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Effect of reduced tillage systems on earthworm communities in a 6-year organic rotation
Abstract
Chisel plough or no-till practises are clearly attributed to sustainable farming for the support of soil organisms and soil biological functioning. However, in organic farming these techniques are only applied to a very small extent since there is a need for cultivation to control weeds. In organic farming it is important to develop and establish less destructive soil tillage practises to benefit from the support of soil organisms, especially from ecosystem engineers like earthworms. In this study three tillage systems were compared on a silty, loess' derived soil in a 6 crop rotation. The tillage systems established were: (1) “ecomat” shallow (10 cm) inversive ploughing; (2) a ridge culture system; and (3) conventional tillage (inversion tillage) down to 30 cm. In fall 2005, three years after establishment of the field plots earthworm communities were investigated using formalin extraction. In total 6 species were detected. The earthworm abundance was low, ranging from 0 to 84 individuals m−2. Shallow ploughing using the “ecomat” technique was not different than conventional ploughing in its effects on earthworm populations, while the ridge culture system was significantly reduced in earthworm numbers and biomass compared to conventional ploughing. We conclude that both “ecomat” and “ridge culture” do not support earthworms and significantly reduce earthworm densities. The reductions in tillage depth alone are not effective for improving the habitat quality for earthworms in soil.
... • It occurred at various crop sites near the towns of Gießen (Westernacher-Dotzler 1988) and Limburg (Gnan 2002) in Central Hesse as well as near Frankenhausen in northern Hesse (Metzke et al. 2007); single individuals were found by different researchers at various crop sites all over Hesse. • It is widespread in different types of grassland, e.g. ...
... It has rarely been found in Hesse, mainly at crop sites (e.g. near Gießen (Westernacher-Dotzler 1988), Limburg (Gnan 2002) and in Frankenhausen (Metzke et al. 2007). This species occurs also in wine-growing areas in the Rheingau (B. ...
... Author and year Taxon Frankenhausen in northern Hesse (Metzke et al. 2007); single individuals were found by different researchers at various crop sites all over Hesse (e.g. Eggert 1982, Römbke et al. 2002); • A. rosea occurs also in the wine-growing region ('Rheingau') along the Rhine river, both in fallows and between the wine plants (B. ...
In 2016 the first Red List of German earthworms was compiled, listing 46 species. However, little is known about the biodiversity and distribution of Lumbricidae in the individual federal states of Germany. In some of them (e.g. Schleswig-Holstein) earthworm monitoring programs were performed (or are still running). In others no such soil-focused program has been performed so far. The aim of this contribution is to compile the available information on the distribution of earthworms (Lumbricidae) in the state of Hesse, using data from literature including own investigations. The main source is a long-term faunistic inventory made in Strict Forest Reserves, in which different traps were used over a period of two years for each site. Earthworms have also been sampled at other Hessian sites, for different reasons and with various methods within the last 50 years. This information was already compiled in the database Edaphobase. In total, we found data from 43 sites, mainly located in the northeastern and eastern part of this state as well as around the city of Frankfurt in the south. In total, 25 species have been recorded representing 54 % of the German earthworm fauna. Noteworthy is Allolobophoridella eiseni (Levinsen, 1884), a species which is often overlooked since it lives on and below the bark of living and dead trees. In comparison to neighbouring countries such as The Netherlands or France, our knowledge on Hessian earthworms is considered to be poor. Thus, we recommend to perform an earthworm sampling program, using standard methods and assessment tools in order to get a detailed overview on the diversity and distribution of this functionally important group of soil invertebrates.
... However, Peigné et al. (2007) emphasize possible disadvantages, including greater pressure from grass weeds; less suitability than ploughing for poorly drained, unstable soils or high rainfall areas; restricted N availability and restricted choice of crops. Of the expected drawbacks listed, increasing weed pressure under reduced tillage measures is the most discussed (Krauss et al., 2010;Mäder and Berner, 2012;Metzke et al., 2007). Additionally, in long-term experiments, a change of weed community structure to the dominance of perennial species including competitive grasses has been determined (Peigné et al., 2007). ...
... Additionally, in long-term experiments, a change of weed community structure to the dominance of perennial species including competitive grasses has been determined (Peigné et al., 2007). Therefore Metzke et al. (2007) see a conflict of interest between setting aside the plough to promote, e.g., habitat conditions for soil biota (Pfiffner and Mäder, 1997) and intensive ploughing for weed control. This is where the main line of conflict is drawn when dealing with reduced tillage or no-till systems in organic farming: the promotion of desirable ecosystem services on the one hand versus the risk of increased weed pressure which may consequently cause losses in yields, on the other hand. ...
... But these ecosystem services are important in sustaining soil fertility and stabilizing crop rotation yields especially in low input farming. Farmers try to benefit from these services by applying reduced tillage in organic farming (Metzke et al., 2007). This targeted support of ecosystem services to improve cultivation conditions is what Kuntz et al. (2013) call eco-intensification. ...
Reduced tillage has several advantages over conventional tillage (CT), including the promotion of earthworm communities and the reduction of input of energy and labour. However, its application in organic farming is mainly hindered through increasing weed pressure. One way to counteract this drawback might be to introduce occasional reduced tillage (ORT), which means applying methods of reduced tillage only in combination with selected crops. Against this background we hypothesized that (i) ORT rapidly promotes biomass, abundance and species richness of earthworm communities and that (ii) ORT generates a financial surplus for farmers. Therefore, a field experiment was established for triticale (x Triticosecale) cultivation on loamy soils in Northern Germany. The influence of tillage regimes on earthworms was investigated in a non-randomized design with n = 3 fields for the ORT and CT treatment. Earthworm biomass, abundance and species richness were investigated in October 2012 and in April and October 2013. Yields were determined for the three fields under each tillage system, each field with four non-randomized replicates, before harvest in 2013. The ORT treatment consisted of two to three tillage operations prior to seeding with a maximal cultivation depth of 15 cm and without ploughing, whereas the CT treatment consisted of a ploughing depth of 25–30 cm and one to four other steps for seedbed preparation prior to seeding. In total, seven earthworm species were identified. Our data revealed that earthworm biomass was significantly reduced under CT, both four weeks and about seven months after tillage. This effect holds true for the number of earthworm individuals in autumn (four weeks after ploughing), but not for the number of earthworm individuals in spring (seven months after ploughing). Results of contribution margin analysis showed no consistent trend referring to tillage measures. Two fields, which performed well under CT, showed a financial surplus (+24% and +13%) when managed with ORT. At the same time one field, performing poorly under CT, generated financial deficits (-10%) under ORT. Overall ORT had immediate positive effects on earthworm populations. Furthermore, this management scheme might have positive effects on the economic outcomes of organic crop rotations if overall growing conditions are sufficient. Along with methods usually applied to investigate earthworm performance, we checked whether the number of surface casts could help estimate earthworm performance. It became apparent that the number of surface casts cannot be used as a general predictor of earthworm performance. The number of individuals of Lumbricus terrestris, the number of anecic individuals and the total earthworm biomass can be estimated the most reliable by counting surface casts.
