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It has become popular to characterize and assess the soil microbial properties. A number of services and analyses are offered for this purpose, providing information on different dimensions of soil microbiology. Most of them provide a snapshot. Such analyses are not cheap - so what should you invest in and why? This factsheet provides an overview and motivation of different options. In the context of this fact sheet, we focus on issues that may be relevant for organic cultivation in greenhouses, according to EU legislation 2018/848.

In June 2018, the EU decided on a new regulation for organic production (2018/848) that gained force on January 1, 2022. The new regulation demands that also greenhouse production must take place in natural soil that is in contact with the subsoil. In addition there must be a crop rotation containing a legume and a green manure crop. In this two-year-long project funded by the Swedish Board of Agriculture, the consequences of the new legislation were evaluated. We employed three short (one-year) vegetable crop rotations, grown year-round in low-tech polytunnels. The trial was conducted on a field certified for organic production in Scania in 2021-2023. The rotations included cucumber as the main crop, sugar pea as a nitrogen-fixing legume, common rue and Japanese radish as an agroecological service crop and leafy vegetables. The rotations were evaluated in terms of agronomic factors, nutrient dynamics, microbial diversity and activity, as well as disease incidence. We found that a two-year trial period provides indications, but allows only limited long-term conclusions after such a short term of observation. Low-tech cultivation with short crop rotations led to limited yields. Common rue as an agro-ecological service crop is not a suitable crop when grown during autumn. No negative effects by common rue on the next crop were observed in the autumn cultivation. Crop rotation related diseases were not notably present. Soil pH and plant available phosphorus increased over time, as did microbial activity. Microbial activity was influenced by the crop grown, but there were no differences between crop rotations. Alpha-diversity in bacterial and fungal communities was high in all rotations. During the short observation period no differences between the crop rotations could be found (beta-diversity).

Some organic greenhouse production systems are very intensive with potentially negative effects on the public trust on organic products as a whole. In this context, the year-round production of high quality and tasty vegetables in unheated and low-energy greenhouses or polytunnels, using resilient, sustainable and local systems, is a challenge, especially in areas with long winters and low light, low temperature conditions. The CORE Organic Cofund transnational project titled “Organic and biodynamic vegetable production in low-energy GREENhouses NDASH sustainable, RESILIENT and innovative food production systems” (GREENRESILIENT) has taken up the challenge and aims to demonstrate that an agroecological approach to greenhouse production is feasible and allows the establishment of robust agroecosystems in different European areas. The use of agroecological practices in organic greenhouse production systems is an innovative approach and a team of scientists with multidisciplinary competences (agronomy, agroecology, soil chemistry, entomology, plant pathology, weed science, life cycle analysis) from 12 research centres in eight European countries are involved. Research activities are carried out in five experimental sites (two in Mediterranean countries and three in central and northern countries), comparing innovative systems in unheated or frost protected conditions to a standard organic system specific for each experimental site. Results obtained will be used for actors' involvement (farmers, consumers and policy makers) and sustainability assessment.

Many studies have drawn attention to the vital role mothers have in safeguarding the health and nutritional wellbeing of their children. However, little is known about mothers' experiences and the challenges they face in fulfilling this role in rapidly urbanizing cities in Africa. This study aims to explore child care and feeding practices of mothers with children under five years of age in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This qualitative study was conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. A total of thirty-six interviews were conducted with purposively selected participants. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated for analysis. We used a thematic analysis approach, which was guided by a resilience framework. The findings are presented as three major themes. 1) 'Mixed blessings-balancing motherhood's expectations'. While mothers identified positively with the social recognition and sense of fulfillment of being a 'good mother', they were ambivalent/torn about earning the necessary income from outside work and fulfilling their duties at home. 2) 'Instabilities due to rampant urban sprawl'. While women expressed a keen desire to balance work and motherhood, the disintegrating social capital, due to large in-migration, market fluctuations and abrupt/forced resettlements to new housing units had left mothers without support for childcare, stressed and exhausted. 3) 'Anchored by faith: a source of resilience to cope with adversities'. In the face of the multiple adversities, mothers cited their strong faith as their most reliable foundation for their resilience. In summary, the societal and environmental changes accompanying the rapid urbanization in low income settings makes combining child care and working outside the home very challenging for mothers. As a result they suffer from fatigue and feelings of isolation. Efforts to improve child feeding and care in urban low-income settings need to consider context appropriate strategies that

