Project
Cover crops and AMF
The project aims to identify potential feedbacks between cover crops (CC) and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal (AMF) communities. The project will utilize a new optimized protocol that accounts for differences in sample biomass to study AMF diversity. This project will also connect researchers from Wageningen Plant Research and the Department of Environmental Sciences.
The project will investigate the impact of cover crops on AMF diversity by comparing AMF communities from different soil samples. It will address several research questions, including which cover crop species improve AMF diversity, whether a higher diversity of cover crops is linked to higher AMF diversity, and whether there is a correlation between AMF diversity and soil bacterial and general fungal diversity. Additionally, the project will explore whether there is a correlation between AMF diversity and above ground and below ground biomass. Finally, it will have an engagement component that involves partners of the PPS Groenbemesters project, including three seed companies that performed the field experiment.