... Ces auteurs ont aussi montré qu'une forte abondance de la population au printemps et de la production de cocons ne permettent pas de compenser la diminution de population estivale due aux conditions climatiques défavorables. Boström et Lofs (1996) (Metzke et al., 2007 ;Schmidt et al., 2001). ...
... Most papers on soil tillage, particularly those on ploughing, are based on trials comparing populations in different agricultural systems at a given time point in the year (Eriksen-Hamel et al., 2009 ;Metzke et al., 2007 ;Riley et al., 2008). However, the earthworm abundance may change rapidly and strongly in response to environmental conditions (temperature, soil water content, fresh organic matter content). ...
... Metzke et al. (2007) found 0 to 84 earthworms m-² in ploughed organic systems in similar soil types andPfiffner and Luka (2007) found a average of 210 earthworm individuals per m² in organic cereal fields By contrast, the abundance in the FaUP plot (201 to 476 individuals per m²) may be considered very high for organic arable fields. The difference in abundance between the two sites may reflect significant differences in carbon resources between Fa and Vil. ...
The earthworms fulfil, in the agroecosystems, many services, crucial for the production and proper functioning of the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to deepen our understanding of the drivers of the changes with time of the density and the specific diversity of earthworms communities. Indeed such a knowledge is necessary to predict the effects of the agricultural practices on soil macrofauna and to design cropping systems in organic farming, beneficial to the earthworm abundance. The purpose of this PhD thesis was to analyse, in agricultural fields, the annual variations of the earthworm abundances in the organic farming context of Northern France. We focused on endogeics species, whose abundance was measured during two years (2009 and 2010) in five cropped fields. A model, simulating the earthworm population dynamics of the most abundant species in our cropped fields, A. caliginosa was parametrised with the data collected in thosse fields (and the bibliography). It was also inspired by Pelosi's model (Pelosi et al., 2008). The analysis of the populations dynamics showed a general scheme describing the annual evolution of the abundance (i.e. active endogeic earthworms in the 0-30 cm layer) of these ploughed fields, cropped with cereals. This scheme is characterized by a four-step evolution. a decrease in the abundance (or a stability) at the end of the spring, followed by a summer period with a stability of the population, before an increase at fall, where the abundance reached a higher level compared to the end of spring. Lastly, in winter, the abundance decreases again. This study, which confirmed the general data given by the literature, revealed also significant variations from one year to the other, between A. caliginosa and A. rosea, and also as a function of the crop field. The causes of these variations are discussed in this PhD thesis. Among the possible causes of these variations, soil tillage, especially ploughing, played an important role. This led us to carry out an experiment to study the effects of this practice on the population dynamics of the two endogeic species mentionned above. The results obtained suggested that the effects of the ploughing was species dependent. A. caliginosa was more sensitive than A. rosea, whose abundances were not systematically affected by the ploughing. Those of A. caliginosa were reduced immediately after ploughing in 2009, with some delay (about two months) after this operation. These results emphasize the necessity to study the effect of the agricultural practices through their impact on population dynamics (and not only through the average level of abundance). The third part of our work was devoted to the improvement of the model Wormdyn. We first adapted the model to the species A. caliginosa based on a literature review to determine the the life cycle parameter values for this species. A function describing the effect of density dependence on the abundance was also introduced in the model. The model correctly simulated the average abundances measured in the cropped fields, despite a general tendency to overestimate the abundances, when environmental conditions are favorable. This was only partially corrected by the addition of the density dependence function. The model has to be improved by the introduction of the effect of other factors, first and foremost the quality and quantity of trophic resources.
... kuntz et al. (2013) claim that reduced soil tillage raised by 67% the number of earthworms and by 48% their biomass in comparison to their number and mass in ploughed soil. Similar results were also reported by Metzke et al. (2007). An experiment conducted by crittenden et al. (2014) showed that the ploughing tillage and reduced tilage systems in organic farming can demonstrably decrease the density of Lumbricidae in a period of 21 days after a ploughing treatment in autumn, but in spring of the following year the population of earthworms regained its original size and no distinct differences were observed between the ploughing and reduced soil cultivation systems. ...
... The investigations completed thus far have failed to resolve the question how soil tillage simplifications affect the living environment of soil organisms (Metzke et al. 2007, szulc, duBas 2007, felten, eMMerling 2011, crittenden et al. 2014. schMidt and curry (2001) state that the species composition, biomass and abundance of earthworms are significantly influenced by the choice of crops for a crop rotation system and the changeability of environmental conditions. ...
This article discusses the results of our experiment obtained in the years 2009-2012. The aim of this experiment has been to assess changes in the chemical composition of soil, as well as in the number and biomass of Lumbricidae under winter wheat and spring barley fields, as influenced by soil compaction and different tillage methods. There was less organic carbon and P in soil under winter wheat (compacted soil and without soil compaction) if tilled with a subsoiler (cultivation treatment U-2) than with a plough. In soil under spring barley (compacted soil), the lowest pH was observed after plough tillage, and a reverse situation was noted in tillage treatment U-2 (with a subsoiler). Most P and K in soil from the plots with compacted or uncompacted soil were determined in the U-4 soil cultivation treatment, and the content of these elements was higher than in the plough tillage treatments. Before wheat was harvested (compacted soil), the number of earthworms was nearly three-fold higher in tillage treatment U-3, whereas among plots without compaction higher biomass of earthworms was identified in soil submitted to U-2 and U-4 tillage treatments. After the emergence of spring barley (compacted soil), significantly more earthworms, relative to the plough tillage (control), were determined in the U-2 treatment. In soil under winter wheat and with plough tillage (plots without soil compaction), an increase in soil pH was negatively correlated with the number of earthworms. Under winter wheat, an increase in the content of nitrogen and magnesium in soil subsequent to soil tillage treatment U-4 (plots without compaction) positively correlated with the density of earthworms per area unit, while a rise in the soil content of P considerably lowered the number of earthworms on plots with compacted soil. A similar situation was observed under spring barley after the ploughing treatment on plots without soil compaction.