Mothers carry the prime responsibility for childcare and feeding in low-income countries. Understanding their experiences in providing food for their children is paramount to informing efforts to improve the nutritional status of children. Such information is lacking in Sub-Saharan Africa. To understand what influences urban mothers' food acquisition and their motivations for selecting food for their children, 36 in-depth interviews were carried out with mothers having children under five years of age. Interviews were conducted in the local language, audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis which led to the identification of four major themes: mothers give-in to a child-driven diet; quick-fix versus the privilege of planning; keen awareness on food safety, nutrition, and diet diversity; and social, familial, and cultural influences. The findings indicate that child feeding practices are influenced by interlinked social and environmental factors. Hence, nutrition education campaigns should focus on targeting not only families but also their children. Attention should also be given to food safety regulations, as well as to the much-needed support of mothers who are struggling to ensure their children's survival in low-income countries.

Compost, as a product of recycling processes, can be a very appropriate input material for organic farming, provided the composting process is well-managed, the input materials are free of contaminants, and the resulting product is applied according to the system’s ecological needs. Compost is a very important input material for organic greenhouse production. Organic greenhouse production may vary in the level of intensity, but it is generally a system with high turnover rates of organic matter, high inputs of both nutrients and energy, and high production levels. Compost is used as an important source of organic matter and nutrients in greenhouse horticulture, and is an important component of growing media for nurseries. Compost plays an important role in building a resilient farming system, by providing both the energy sources and the nutrients to sustain soil biodiversity.

Water quality and water supply are essential for organic greenhouse grown crops to prevent soil contamination by undesirable chemicals and microorganisms, while providing the correct amount of water required for plant growth. The absence of natural precipitation combined with higher evapotranspiration due to higher temperature and longer cropping period requires an adequate supply of water. Water quality is commonly defined by its chemical, physical, and biological attributes. It is closely linked to the soil/rock native components, surrounding environment and land use. The runoff from urban, industrial, farming, mining, and forestry activities also significantly affects the quality of water available for greenhouse horticulture. High water quality is particularly important to prevent soil salinization and ensure optimal soil biological activity. Indeed, unbalanced organic fertilizer inputs may contribute to soil salinity, while soil microbial activities responsible for nutrient mineralization, soil suppressiveness and plant health, are affected by soil pH, ions, and contaminants. Poor water quality can also result in drip and micro irrigation clogging, plant toxicity, and product contamination by human pathogens or illicit compounds.

The increasing use of biological control agents (BCAs) against Botrytis cinerea in strawberry raises the question of whether there are any undesirable impacts of foliar applications of BCAs on nontarget microorganisms in the phyllosphere. Therefore, our objective was to investigate this issue within a field study. Strawberry plants were repeatedly sprayed with three BCAs—namely, RhizoVital 42 fl. (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42), Trianum-P (Trichoderma harzianum T22), and Naturalis (Beauveria bassiana ATCC 74040)—to suppress Botrytis cinerea infections. Microbial communities of differentially treated leaves were analyzed using plate counts and pyrosequencing and compared with the microbial community of nontreated leaves. Plate count results indicate that the applied Bacillus and Trichoderma spp. survived in the strawberry phyllosphere throughout the strawberry season. However, no significant impacts on the leaf microbiota could be detected by this culture-dependent technique. Pyrosequencing of internal transcribed spacer ribosomal RNA and 16S RNA sequences revealed a change in fungal composition and diversity at class level after the introduction of T. harzianum T22 to the phyllosphere, whereas the bacterial composition and diversity was not affected by either this Trichoderma preparation or the other two BCAs. Our results suggest that pyrosequencing represents a useful method for studying microbial interactions in the phyllosphere.

Currently, there is little knowledge of the establishment of repeatedly applied biological control agents (BCAs) in the phyllosphere of plants and, in particular, their interactions with the resident microbiome. Under field conditions, the BCA Aureobasidium pullulans was applied as a model organism to organically grown strawberries during two subsequent years (2011, 2012), either as single strain treatment or with the co-application of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. Fungal and bacterial communities of strawberry leaves were investigated by means of plate counts and 454 pyrosequencing. The establishment of the introduced A. pullulans strains considerably differed between the two years, presumably due to distinct environmental conditions. Short-term and long-term effects of BCA applications on the composition and diversity of fungal communities could be observed as a result of successful establishment of A. pullulans, in 2011, showing, for instance, reduced diversity of fungal communities by competitive displacement shortly after BCA introduction. Due to considerable dynamics in untreated resident microbial communities in the phyllosphere in general, however, we suggest that even the effects caused by the applied BCA preparations in 2011 are negligible under practical conditions.