Effect of land use and soil organic matter quality on the structure and function of microbial communities in pastoral soils: implications for disease suppression

Cropping soils vary in extent of natural suppression of soil-borne plant diseases. However, it is unknown whether similar variation occurs across pastoral agricultural systems. We examined soil microbial community properties known to be associated with disease suppression across 50 pastoral fields varying in management intensity. The composition and abundance of the disease-suppressive community were assessed from both taxonomic and functional perspectives. The genomic DNA was extracted from 50 pastoral fields (1 replicate per soil) varying in management intensity. The DNA from each sample was hybridised to GeoChip 5.0 mciroarrays and processed. The genes associated with the biosynthesis of a suite of secondary metabolites were then investigated