Investigating Soil Microbiomes and Nutrient Density in Produce

There is a valuable connection between agricultural practices, soil health and the nutritional quality of the food we consume.

There is so much value in growing produce in good quality and enriched soil and how it will affect the gut microbiome and how nutrients are absorbed.

What are soil microbiomes ?

Soils can contain large amounts of microbial biomass, including fungi, protists, viruses, bacteria and archaea. Most of these currently remain undescribed, and have physiological and ecological attributes that are unknown. The soil microbial communities are highly diverse. A gram of soil can contain thousands of individual microbial taxa, including viruses and members of all three domains of life.

What is a gut microbiome?

The human microbiome is composed of communities of bacteria (and viruses and fungi) that have a greater complexity than the human genome itself. The concept of a “core” microbiome, originally considered as a common set of microbes required by the host for maintenance of health. Unlike the host genome, which is relatively constant, the microbiome is dynamic and changes with early development, environmental factors such as diet and use of antibiotics and especially in response to disease. Taking antibiotics can significantly reduce human gut microbiome diversity and abundance.  The most dramatic changes in composition occur in infancy and early childhood.  The intestinal microbiome of an infant is affected by gestational age (full term or premature), mode of delivery (vaginal birth or caesarean section), type of feed (breast milk or formula feeds), maternal nutritional status (overweight or undernourished) and use of antibiotics. The complexity and plasticity of the infant microbiota during this early-life development is believed to be important in maintaining homeostasis within the immune system and has an impact on health later in life.  Exposure  to  chemicals  in  the  environment  can  induce dysbiotic changes to gut microbiome composition or alter the metabolic activity of the gut microbiota.

Soil Microbiomes and Nutrient Density in Produce

Global demands for food and fibre will increase up to 70% by 2050. This increase in agricultural productivity needs to be obtained from existing land, under harsher climate conditions and with declining soil and water quality.  In addition, we have to safeguard our agricultural produce from new, emerging and endemic pests and pathogens. Harnessing natural resources including the ‘phytomicrobiome’ is proposed to be the most effective approach to improve farm productivity and food quality in a sustainable way, which can also promote positive environmental and social outcomes.

The concept of soil health refers to a soil’s ability to perform the multiple jobs it is expected to do, including providing crops with water and nutrients, and storing atmospheric carbon fixed by plants through photosynthesis.

Human nutrition depends ultimately on the availability and balance of different nutrients in the soil and the ability of plants to extract those nutrients. Certain nutrient limitations in the soil or the lack of the below ground interactions that improve their uptake can lead to specific nutritional deficiencies in the food produced. In developed countries, the focus on increasing crop yield has led to a decreased nutritional content of food. The consumption of fruits and vegetables which are usually eaten raw is recognized as an important route for human gut microbiome exposure to pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes. Great care must be given to soil quality so all plants are nutrient dense and free from chemicals and harmful additives.