... They related this to direct effects like physical damage but also to indirect effects like food redistribution. In organic reduced tillage systems, increased earthworm abundances and/or biomass were thus often (Emmerling, 2001;Kainz et al., 2005;Kuntz et al., 2013;Lehocka et al., 2009) though not always observed compared with ploughing (Metzke et al., 2007;Peigné et al., 2009). Decreased earthworm abundance compared with ploughing in a medium term of four years was also reported (Crittenden et al., 2014). ...
... On the other hand, organic no-tillage further increased earthworm populations in comparison with both reduced tillage and ploughing in a French study ) and occasional reduced tillage was also found to already increase earthworm abundances (Moos et al., 2016). In particular, juvenile earthworms (Emmerling, 2001;Kuntz et al., 2013), anecic species (Kainz et al., 2005;Metzke et al., 2007) and also endogeic species (Kuntz et al., 2013) were favoured by reduced tillage systems. Kuntz et al. (2013) concluded that less disturbance and a better food supply in reduced tillage are expressed in lower efforts to rebuild burrows and thus a higher reproduction rate. ...
... They related this to direct effects like physical damage but also to indirect effects like food redistribution. In organic reduced tillage systems, increased earthworm abundances and/or biomass were thus often (Emmerling, 2001;Kainz et al., 2005;Kuntz et al., 2013;Lehocka et al., 2009) though not always observed compared with ploughing (Metzke et al., 2007;Peigné et al., 2009). Decreased earthworm abundance compared with ploughing in a medium term of four years was also reported (Crittenden et al., 2014). ...
... On the other hand, organic no-tillage further increased earthworm populations in comparison with both reduced tillage and ploughing in a French study ) and occasional reduced tillage was also found to already increase earthworm abundances (Moos et al., 2016). In particular, juvenile earthworms (Emmerling, 2001;Kuntz et al., 2013), anecic species (Kainz et al., 2005;Metzke et al., 2007) and also endogeic species (Kuntz et al., 2013) were favoured by reduced tillage systems. Kuntz et al. (2013) concluded that less disturbance and a better food supply in reduced tillage are expressed in lower efforts to rebuild burrows and thus a higher reproduction rate. ...
... Residue retention can have a varying effect on earthworms, however, depending on their ecological niche, as tillage may benefit endogeic (horizontal-burrowing) earthworms if residue is incorporated into the soil, providing a food source (Wuest et al., 2005). In contrast, in fields with large anecic (vertical-burrowing) earthworm numbers, burying residue in the soil instead of leaving it on the surface can reduce abundance, even with shallow tillage, since they feed on the surface (Metzke et al., 2007). In addition, Metzke et al. (2007) observed a crop  tillage interaction effect on earthworm populations. ...
... In contrast, in fields with large anecic (vertical-burrowing) earthworm numbers, burying residue in the soil instead of leaving it on the surface can reduce abundance, even with shallow tillage, since they feed on the surface (Metzke et al., 2007). In addition, Metzke et al. (2007) observed a crop  tillage interaction effect on earthworm populations. Earthworm numbers were low in all three tillage systems (two types of reduced tillage treatments and one conventional tillage treatment) under field bean, while numbers were high under the grass-clover rotation in all tillage systems. ...
... Im ökologischen Landbau führt eine reduzierte Bodenbearbeitungsintensität ebenfalls zu einer Steigerung der Abundanz (+ 90%) und Biomasse (+67%) der Regenwürmer (Moos et al. 2017). Lediglich eine Reduzierung der Pflugtiefe ist dabei allerdings nicht ausreichend, um den Regenwurmbestand im Boden zu fördern (Metzke et al. 2007, Moos et al. 2017). ...
... Furthermore, with the organic conversion, the shallow tillage was replaced by a deeper mouldboard ploughing. Short-term studies (3 and 6 years) of Metzke et al. (2007) and Peigné et al. (2009) on different tillage systems under organic annual crop farming did not observe higher earthworm density or biomass under shallow tillage in comparison with mouldboard ploughing. However, we could hypothesize that mouldboard ploughing has long-term negative effect on earthworms. ...
Le sol, composante du Terroir doit être considéré comme une ressource non renouvelable essentielle au fonctionnement des agro‐écosystèmes. Or, les sols viticoles sont particulièrement vulnérables aux dégradations. L’objectif central de ma thèse est donc d’évaluer comment les pratiques viticoles affectent la qualité des sols dans le Languedoc‐Roussillon. Pour ce faire, j’ai d’abord évalué la qualité des sols sur 164 parcelles présentant une grande variabilité de pratiques culturales et réparties sur 9 zones pédologiques très diversifiées. Puis, j’ai évalué la vitesse de changement de la qualité des sols par l’analyse de 23 parcelles d’une zone homogène converties progressivement en viticulture biologique depuis un maximum de 17 ans. Plusieurs indicateurs physiques (densité apparente, porosité totale, stabilité structurale et humidité à la capacité au champ), chimiques (teneur en carbone et azote, C/N, disponibilité des éléments P, K, et Cu, capacité d’échange cationique) et biologiques (biomasse microbienne, respirométrie, nématodes, vers de terre) ont été mesurés afin de fournir une vision holistique de la qualité des sols. Mes résultats montrent une diversité de qualité des sols viticoles au regard des perturbations subies par les différentes pratiques. J’ai également démontré que la majorité des indicateurs étudiés sont sensibles aux pratiques viticoles indépendamment des types de sol étudiés. Concernant la dynamique de changement, la qualité des sols viticoles se stabilise après 7‐11 de pratiques biologiques. Toutefois, malgré une augmentation significative des activités biologiques du sol (micro‐organismes et nématodes libres), la conversion depuis 17 ans n’a pas mis en évidence une amélioration nette de la qualité du sol. En conclusion, nous avons confirmé la vulnérabilité des sols viticoles languedociens aux pratiques en cours. Mes travaux mettent en lumière l’importance du transfert des connaissances acquises lors de ce travail pour améliorer la perception de la qualité des sols par les viticulteurs et les professionnels de la filière viticole.
