Assessment of the structure of the nematode community as an index for soil health

Abstract

By studying the structure of the nematode community, healthy and unhealthy soils can be identified in terms of biodiversity and nutrient network. This information is useful for managing soil nutrient networks. The study of the nematode population structure as a biological indicator of soil health is based on the assessment of biodiversity indices, nutrition groups, population dynamics, soil nutrient network profile, biomass and metabolic profile. Practical applications for studying the structure of nematode populations in agricultural and natural ecosystems are described.