SOILGUARD: Ag nascadh bithéagsúlacht ithir le bainistíocht ithir talmhaíochta

Le Ciarraí Ní Riain, Taighdeoir Iardhochtúireachta.

Is tionscadal Eorpach é SOILGUARD a bhfuil sé mar aidhm aige modhanna a fheabhsú agus a chaighdeánú chun bithéagsúlacht ithreach a thomhas, agus tuiscint a mhéadú ar dháileadh speiceas ithreach thar réigiúin éagsúla Eorpacha. Cuimsíonn bithéagsúlacht ithreach gach beatha san ithir, ó ghéinte go pobail, agus na gnáthóga ina gcónaíonn siad. Tá formhór mór na beatha san ithir mhicreascópach. Tá níos mó ná billiún cealla i gceann taespúnóg ithreach. Rialaíonn na miocrorgánaigh seo raon leathan seirbhísí éiceachórais, amhail timthriall nítrigine agus carbóin. Tá seirbhísí éiceachórais riachtanach do chórais talmhaíochta agus bíonn tionchar láidir ag bainistíocht talún orthu. Mar sin, tá sé tábhachtach a thuiscint conas a bhíonn difríocht idir bithéagsúlacht ithreach idir cleachtais bhainistíochta talún ionas gur féidir linn í a chothabháil agus a fheabhsú ar bhealach níos fearr.

Tá Éire ar cheann de 17 dtíratá rannpháirteach sa tionscadal SOILGUARD. Ar fheirmeacha i réigiún theas na hÉireann, rinneadh comparáid idir an bhithéagsúlacht ithreach idir féarthailte seagalach agus féarthailte ilspeicis. Baineadh é seo amach trí pháirtithe leasmhara feirmeoireachta a aithint agus trí chomhoibriú leo, cuairt a thabhairt ar a bhfeirmeacha, agus samplaí ithreach a thógáil le haghaidh anailíse bithéagsúlachta. Rinneadh airíonna fisiceacha-cheimiceacha na hithreach a thomhas.Sainaithníodh agus cainníochtaíodh speicis agus pobail néimeatóidí agus micrea-artrapóid san ithir. Rinneadh measúnachtaí móilíneacha chun struchtúr pobail baictéarach, seandálaíochta, fungais agus víreasach agus éagsúlacht san ithir a fhiosrú.

Méadóidh an staidéar seo ár dtuiscint ar éifeachtaí na bainistíochta feirme ar bhithéagsúlacht ithreach agus ar sheirbhísí éiceachórais ar thailte féaraigh talmhaíochta a ndéantar dianbhainistiú orthu. Cabhróidh sé seo linn freisin bealaí caighdeánacha a thuiscint agus a fhorbairt chun bithéagsúlacht ithreach a thomhas.

SOILGUARD: Linking soil biodiversity and agricultural soil management

By Kerry Ryan, Postdoctoral Researcher.

SOILGUARD is a European project that aims to improve and standardise methods for measuring soil biodiversity, and increase understanding of soil species distributions across different European regions. Soil biodiversity includes all life in the soil, from genes to communities, and the habitats they live in. The vast majority of life in the soil is microscopic. One teaspoon of soil contains more than one billion cells. These micro-organisms control a wide range of ecosystem services, such as nitrogen and carbon cycling. Ecosystem services are essential to agricultural systems and are strongly influenced by land management. Therefore, it is important to understand how soil biodiversity differs between land management practices so we can better maintain and improve it.

Ireland is one of 17 countries participating in the SOILGUARD project. Soil biodiversity was compared between perennial ryegrass grasslands and multispecies grasslands farms in the southern region of Ireland. This was achieved by identifying and collaborating with farming stakeholders, visiting their farms, and taking soil samples for biodiversity analyses. The physical-chemical properties of the soil were measured. Species and communities of nematodes and micro-arthropods in the soil were identified and quantified. Molecular assays were performed to investigate bacterial, archaeal, fungal and viral community structure and diversity in the soil.

This study will increase our understanding of the effects of farm management on soil biodiversity and ecosystem services in intensively managed agricultural grasslands. This will also help us better understand and develop standard ways to measure soil biodiversity.