... Ces résultats sont conformes à ceux observés à plus long terme dans des systèmes conventionnels (Jordan et al., 2004 ;Pfiffner et Luka, 2007), ainsi qu'aux résultats de Johnson-Maynard et al. (2007) obtenus après trois années d'expérimentation. L'absence d'effet du travail superficiel à 10-15 cm en comparaison du labour sur la population lombricienne a aussi été observée par Metzke et al. (2007) dans un système en grandes cultures AB dans les premières années d'adoption de ces techniques. ...
Colloque Dinabio mai 2008 à Montpellier. 1. Défis techniques de la production à la transformation
... Intensification of agricultural practices based on multiple tillage treatments, simple crop sequence, minor organic fertilization, and chemical methods of plant protection have a negative effect on earthworm populations. Long-term, intensive, and deep tillage can decline earthworm (mainly anecic) abundance [21][22][23][24] whereas shallow plowing with residue mixing and conservation cultivation techniques can increase their number [25][26][27]. Organic fertilizers such as manure, crop residues, and mulch are the source of food supply for soil biota and have a positive impact on their populations [28,29]. The conclusion from the literature on the effect of pesticides on earthworm populations is still ambiguous. ...
Earthworm species composition, the density of individuals, and their biomass were investigated in spring barley and faba bean fields in a long-term (52-year) experiment conducted at the Production and Experimental Station in Bałcyny, in north-eastern Poland (53°40′ N; 19°50′ E). Additionally, post-harvest residues biomass, soil organic matter (SOM), and soil pH were recorded. The above traits were investigated using two experimental factors: I. cropping system—continuous cropping (CC) vs. crop rotation (CR) and II. pesticide plant protection: herbicide + fungicide (HF+) vs. no plant protection (HF−). A total of three species of Lumbricidae were found: Aporrectodea caliginosa (Sav.) in both crops, Aporrectodea rosea (Sav.) in spring barley, and Lumbricus terrestris (L.) in faba bean. The density and biomass of earthworms were unaffected by experimental treatments in spring barley fields, whereas in faba bean CC increased and HF+ decreased earthworm density and biomass in comparison with CR and HF− respectively. Total post-harvest residues in faba bean fields were higher under CC in relation to CR and under HF+ compared with HF− treatment in both crops. Compared to CR, CC increased soil pH in spring barley fields and decreased in faba bean fields. Experimental factors did not affect SOM. Earthworm density and biomass were positively correlated with SOM content.
... lenart and słaWiński (2010) claim that values of these features are higher in the autumn then in the spring. Similar results were recorded by curry et al. (2002), Jordan et al. (2004) and Metzke et al. (2007). In our experiment, the tested factors determined the density and biomass of Lumbricidae in the analysed soil horizon and on the sampling dates. ...
The research objective has been to assess the impact of soil compaction and reduced tillage on changes in the chemical properties of soil, and on the number and biomass of earthworms in soil cropped with two varieties of winter oilseed rape. The experimental factors were: soil compaction before sowing the crops (with and without soil compaction) and 4 tillage systems (U-1 ploughing tillage – the control; U-2 subsoiler, disc harrow, cultivator, harrow and pre-sowing ploughing to a depth of 20 cm; U-3 shallow ploughing; U-4 single ploughing). The highest soil pH in fields cropped with the winter oilseed rape cultivars Californium and Mendel was recorded after a single ploughing treatment without soil compaction. The U-2 tillage system decreased the soil content of organic carbon on plots with compaction. The tested tillage systems significantly increased the content of K in both varieties of winter oilseed rape grown on plots with soil compaction. Once oilseed rape plants (cv. Californium) emerged, a single ploughing treatment (plots without compaction) raised by 73% the number of earthworms in soil and more than doubled their mass relative to the analogous treatments on plots with soil compaction. Before oilseed rape harvest, after a single ploughing treatment (plots with compaction) the number
of earthworms more than doubled and its biomass increased by nearly 2.5-fold relative to
the analogous treatments on plots without soil compaction. After emergence of winter oilseed rape (cv. Mendel), the U-3 tillage method before the harvest (plots with compaction) – compared to the analogous treatment on plots without compaction – raised the number of earthworms by over two-fold, and the U-2 tillage before the harvest (plots with compaction) significantly reduced the biomass of earthworms relative to the complete ploughing system (control).
... A third guild, the endogenic worms, form lateral burrows in foraging for organic materials, that are of necessity back-filled, and their passage further combines organic material with, and mixes, the soil matrix. The adverse effects of cultivation on invertebrate populations has been widely reported (Smith et al., 2008) and partial solution by, for example, reducing depth of cultivation do little or nothing to mitigate these effects (Metzke et al., 2007). Improved aggregate stability and increased incorporation of organic matter into these aggregates has been demonstrated when moving from conventional through reduced tillage to no-tillage systems (Kasper et al., 2009). ...
... A third guild, the endogenic worms, form lateral burrows in foraging for organic materials, that are of necessity back-filled, and their passage further combines organic material with, and mixes, the soil matrix. The adverse effects of cultivation on invertebrate populations has been widely reported (Smith et al., 2008) and partial solution by, for example, reducing depth of cultivation do little or nothing to mitigate these effects (Metzke et al., 2007). Improved aggregate stability and increased incorporation of organic matter into these aggregates has been demonstrated when moving from conventional through reduced tillage to no-tillage systems (Kasper et al., 2009). ...
... Burrowing nature of earthworm protect them from the harmful effects of pesticides and mechanical disturbances produced during agricultural practices. According to Chan (2001) and Metzke et al. (2007), Capowies (2009), Ernst and Emmerlings (2009), ploughing has negative effects on the anecic earthworm population due to destruction of their vertical burrows, burying of surface organic matter and change in the soil physical properties in the paddy fields. Smaller endogeic species were able to survive better in ploughed fields. ...
