Herbaria as repositories of past soil properties and historical soil DNA
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Societal Impact Statement Soil health is fundamental to agriculture, food security, and the sustainable management of terrestrial ecosystems under ongoing climate and land‐use changes. Soil microorganisms play a key role in these processes, yet how soils and their microbial communities have changed over time in response to global environmental change remains poorly understood. The study shows that soils preserved with herbarium crop specimens constitute unique historical archives for tracking past soil conditions and microbial diversity over two centuries. Insights from historical herbarium analyses should inform sustainable agricultural practices promoting soil conservation and microbial biodiversity management, thereby supporting plant health and agroecosystem functioning.
Source: Plants People Planet
DOI: 10.1002/ppp3.70241
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Sorbonne Université, Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, National Research Council, Archéozoologie et Archéobotanique, University of Turin, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Récolnat, Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Mathématiques et Informatique Appliquées du Génome à l'Environnement, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris Diderot
Language: English
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Zero hunger
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,180
Award: G9001171880
OpenAlex ID: W7221630369