Biomarkers

Biomarkers are those organisms that can give us indications about the biological quality of our sports surfaces. We can speak of genetic biomarkers if we take into account DNA fractions from the microbial communitiesFrom these biomarkers it is possible to create a functional assessment of the floor (floor capabilities) for each sport surface. The biomarkers will help us to assess the health of our sports surfaces.

The microbial richness of soil is impressive, with more than a quarter of the world's species living in soils.

On our greens or football pitches we will find all kinds of organisms such as small invertebrates, nematodes, insects, plant organisms, and a whole microbial flora. The heterogeneity of these species, i.e. their biodiversity, is a parameter of the health of these surfaces. The indiscriminate use of pesticides will result in less differentiation of the different species and therefore of their health. The integrated pest management is an alternative to achieve higher sustainability values, hence the recommendation on the use of biopesticidesand natural products.

A good example is an organism such as Streptomyces, a bacterium in our soils that is responsible for more than 80% of known antibiotics.

The microbiological flora is so extensive that it would be impossible to characterise it by each of its different organisms, but we can look at the functions they perform and use that functionality as a microbiological marker. That is, according to their resistance to pathogens, making them healthier, their implications in the nutrient availabilityThe soil is made more fertile or according to biodiversity, i.e. the heterogeneity of different bacteria, fungi, etc...

As in most cases success is achieved in balance, through optimal nutrition, it is therefore important to understand the microbial processes involved in nutrient cycling. For example those that fix carbon in the soil or supply plants with available forms of nutrients (e.g. mineralisation or solubilisation). Or those that immobilise nutrients back into forms not readily available to plants (immobilisation, denitrification) so that together with physico-chemical analysis we can make the right decisions to optimise the control of organic matter.

We will characterise soils using the bio-indicators from healthy soil to soil with low diversity.

The inoculation of beneficial microbial flora is also a good strategy and should be carried out in the form of probiotics and prebiotics, i.e. we include the new species we are interested in, but we also ensure that their culture medium favours their proliferation. Mycorrhizae support crops in many different ways. They support the bioavailability of nutrients, provide resistance to abiotic factors such as salinity or water stress and also trigger resistance to biotic factors such as pests. The biotechnological development of the fungus Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum has specific and specially selected benefits for the fields.

Ask soporte@til00m.com to learn more about our biodynamic protocols for efficient management of your sports surfaces.