Paddy is one of the most important food crops in India. In Tripura of north east India, paddy covers 78–90% of cultivable areas with hydromorphic clay-rich acidic soils. As earthworms have important role in above-ground crop production, the present study deals with the earthworm communities in the soils of wet land paddy agro-ecosystem of West Tripura (India). The study was conducted during May 2015 to August 2017. Earthworms were collected from the paddy fields by TBSF monolith (25 × 25 × 30 cm) digging and hand sorting method. Temperature, moisture, pH and organic matters were estimated from 0 to 15 cm depth soils. Biological parameters such as density, biomass, relative abundance and ecological parameters such as indices of diversity, dominance etc. were measured. A total of 7 earthworm species belonging to 4 families and 5 genera were recorded: [Almidae Glyphidrilus sp. (near to gangeticus)], Moniligastridae (Drawida assamensis, Drawida papillifer papillifer and Drawida sp.), Megascolecidae (Metaphire houlleti, Perionyx excavatus) and Glossoscolecidae (Pontoscolex corethrurus). The average density and biomass of earthworms in the paddy plantations were 163 ind. m−2 and 56 g m−2 respectively. Diversity and dominance indices of earthworms of paddy plantations were 0.46 and 0.60 respectively. Glyphidrilus sp. contributed more than 50% biomass and density of earthworm community and probably had a great role in paddy production due to enormous deposition of casts (‘cast hills’) in the rhizosphere zone of paddy plants.
... Burrowing nature of earthworm protect them from the harmful effects of pesticides and mechanical disturbances produced during agricultural practices. According to Chan (2001) and Metzke et al. (2007), Capowies (2009), Ernst and Emmerlings (2009), ploughing has negative effects on the anecic earthworm population due to destruction of their vertical burrows, burying of surface organic matter and change in the soil physical properties in the paddy fields. Smaller endogeic species were able to survive better in ploughed fields. ...
Paddy is one of the most important food crops in India. In Tripura of north east India, paddy covers 78-90% of cultivable areas with hydromorphic clay-rich acidic soils. As earthworms have important role in above-ground crop production, the present study deals with the earthworm communities in the soils of wet land paddy agro-ecosystem of West Tripura (India).The study was conducted during May 2015 to August 2017. Earthworms were collected from the paddy fields by TBSF monolith (25x25x30cm) digging and hand sorting method. Temperature, moisture, pH and organic matter were estimated from 0-15 cm depth soils. Biological parameters such as density, biomass, relative abundance and ecological parameters such as indices of diversity, dominance etc. were measured. A total of 7 earthworm species belonging to 4 families and 5 genera were recorded: [Almidae Glyphidrilus sp. (near to gangeticus)], Moniligastridae (Drawida assamensis, Drawida papillifer papillifer and Drawida sp.), Megascolecidae (Metaphire houlleti, Perionyx excavatus) and Glossoscolecidae (Pontoscolex corethrurus). The average density and biomass of earthworms in the paddy plantations were 163 ind. m-2 and 56 g m-2 respectively. Diversity and dominance indices of earthworms of paddy plantations were 0.46 and 0.60 respectively. Glyphidrilus sp. contributed more than 50% biomass and density of earthworm community and probably had a great role in paddy production due to enormous deposition of casts (‘cast hills’) in the rhizosphere zone of paddy plants.
Keywords: Dominance, Earthworm casts, Earthworm diversity, Glyphidrilus sp., paddy.
... Further, several studies also reported increased earthworm abundance in organic reduced-till systems (Kuntz et al. 2013;Crittenden and de Goede 2016;Peigné et al. 2018). However, a few other studies reported similar earthworm abundance in organic-and reduced-till systems (Metzke et al. 2007;Berner et al. 2008). Similarly, foliar arthropod abundance was higher in no-till organic, but soil arthropods abundance was higher in a conventional-till organic corn system (Adams III et al. 2017). ...
Soil health is an old concept receiving renewed attention. Defined as a soil’s capacity to function, soil health is composed of physical, chemical, and biological attributes. The improvement and maintenance of soil health is considered a cornerstone of organic agriculture. Although there are numerous studies that compare organic systems with conventional systems, fewer studies compare organic systems with each other to determine how best to improve soil health metrics. In this review, we focused on nine indicators of soil health (aggregate stability, water holding capacity, infiltration/porosity, erosion/runoff, nutrient cycling, organic carbon, microbial biomass, macrofauna abundance, and weed seed bank). We found 153 peer-reviewed, published studies that measured these soil health indicators in two or more organic treatments. Overall, published research focused on four key practices: (1) cover crops, (2) organic amendments, (3) rotation diversity and length, and (4) tillage. Of these, 26 studies focused on cover crops, 77 on organic amendments, 32 on crop rotations, 40 on tillage, and 22 included more than one practice. Eighty percent of the studies were conducted in the USA and Europe. We found strong agreement in the literature that roll-killed cover crops suppressed weeds better than disking and that weed suppression required high levels of cover crop biomass. Combinations of organic amendments such as composts, manures, and vermicomposts improved soil health metrics compared to when applied alone. Including a perennial crop, like alfalfa, consistently improved soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and aggregate stability. Soil health metrics were improved under shallow, non-inversion tillage strategies compared with conventional tillage. Despite their importance for climate change mitigation and adaptation, the effect of practices on aggregate stability and water dynamics were under-studied compared with other soil health metrics. There is a great deal of variety and nuance to organic systems, and future research should focus on how to optimize practices within organic systems to improve and maintain soil health.
... Low soil temperature helps in prolonged CRR on the soil surface, which acts as food reservoir to the worms leading in their increased number and biomass (Kumawat et al. 2009a(Kumawat et al. , b, c, 2013a. Thus, CRRs had a varying consequence on earthworm population; however, it depends on their ecological niche (Wuest et al. 2005;Metzke et al. 2007). Consequence of CRs on soil fauna including earthworm depends on types of tillage, tillage rate, plowing depth along with application method, type, amount, and quality of CRs (Mandal et al. 2011a, b;Kumar et al. 2015b, c, d), . ...
Bread and rice basket of South Asia is feeding ~20% of the global population. The agricultural production system in South Asia is predominated by exhaustive cereal production system including rice, wheat, and maize. Thus, it greatly affects the livelihood and nutritional security of the rural and urban poor. Recently, cereal productivity had slowed down or stagnated. Present expansion rate in terms of yield of rice and wheat is ~2–3 times higher than in 1966–1994. During 1980s, the peak of “Green Revolution” in the agricultural production system helps in the reduction of rural and urban poverty by making food more affordable. During the 1990s, growth in yields slows down because of technological stagnation resulting in high food prices. Slow growth in yields mainly inflated on wheat and rice by ~1%. Therefore, agriculture in South Asia is presently in front of a major challenge of resource fatigue and declining crop productivity. In addition to that, a huge gap exists in yields mainly due to yield gap management, ranging from 14–47, 18–70, and 36–77% in wheat, rice, and maize, respectively. Crop residues are considered a vital natural resource for protecting and sustaining soil and crop productivity. Application of crop residues is useful for maintaining or enhancing soil organic matter (SOM). This chapter presents the perspectives on soil and environment through principles of conservation agriculture (CA) for sustainable cereal production system in Indo-Gangetic belts of South Asia.
