When the combines have done their work and the fields are left covered in golden stalks and crisp leaves, it might look like the end of the growing season. But underground, the real show is just beginning. While most of us think autumn is a time of rest for the soil, it’s actually one of the busiest seasons for microscopic life.
Beneath those layers of crop residue—corn stalks, wheat straw, soybean stems—a secret banquet is underway. Billions of hungry microbes are feasting, transforming what looks like waste into the building blocks of next year’s fertility.
