things are evolved and sustained for carrying out vital life processes. Sustainable agriculture directly relies on soil health which is defined as the capacity of the soil to ascertain environmental quality, sustain biological productivity, and maintain health of all living beings. The biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem interact with each other for proper functioning of all processes. Soil organisms consist of different living forms dwelling in the soil which spend at least one part of their life cycle in soil. These include soil megafauna, macrofauna, mesofauna, microfauna, and microflora. The life within the soil is hidden and so often suffers from being out of sight and out of mind, but their role in maintaining soil health and ecosystem productivity is indispensable. This chapter is an attempt to highlight the contribution of soil organisms in sustaining soil health, fertility, and agricultural productivity.