How insects boost soil fertility

Experts handling soil science usually are not convinced with Uganda’s soil fertility saying it has been used for various activities for a long time thereby the need for replenishing using fertiliser application.

However there are beneficial insects known by scientists which contribute immensely towards soil health which most farmers do not know about.

Some of them include ants, dung beetles, ground beetles which help in cleaning the soil. Others are springtails and pill bug insects. Springtails and pill bug insects are useful for spreading beneficial fungi to the soil and reducing pathogens such as E.coli which usually contaminates the soil thereby causing infertility.

Springtail insects

In an International E-Magazine for Science Enthusiasts titled Vigyan Varta based in India, experts explain the importance of springtail insects and below are the details. Springtails are small six-legged insects and their distribution ranges from urbanised areas to farmland.

They are omnivorous, free-living invertebrates that like moist habitats. Even though they don’t take part in the breakdown of organic matter, they end up supporting this by disintegrating organic matter and maintaining the microbial diversity in the soil.

Here, this article is about the food habits of springtails and their role in maintaining soil health. Springtails have an important role in ecosystems as cleaners they recycle dead material called waste and they feed on microbes such as bacteria and fungi.

By doing this, they improve soil structure and make nutrients available to plants. The insects are abundant across the globe and are usually seen in soil types having high numbers of organic matter and humus. Experts say around the globe, there are more than 8,000 species of springtails with most of them found in soils in tropics with a few in temperate climate.

They play a major role in ecosystems by feeding soil organic matter and influencing the process of soil mineralisation.

Springtails are known as an ideal bio indicator with a feeding habit of nematodes, rotifers and even other springtail species.

Food habits of springtails

The food habits of springtails are incredibly diverse which include bacteria, moss protonema, spores, fungal hyphae, protozoans, algae, pollen, arthropod excrement, decomposing plant and humus as well as accumulated food items.

The species are found within the unsolidified and the grinder feeders. The majority of the species however are still mostly or entirely feed on fungi.

Maintaining soil health

Among all micro, macro and megafauna springtails play a major role in maintaining soil health. Springtails predominantly consume the fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes and algae that make up the soil microbiota which they use to regulate the community composition of these species in the soil. Furthermore, springtails are associated with the breaking down of leaf litter fecal matter of macro- and megafauna of developed soil.

The soil profiles are made up of faecal matter and droppings of various creatures including that of animals.

organic matter.

This speeds up the decomposition process. This action also increases the nutrients available to smaller microbes and fungi. These are responsible for the further breakdown of the organic matter.

Measures

As it is with all soil ingredients, too much of a good thing can be harmful and the same applies to springtails.

If the springtails start to multiply in the farmer’s garden, they can also migrate indoors to your potted plants. While they are not detrimental to the plants, they can become a nuisance in your home.

Pill bugs

Pill bugs are scavengers, and they mainly eat decaying plant matter and other decomposing material. They serve as decomposers, breaking down decaying material through eating it and then returning the nutrients to the soil.

Pill bugs like to live in moist, shady environments. They often bury themselves several inches below the ground to avoid the heat and drying air.

They help recycle decaying matter back into the environment and their activities stimulate soil bacteria. This has an overall positive impact on soil quality.

They consume dead organic material mostly plants, as well as the bacteria and fungi growing on it. They play an initial role in nutrient cycling, breaking down organic matter for bacteria and fungi to finish decomposing.

Predatory springtails

There is the predatory springtails which adds value by keeping other soil microbes under control. This prevents them from creating an imbalance in the ground. The other types are detritus and herbivorous feeders, meaning they feed on decaying organic matter, fungal spores and other plant material.