... On the contrary, in fields with high earthworm numbers, burying the crop residues in soil instead of leaving it on the soil surface can lessen loads, even with superficial tillage, since they feed on the surface (Metzke et al. 2007). The consequence of residues on soil fauna including earthworm can thus vary depending on types of tillage, tillage frequency, plowing depth, residue application method, types of crop residues, amount and quality, etc. ...
Rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS), one of the prominent agricultural
production systems, at an area of ~26 M ha is confined to the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGPs) in South Asia and China. Crop residues obtained from field crops are essential sources of nutrition and organic carbon (40% of total dry biomass constituted by C) for the next crops, and hence they not only increase the agricultural productivity but also are responsible for the better quality of soil, water, and air. Perhaps the most important challenge facing exhaustive RWCS in all regions of the world is effective management of post-harvest crop residues. Disposal of wheat residue is easy as it can be used to feed animals. However, due to the presence of
high silica content, rice residue is usually burned. Residue burning is the main method of disposal in areas under combined harvesting in the IGPs of eastern India as it reduces cost. However, burning of crop residue (CR) is not eco-friendly as it results in fast degradation of soil organic matter and nutrients and increased CO2 emission creating intense air pollution as well as global warming. Therefore, exploitation
of CR is a crucial element for a sustainable production system, and it has generated much interest in the recent years by reducing the consequence of residue burning and increasing the soil organic matter (SOM) and the nutrient-supplying capacity. CR retention infield can be considered a key element in promoting soil health with increased physical, chemical, and biological properties. In RWCS, residue management can be done by (1) wheat residue retention in rice and its residual effect in succeeding wheat crop, (2) rice straw retention in wheat and its
residual impact in following rice, and (3) wheat straw retention in rice and rice strawretention in wheat (cumulative effect). All these crop residue management systems depend on a systematic understanding of the factors that control residue decomposition and their careful application. Significant factors, such as tillage/CR management,
influence soil microbial activity and biomass, bulk density, soil moisture content, porosity, soil structure stability, and nutrient-supplying capacity of the soil. Thus, the variations in soil properties consequently bring change in soil C and N dynamics and have an impact on plants’ nutrient uptake capacity. Furthermore, residue quality and quantity are found to affect C and N mineralization
rates. Plant remains with higher quality (high N contents; low ratios of C/N; low lignin, cellulose, and polyphenol contents; and lignin/N) show high C decomposition and N mineralization rates. In this way residue retention leads to enhancing nutrient balances and better crop yield. However, there is a requisite to study decomposition and nutrient dynamics in RWCS soil under different residue management
system, so that accurate composition of integrated nutrient management (INM) can be developed for this prominent system.
... On the contrary, in fields with high earthworm numbers, burying the crop residues in soil instead of leaving it on the soil surface can lessen loads, even with superficial tillage, since they feed on the surface (Metzke et al. 2007). The consequence of residues on soil fauna including earthworm can thus vary depending on types of tillage, tillage frequency, plowing depth, residue application method, types of crop residues, amount and quality, etc. ...
Rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS), one of the prominent agricultural production systems, at an area of ~26 M ha is confined to the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGPs) in South Asia and China. Crop residues obtained from field crops are essential sources of nutrition and organic carbon (40% of total dry biomass constituted by C) for the next crops, and hence they not only increase the agricultural productivity but also are responsible for the better quality of soil, water, and air. Perhaps the most important challenge facing exhaustive RWCS in all regions of the world is effective management of post-harvest crop residues. Disposal of wheat residue is easy as it can be used to feed animals. However, due to the presence of high silica content, rice residue is usually burned. Residue burning is the main method of disposal in areas under combined harvesting in the IGPs of eastern India as it reduces cost. However, burning of crop residue (CR) is not eco-friendly as it results in fast degradation of soil organic matter and nutrients and increased CO2 emission creating intense air pollution as well as global warming. Therefore, exploitation of CR is a crucial element for a sustainable production system, and it has generated much interest in the recent years by reducing the consequence of residue burning and increasing the soil organic matter (SOM) and the nutrient-supplying capacity. CR retention infield can be considered a key element in promoting soil health with increased physical, chemical, and biological properties. In RWCS, residue management can be done by (1) wheat residue retention in rice and its residual effect in succeeding wheat crop, (2) rice straw retention in wheat and its residual impact in following rice, and (3) wheat straw retention in rice and rice straw retention in wheat (cumulative effect). All these crop residue management systems depend on a systematic understanding of the factors that control residue decomposition and their careful application. Significant factors, such as tillage/CR management, influence soil microbial activity and biomass, bulk density, soil moisture content, porosity, soil structure stability, and nutrient-supplying capacity of the soil. Thus, the variations in soil properties consequently bring change in soil C and N dynamics and have an impact on plants’ nutrient uptake capacity.
Furthermore, residue quality and quantity are found to affect C and N mineralization rates. Plant remains with higher quality (high N contents; low ratios of C/N; low lignin, cellulose, and polyphenol contents; and lignin/N) show high C decomposition and N mineralization rates. In this way residue retention leads to enhancing nutrient balances and better crop yield. However, there is a requisite to study decomposition and nutrient dynamics in RWCS soil under different residue management system, so that accurate composition of integrated nutrient management (INM) can be developed for this prominent system.
... A third guild, the endogenic worms, form lateral burrows in foraging for organic materials, that are of necessity back-filled, and their passage further combines organic material with, and mixes, the soil matrix. The adverse effects of cultivation on invertebrate populations has been widely reported (Smith et al., 2008) and partial solution by, for example, reducing depth of cultivation do little or nothing to mitigate these effects (Metzke et al., 2007). Improved aggregate stability and increased incorporation of organic matter into these aggregates has been demonstrated when moving from conventional through reduced tillage to no-tillage systems (Kasper et al., 2009). ...
