How earthworm and fungi can save us from global food crisis and land degradation: A review
The human population is expected to be more than 9 billion by 2050. In order to feed this huge population, we would require about additional 60-70% food which is one of the major challenges ahead of humankind as well as to researchers. Although biotic stresses in soil such as microorganisms, insects...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Bologna
2023-09-01
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| Series: | EQA |
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| Online Access: | https://eqa.unibo.it/article/view/16077 |
| _version_ | 1797691125746630656 |
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| author | Janvi Sharma Sadashiv Chaturvedi Kirpa Ram Sinha Sahab |
| author_facet | Janvi Sharma Sadashiv Chaturvedi Kirpa Ram Sinha Sahab |
| author_sort | Janvi Sharma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The human population is expected to be more than 9 billion by 2050. In order to feed this huge population, we would require about additional 60-70% food which is one of the major challenges ahead of humankind as well as to researchers. Although biotic stresses in soil such as microorganisms, insects, parasites, weeds are major reasons for reduced food production, abiotic stresses such as extreme temperature, soil salinity, natural disasters, pH imbalance are significantly affect the soil quality. There is not only degradation in soil quality but also a significant reduction in arable agricultural land in India affecting the productivity and nutrition values of the grains. Therefore, there is an urgent need to not only increase food production but also to maintain its nutritional quality. In addition, excess use of chemical fertilizers, increasing soil pollution and metal toxicity is becoming a serious threat and are responsible for reduced crop yield, crop failures and loss in agricultural economy worldwide. Moreover, the arable lands are not only shrinking due to industrialization, modernization and urbanization, ~50% of all arable land will be impacted by salinity by 2050. Indian continent is primarily agricultural driven and per capita land cover is decreasing day by day. On top of it, unregulated uses of chemical fertilizers are adding even more stress on the soil as well as produces greenhouse gases like N2O. Therefore, management of resources for future needs is ought to attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which are related to zero hunger, no poverty, good health and well being. This review describes agronomical transformation through organic manure, biofertilizer, vermicomposting and mycoremediation. These techniques are essential for maintaining the soil quality as well as can act to approach sustainability in agriculture. The ecological engineering using earthworms for enhancing and restoring soil fertility is discussed in detail along with Mycoremediation of toxins and salt by utilizing macro and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T02:09:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1ea2a5110c2d40d6b788ea453c553dbb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2039-9898 2281-4485 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T02:09:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | University of Bologna |
| record_format | Article |
| series | EQA |
| spelling | doaj.art-1ea2a5110c2d40d6b788ea453c553dbb2023-09-06T14:19:35ZengUniversity of BolognaEQA2039-98982281-44852023-09-0157293910.6092/issn.2281-4485/1607714426How earthworm and fungi can save us from global food crisis and land degradation: A reviewJanvi Sharma0Sadashiv Chaturvedi1Kirpa Ram2Sinha Sahab3Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, VaranasiInstitute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, VaranasiInstitute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, VaranasiInstitute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, VaranasiThe human population is expected to be more than 9 billion by 2050. In order to feed this huge population, we would require about additional 60-70% food which is one of the major challenges ahead of humankind as well as to researchers. Although biotic stresses in soil such as microorganisms, insects, parasites, weeds are major reasons for reduced food production, abiotic stresses such as extreme temperature, soil salinity, natural disasters, pH imbalance are significantly affect the soil quality. There is not only degradation in soil quality but also a significant reduction in arable agricultural land in India affecting the productivity and nutrition values of the grains. Therefore, there is an urgent need to not only increase food production but also to maintain its nutritional quality. In addition, excess use of chemical fertilizers, increasing soil pollution and metal toxicity is becoming a serious threat and are responsible for reduced crop yield, crop failures and loss in agricultural economy worldwide. Moreover, the arable lands are not only shrinking due to industrialization, modernization and urbanization, ~50% of all arable land will be impacted by salinity by 2050. Indian continent is primarily agricultural driven and per capita land cover is decreasing day by day. On top of it, unregulated uses of chemical fertilizers are adding even more stress on the soil as well as produces greenhouse gases like N2O. Therefore, management of resources for future needs is ought to attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which are related to zero hunger, no poverty, good health and well being. This review describes agronomical transformation through organic manure, biofertilizer, vermicomposting and mycoremediation. These techniques are essential for maintaining the soil quality as well as can act to approach sustainability in agriculture. The ecological engineering using earthworms for enhancing and restoring soil fertility is discussed in detail along with Mycoremediation of toxins and salt by utilizing macro and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi.https://eqa.unibo.it/article/view/16077soilabiotic and biotic stressearthwormbioremediationmycoremediation |
| spellingShingle | Janvi Sharma Sadashiv Chaturvedi Kirpa Ram Sinha Sahab How earthworm and fungi can save us from global food crisis and land degradation: A review EQA soil abiotic and biotic stress earthworm bioremediation mycoremediation |
| title | How earthworm and fungi can save us from global food crisis and land degradation: A review |
| title_full | How earthworm and fungi can save us from global food crisis and land degradation: A review |
| title_fullStr | How earthworm and fungi can save us from global food crisis and land degradation: A review |
| title_full_unstemmed | How earthworm and fungi can save us from global food crisis and land degradation: A review |
| title_short | How earthworm and fungi can save us from global food crisis and land degradation: A review |
| title_sort | how earthworm and fungi can save us from global food crisis and land degradation a review |
| topic | soil abiotic and biotic stress earthworm bioremediation mycoremediation |
| url | https://eqa.unibo.it/article/view/16077 |
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