Role of soil enzymes in sustainable crop production

Abstract

Sustainable crop production is the current focus of agricultural research across the globe. The increasing population with a higher pace creates food shortages and reduces the per capita availability of food grains, demanding food security. The soil enzymes are the mediators of organic matter decomposition and soil nutrient transformations. Their patterns of activity in relation to environmental factors and management practices help to design sustainable management practices. Enzymes are the indicator of soil biological quality, responding to soil management changes much before other soil quality indicator changes are detectable. In the dynamic climate change era, the influence of climate change on soil productivity can be assessed by monitoring soil enzyme activities as well as changes occurring in soil properties. Thus, knowledge of soil enzymes is essential to design and evaluate new sustainable crop management practices. The soil enzymes can also be exploited for many applications beyond agriculture. © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.