Abstract

The soil microbiome is highly diverse and comprises up to one quarter of Earth’s diversity. Yet, how such a diverse and functionally complex microbiome influences ecosystem functioning and sustainability remains unclear. In particular, it is unresolved whether soil microbiome management can help to develop more sustainable agroecosystems. Our research has demonstrated that microbiome management, in particular, inoculation with beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can promote crop yield and plant health in agricultural fields. Interestingly inoculation success was best predicted by soil microbiome characteristics, specifically pathogen occurrence. Moreover, the application of pesticides in agricultural fields reduced AMF richness and the ability of AMF to acquire nutrients for plants. Finally, by analysing the soil microbiome across >700 sites in Europe we demonstrate the impact of land-use on a wide range of functional groups including plant pathogens. Overall, our work demonstrates that soil microbiome engineering has a large potential to contribute to soil health and sustainable plant production.