Going underground: How roots could hold the answers to our soil health problem

From managing residues to applying manures, for years advice around improving soil quality has focused on the surface of soil.

But for soil health expert Joel Williams, it’s what’s happening below ground that should be capturing farmers’ attention if they really want to make a difference to soil organic carbon.

Root matter — often ignored as a simple by-product of surface-protecting cover crops — is being uncovered as the unlikely hero in the battle to improve soil quality.

And by keeping soils covered year-round with living plants, encouraging root growth could be the key to replenishing soils and nurturing them back to health.

Soil health has been in decline thanks to intensive farming practices

“There have been several concrete studies now which indicate that root matter is more important than shoot matter when it comes to improving soil quality,” says Mr Williams of independent consultancy Integrated Soils.

“Research shows that roots are five-times more likely to be converted into stable organic carbon than the equivalent of above-ground carbon.

“That really shifts the focus to below ground, when for so many years we’ve focused on what’s happening on top.”

Cover crops