Nematode barcoding of Ugandan soil

Banana crops in Uganda grow on infertile soils that are normally fertilised organically and often susceptible to erosion. Soil nematodes are well-established as bioindicators of soil quality that can support environmental monitoring and assessment of the sustainability of agricultural systems. Consequently, we have applied next-generation DNA sequencing of soil nematodes to evaluate soil quality of Ugandan banana plantations.

乌干达的香蕉种植园多建于贫瘠土壤之上，此类土壤通常需施加有机肥以维持肥力，且往往易受土壤侵蚀。土壤线虫（soil nematodes）已被广泛认可为土壤质量的生物指示物，能够为农业系统可持续性的环境监测与评估提供支撑。据此，本研究通过对土壤线虫开展下一代DNA测序，对乌干达香蕉种植园的土壤质量进行评估。