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Article

Soil Amendments with Spearmint, Peppermint and Rosemary Enhance the Community of Free-Living Nematodes and Improve Soil Quality, While Having Strikingly Different Effects on Plant Growth

by
Maria D. Argyropoulou
1,*,
Maria Karmezi
1,
Maria Tsiafouli
2,
Dimitris Chalkos
2,
Areti Bountla
3 and
Despoina Vokou
2
1
Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
2
Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
3
Hellenic Agricultural Organization-DEMETER, Soil and Water Resources Institute, 57001 Thermi, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Life 2022, 12(8), 1121; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12081121
Submission received: 12 June 2022 / Revised: 13 July 2022 / Accepted: 18 July 2022 / Published: 26 July 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Nematode Interaction)
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Abstract

Sustainable farming practices aim to replace agrochemicals with plant-based alternatives to increase productivity and soil quality. To evaluate the potential use of aromatic plants as soil amendments in tomato seedbeds, in a greenhouse experiment, we used spearmint, peppermint, and rosemary, separately, as soil amendments, in pots sown with tomato, and studied their effect on seedling growth, soil nutrients, and the soil nematode community in terms of trophic and functional structure, metabolic footprint, and genera composition. Non-amended soil was used in the control pots. We further explored the dynamics of the plant–soil–nematode interactions by using aromatic plants at different stages of decomposition (0, 28, and 56 days). Incorporating aromatic plants into the soil led to the proliferation of free-living nematodes, especially of the opportunistic kind, resulting in vigorous and enriched soil. This was more pronounced in the case of the spearmint and peppermint, which also increased the tomato growth. The high soil nutritional status and enhanced plant growth were most prominent when the aromatic plants were left for 28 days to decompose in the soil before sowing. Compared with the mint plants, the rosemary had similar, yet less intense, effects on the soil community, but completely inhibited the growth of the tomato seedlings. Therefore, it is not recommended for use as a soil amendment in tomato seedbeds.
Keywords: aromatic plants; Mentha spicata; Mentha piperita; Rosmarinus officinalis; free-living nematodes; soil food web; feeding groups; nematode indices; metabolic footprint; essential oils aromatic plants; Mentha spicata; Mentha piperita; Rosmarinus officinalis; free-living nematodes; soil food web; feeding groups; nematode indices; metabolic footprint; essential oils
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MDPI and ACS Style

Argyropoulou, M.D.; Karmezi, M.; Tsiafouli, M.; Chalkos, D.; Bountla, A.; Vokou, D. Soil Amendments with Spearmint, Peppermint and Rosemary Enhance the Community of Free-Living Nematodes and Improve Soil Quality, While Having Strikingly Different Effects on Plant Growth. Life 2022, 12, 1121. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12081121

AMA Style

Argyropoulou MD, Karmezi M, Tsiafouli M, Chalkos D, Bountla A, Vokou D. Soil Amendments with Spearmint, Peppermint and Rosemary Enhance the Community of Free-Living Nematodes and Improve Soil Quality, While Having Strikingly Different Effects on Plant Growth. Life. 2022; 12(8):1121. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12081121

Chicago/Turabian Style

Argyropoulou, Maria D., Maria Karmezi, Maria Tsiafouli, Dimitris Chalkos, Areti Bountla, and Despoina Vokou. 2022. "Soil Amendments with Spearmint, Peppermint and Rosemary Enhance the Community of Free-Living Nematodes and Improve Soil Quality, While Having Strikingly Different Effects on Plant Growth" Life 12, no. 8: 1121. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12081121

APA Style

Argyropoulou, M. D., Karmezi, M., Tsiafouli, M., Chalkos, D., Bountla, A., & Vokou, D. (2022). Soil Amendments with Spearmint, Peppermint and Rosemary Enhance the Community of Free-Living Nematodes and Improve Soil Quality, While Having Strikingly Different Effects on Plant Growth. Life, 12(8), 1121. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12081121

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