Soil biological properties have a greater role to play in agricultural crop production. Soils
host a complex web of organisms which can influence soil evolution and specific soil physical and chemical properties. It includes two basic kind of soil microbes i.e. macro and microorganisms.Soil biology means the soil microbes present in the soil like bacteria, fungi,
nematodes, earthworms etc. The soil organisms are responsible for decomposition of organic waste materials applied to the soil. As we talk about decomposition of soil organic matter the biological properties of the soil have the major impacts of soil body. The microbial decomposition plays a huge role in mineralization and immobilization process of applied organic waste materials. A crop plant required a good and favourable soil conditions and environmental situation to give full potential yield. But the improper nutrient availability due to soil biological properties may results in lower crop production even under a good management practices. The soil microbes have certain positive and negative impacts on soil which are responsible for poor crop production too. So, we have to focus on soil biological properties because the number of soil microbes present in soil, keystone species and species community structure are most important in modern crop production under changing climate of earth planet. There are certain reductions were recorded in last few decades about loss of soil biodiversity due to change in temperature, soil moisture and excess use of agro-chemicals in modern crop production. Soil properties are more important to produce good quality food as well as quantity too. Our aim is to take care of soil, the soil will take care us.
... In the present study, Eudrilus eugeniae, Octochaetona serrata, and Octochaetona surensis have been abundantly found in agriculture soil due to its endogeic ecological category which protects it directly from the effects of insecticides and pesticides and mechanical disturbance produced during agriculture practices. More plowing in agriculture field positively influence endogeic species by increasing organic matter availability and opposite effect from anecic species (Capowiez et al., 2009;Ernst & Emmerling, 2009;Metzke, Potthoff, Quintern, Heß, & Joergensen, 2007). Diversity of epigeic species like Lampito mauritii and Perionyx excavates in agricultural field was low may be due to physical disturbance of the soil during plowing and intensive use of insecticide and pesticide. ...
Abstract Background The distribution of earthworms is usually diverse and their population fluctuates in relation to the different physico-chemical properties and land use patterns of the soil of southern parts of India. This particular study examined distribution and relative abundance of earthworms under different land use patterns and their influence on the physico-chemical properties of the soil. We measured the species composition of earthworm communities across the three different land use ecosystems and effect of abiotic factors on them from various ecological regions of southern India (southern Odisha). Methods The linear relationship between different physico-chemical parameters of soil across three land use types and earthworm density is obtained by Pearson correlation analysis in the months of June to September. The association of physico-chemical parameters of different habitats with earthworm populations is analyzed using two-way ANOVA. Principal component analysis is (PCA) used to characterize the effect of different soil properties on the distribution of earthworm populations across three different habitats. Results A total of ten species of earthworms belonging to five families were identified. Four species of earthworms are identified, i.e., Pontodrilus bermudensis, Parionyx excavates, Pheretima alexandri, Lampito mauritii, most abundantly in forest lands, while the other six species are mostly found in agriculture and grass land. The earthworm density is significantly correlated (P
... Loire , et juste une en 2006, 3 ans après la mise en place de l'essai à Kerguehennec (Peigné et al., 2009a). En AB, Metzke et al. (2007) n'ont également pas trouvé de différence entre un labour à 30 cm, un labour à 10 cm et un travail superficiel sans labour. En général, 6-7 espèces de vers de terre ont été trouvées sur chaque site, ce qui, en termes de richesse spécifique des espèces, correspond au niveau mesuré par Binet (1993) dans des systèmes de grandes cultures conventionnel de l'ouest de la France. ...
La majeure partie de mes travaux de recherche ont concerné la gestion de la fertilité de sols en agriculture biologique (AB). Plus largement ils s’inscrivent dans une perspective de contribution scientifique et opérationnelle à la transition écologique de l’agriculture. Pour lever les problèmes de fertilité des sols en AB j’ai posé l’hypothèse que la mise en œuvre en AB de pratiques de l’agriculture de conservation (AC) pouvait être une solution. L’AC s’est construite autour de trois principes : l’arrêt du labour, une couverture végétale du sol permanente et une rotation diversifiée des cultures. On prête à l’AC plusieurs intérêts agronomiques, environnementaux et économiques mais elle est consomme des herbicides pour maîtriser les adventices qui ne sont plus détruites par le labour. Ainsi, un certain nombre de spécificités de l’AB, comme l’interdiction d’utilisation d’herbicides, limitent la mise en œuvre en AB des principes de l’AC. Pour analyser et évaluer, dans une perspective d’amélioration de la fertilité des sols, les conditions et les limites de l’utilisation en AB des principes de l’AC j’ai développé plusieurs axes de recherche : la mise au point de méthodes pour observer la fertilité du sol, dont les effets interactifs entre les composantes biologiques et physiques du sol, (2) des essais sur les effets des pratiques de non labour et de labour agronomique (profondeur réduite, pas de rasette) en AB sur la fertilité du sol et sur les performances agronomiques, et (3) des travaux pour concevoir avec des agriculteurs des systèmes de culture sans labour en AB.
L’apport majeur de mes travaux sur les méthodes d’observation du sol est l’amélioration du profil cultural comme outil permettant d’observer les interactions en propriétés physiques et biologiques des sols. En mobilisant une diversité de dispositifs expérimentaux mon travail a contribué à mieux comprendre des processus écologiques et plus particulièrement les interactions entre activité biologique (micro et macro) et la structure du sol. Ceci a été possible grâce à une mobilisation innovante de la méthode du profil cultural. J’ai ainsi apporté des réponses globales sur l’effet des techniques simplifiées de travail du sol en AB. La technique du labour agronomique ressort comme le meilleur compromis au labour profond, avec des niveaux de rendement et d’adventices similaires, mais avec une amélioration de la teneur en carbone dans l’horizon cultivé du sol. Pour les techniques sans labour, comme l’utilisation du chisel à différentes profondeurs de sol, les résultats sont très mitigés, avec une très forte variabilité des rendements et en moyenne une perte par rapport au labour profond. Cela est dû à un problème de contrôle des adventices, mais aussi à une dégradation de la fertilité du sol dans les horizons non travaillés du sol. Toutefois, l’horizon superficiel présente plus de matières organiques, point positif dans les sols sensibles à l’érosion. Dans un dernier axe de travail, j’ai mobilisé les connaissances acquises lors des essais, mais aussi celles d’agriculteurs pour concevoir des systèmes de culture innovants et intégrant des principes de l’AC. Mes travaux montrent que les systèmes de culture co-conçus ont ‘sur le papier’ mais aussi, selon les résultats des modèles d’évaluation actuels, plus de chances d’améliorer la fertilité des sols en AB que les systèmes actuels. L’enjeu d’évaluations en conditions réelles de ces systèmes co-conçus est fort et je poursuis dans cette voie par le suivi d’essais systèmes de longue durée.
