Exploiting plant-soil feedbacks to provide economic and environmental benefits

植物与土壤以各种方式相互作用，产生积极和消极的反馈。 例如，植物根分泌物可以刺激土壤微生物，这又可以导致更高的土壤养分矿化速率，并且随后导致更高的植物养分吸收（即，正反馈）。或者，植物可能耗尽土壤养分储备或积累土传病原体，从而阻止个体在其亲本植物下繁殖（即，负反馈）。 我的研究项目的指导原则是，可以利用这些反馈来提高具有商业价值的作物和木本生物质的产量，并减少一些相关的环境影响。具体来说，在未来五年内，我的研究计划将努力（1）在种植油菜作为生物燃料作物后保持有益的共生土壤真菌，（2）通过促进以树木为基础的间作系统减少非点源污染，（3）控制鹿浏览加拿大东部再生香脂冷杉林，（4）为植物多样性提高土壤微生物过程的稳定性提供科学依据。其结果将与可再生资源的管理、生物多样性问题政策的制定以及生产做法认证的指导方针相关和适用。这项研究计划的受益者是加拿大农业和林业的利益相关者，以及所有有环保意识的加拿大人。

Plants interact with soil in a variety of ways that result in both positive and negative feedbacks. For example, plant root exudates may stimulate soil microbes, which in turn can lead to higher soil nutrient mineralization rates and, subsequently, higher plant nutrient uptake (i.e., positive feedback). Alternatively, plants may deplete soil nutrient reserves or build-up soil-borne pathogens, thereby preventing the reproduction of individuals under their parent plants (i.e., negative feedback). The guiding principle of my research program is that feedbacks such as these can be exploited to improve the production of commercially-valued crops and woody biomass, as well as to reduce some of the associated environmental impacts. Specifically, over the next five years my research program will strive to (1) maintain beneficial symbiotic soil fungi following the cultivation of canola as a biofuel crop, (2) reduce non-point source pollution by promoting tree-based intercropping systems, (3) control deer browsing of regenerating balsam fir forests in Eastern Canada, and (4) provide scientific evidence that plant diversity improves the stability of soil microbial processes. Results will be relevant and applicable to the management of renewable resources, to the development of policy on biodiversity issues, and to provide guidelines for the certification of production practices. The beneficiaries of this research program are stakeholders in the Canadian agriculture and forest industries, as well as all environmentally-conscious Canadians.