What’s Killing Your Soil—and How to Revive It with Fungi
Farmers across North America are dealing with a growing problem they didn’t create—and often can’t see. Compacted ground, crusted surfaces, falling yields, and mounting input costs are symptoms of a deeper issue: biological collapse in the soil.
For over a century, conventional practices—deep tillage, excessive synthetic fertilizer use, and repeated chemical applications—have stripped soils of their living networks. Among the hardest hit? Mycorrhizal fungi, which are foundational to healthy, functional soils. In this article, we explore what’s killing your soil, the science behind the collapse, and how introducing mycorrhizal fungi is helping growers across the Midwest and beyond reclaim productivity.
The Practices That Hurt Our Fields
Since the mid-20th century, industrial agriculture has prioritized chemical efficiency and mechanical uniformity over biology. But this came at a cost.
1. Tillage Destroys Fungal Networks
Deep and repeated tillage exposes fungal hyphae to oxygen and UV light, disrupting their web-like structures that help with nutrient exchange and soil aggregation. A 2008 study in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment found that tillage reduced mycorrhizal colonization by up to 80% compared to no-till fields.
2. Salt-Based Fertilizers Create Sterile Zones
Common nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers (especially anhydrous ammonia and monoammonium phosphate) can chemically burn root systems and sterilize zones around the seed. This directly kills microbes, including fungi. Field observations from Mike Petersen (2022) documented white saline zones in degraded cornfields where neither crops nor weeds could grow—a sign of microbial collapse【12†source】.
3. Fungicides: Collateral Damage
While essential for controlling crop disease, broad-spectrum fungicides don’t discriminate. They can kill beneficial fungi like mycorrhizae along with pathogens, especially when applied in-furrow or during early root development stages.
Why Mycorrhizal Fungi Matter
Mycorrhizal fungi aren’t just helpful—they’re necessary. These symbiotic organisms colonize plant roots and extend their reach through hyphal networks that act like root extensions. Here’s what they do:
● Increase Water Absorption: Especially critical during dry spells.
● Mobilize Phosphorus: A nutrient notoriously immobile in soil.
● Enhance Micronutrient Uptake: Including zinc, copper, and boron.
● Improve Soil Aggregation: Via secretion of glomalin, a glycoprotein that binds soil particles. ● Boost Crop Resilience: Against heat, stress, and disease.
According to research in New Phytologist (2015), crops colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi show enhanced growth and nutrient efficiency—even in low-fertility soils (van der Heijden et al.).
What the Field Data Shows
In field trials near Wood River, NE, agronomists observed the measurable effects of mycorrhizal inoculation in corn at multiple growth stages:
● Root Zone Revitalization: Plants treated with mycorrhizal fungi had an average of 44.4 nodal roots (vs. 37.6 in controls) and a deeper, more robust root profile【12†source】.
● Stalk Strength and Vascular Health: 6% increase in stalk diameter in treated plots correlated with higher xylem/phloem packet counts—leading to better nutrient movement.
● Improved Ear Placement: Greater uniformity in plant height and ear height, aiding in harvest efficiency and standability.
● Yield: Reports as high as 314 bu/ac in treated fields, versus <280 in control plots, under similar environmental conditions【12†source】.
Restoring Soil Biology, One Field at a Time
Applying mycorrhizal fungi isn’t a silver bullet, but it is a foundational step in rebuilding your soil’s microbial network. Farmers using products like Farm Fungi’s MycoMaxx report:
● 15–25% reduced fertilizer needs after 2–3 years
● Improved tilth, easier seedbed prep
● Better water retention and infiltration
● Increased disease resilience through root vigor
Crucially, the fungi are OMRI-listed, 100% organic, and remain viable across a temperature range of -50°F to 140°F—making them suitable for post-harvest, early spring, or in-furrow use.
The Soil Isn’t Dead—It’s Waiting
Soil degradation isn’t a death sentence. It’s a warning—and an opportunity.
By returning biological life to the soil, starting with mycorrhizal fungi, farmers are moving away from high-input dependency and toward regenerative systems that work with nature, not against it. As Brady Krchnavy says, “It’s not too late to turn things around—our soils want to live.”
Works Cited:
● Petersen, M. (2022). Field Trial Reports on Mycorrhizal Fungi in Corn Systems. Internal Report. ● van der Heijden, M.G.A., et al. (2015). “Mycorrhizal ecology and evolution: the past, the present, and the future.” New Phytologist, vol. 205, no. 4, pp. 1406–1423.
● Soil Food Web Foundation. (n.d.). Magnificent Mycorrhizal Fungi. https://www.soilfoodweb.com ● Smith, S.E., & Read, D.J. (2008). Mycorrhizal Symbiosis. Academic Press.
● USDA NRCS. (2021). Managing Soil Health: Tillage Impacts on Mycorrhizae. USDA.gov