Modern agroecosystems are facing challenges regarding declining levels of soil health, with potential negative consequences for agricultural productivity. The world population is increasing rapidly, and to feed the increasing population, transformational changes must be introduced to the agriculture system to guarantee food production but without being detrimental to environmental health, therefore achieving sustainability.
Although several definitions are currently accepted, soil health can be described as a multi-dimensional concept that refers to the ability of soil to serve as an ecosystem that sustains plants and animals while supporting human uses such as agriculture and forestry (Lehmann et al., 2020). Decades of evidence has illustrated the agronomic and environmental benefits of agricultural practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and diversified crop rotations (Atwood and Wood, 2021). This session aims to gather new knowledge on how the design of appropriate crop systems, fertilization patterns or agro-forestry management (amongst others) can also affect/control plant-microbe-soil interactions, and its translation into changes in soil health.