Les processus étudiés, les outils que j’ai contribué à développer ou à faire évoluer sont mobilisables au-delà de l’AB. Le fait de mieux comprendre un processus écologique et de pouvoir jouer dessus pour remplacer in fine une technique agricole, s’appuie sur un nouveau paradigme : l’agro-écologie. Ainsi, à la fin de ce mémoire, je présente les questions que je souhaite aborder dans la suite de mes travaux : (1) comment insérer des pratiques s’appuyant sur des principes agroécologiques dans les systèmes de culture ? et (2) comment aider les agriculteurs à mobiliser ces principes dans la transformation de leurs systèmes de culture ?
... The abundance and biomass of endogeic and anecic earthworms were significantly higher in CC strips than in CW ones ( Table 2). Such finding confirms that disturbance factors, such as tillage, chemical weeding, and mineral fertilization, significantly affect earthworm biology ( Metzke et al., 2007;Paoletti, 1999;Peres et al., 2006). The abundance of anecic earthworms, counted in CC strips, was 38% of the total community. ...
Non-invasive geophysical methods, such as EMI (Electromagnetic Induction), are innovative tools to study soil biological parameters. This work was carried out to assess correlations between soil earthworm abundance and biomass and soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) measured by means of a Profiler GSSI EMP-400. The trial was performed in a 1-hectare commercial peach orchard characterized by a clay loam soil. Mustard method combined with hand-sorting technique were used to sample earthworms in areas (1 x 1 m) falling in cover cropped (CC) and chemically weeded (CW) strips. Statistically significant linear relationships were found between ECa, measured at 13 kHz, and earthworm biomasses in both CC and CW strips (R-2 > 0.72). Instead, abundance earthworm showed relations only in CW strips (R-2 > 0.50). EMI technique seems to be a very efficient tool to locate representative soil sampling areas and spatialize earthworm parameters at field level.
... Earthworm abundance in CT plots (66-180 individuals m− 2 ) may be considered normal. Metzke et al. (2007) found 0-84 earthworms m− 2 in plowed systems in similar soil types, while Pfiffner and Luka (2007) found an average of 210 individuals m− 2 in cereal fields. We did not observe negative effects based on the depth of residue incorporation influencing earthworm abundance and biomass. ...
In the present study, soil samples and earthworms were collected from wheat-cultivated fields under four agricultural practices: (1) conventional tillage with crop residues incorporated into the soil (CT/IN), (2) conventional tillage with crop residues exported from the field (CT/OUT), (3) reduced tillage with crop residues incorporated into the soil (RT/IN), and (4) reduced tillage with crop residues exported from the field (RT/OUT). Agricultural practices were applied on Luvisol soil for four consecutive years. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of agricultural practices on soil organic matter and earthworm communities and their interactions with soil properties and crop residues.Results indicated that crop residue exportation affected soil properties and earthworm communities. The penetration resistance (PR) measured to a depth of 50. cm rose with increasing soil depth in all treatments. For each depth, measures of soil physicochemical properties showed significant differences among treatments. A major difference was observed between IN and OUT treatments, suggesting the exportation of crop residues will limit earthworm abundance and biomass. Findings indicate endogeic and epi-anecic groups appears to be highly affected by tillage and crop residues exportation. Results emphasize the influence of crop residue exportation on the earthworm community, as well as the influence of earthworm activity on PR, P and K nutrients change; these processes are closely linked.
... Furthermore, with regard to hypothesis two (H 2 ), a positive effect of non-inversion tillage is evident, while the positive effect was not significant in case of shallow-inversion tillage. The results support the view that reducing tillage depth alone does not significantly promote earthworms (Metzke et al., 2007). All tillage systems that invert the soil impact negatively on anecic earthworms as their vertical burrows are destroyed and the animals can be injured or killed (Jeffery et al., 2010). ...
... Earthworms play a major role in ecosystem functioning because their burrowing and feeding activities modify the soil structure and several soil properties. In particular, earthworms increase soil macroporosity, relocate nutrients along the soil profile and form stable aggregates (Crittenden et al., 2014;Ernst and Emmerling, 2009;Metzke et al., 2007). The significant role of earthworms has been revealed by experiments in which they were eliminated in grass swards causing soil bulk density to increase, while organic matter, soil moisture and infiltration rate greatly decreased (Riley et al., 2008). ...
Earthworms are one of the most important soil macrofaunal groups, and they play a major role in agricultural ecosystems. Agricultural practices, such as reduced tillage, the use of green manures and organic fertilization, can be beneficial for earthworm populations in agricultural systems. However, under a Mediterranean climate, not much is known regarding their response to agricultural management. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of tillage type, organic fertilization, and green manures on the density and biomass of earthworms in organic arable dryland. The trial was conducted in a four-year crop rotation with a complete factorial design that combined tillage system (mouldboard ploughing vs. chisel), fertilization (composted farmyard manure vs. no fertilizer) and green manures (green manures vs. no green manures). Earthworms were assessed in each plot by the extraction of all individuals in three soil areas of 33. cm. ×. 33. cm that were excavated to a depth of 25. cm. Only five earthworm species were found in this trial, and the earthworm community was dominated by such endogeic ecotypes as Aporrectodea rosea and Allolobophora georgii, and the anecic ecotype Aporrectodea trapezoides. Endogeic species can benefit from soil inversion because of the incorporation of organic matter, but the anecic ones can be negatively affected by it. The results show that plots with farmyard manure had higher density and biomass of earthworms. We observed that the type of tillage significantly affected earthworm populations: plots that had been ploughed with mouldboard ploughing (soil inversion) the year prior to sampling presented more juveniles. The biomass of earthworms was significantly lower in plots with green manures and chiselling. Our results indicated that the combination of chiselling and green manures were not optimal for earthworm populations, but organic fertilization played a considerably more important role and enhanced their abundances.
... The reduced tillage in garden has led to increased earthworm abundance and species diversity. More ploughing in agriculture field positively influence endogeic species by increasing organic matter availability and opposite effect on anecic species (Metzke et al., 2007;Capowiez et al., 2009;Ernst and Emmerlings, 2009). In our study, the efficiency of M. posthuma was more in botanical garden and cast from botanical garden contain more nutrient content then the cast in agriculture field. ...
Earthworm is an important component in development and maintenance of physico-chemical properties of soil by converting biodegradable materials and organic wastes into nutrient rich vermicast. In this study, a comparison was done between the physico-chemical properties of soil and cast of Metaphire posthuma collected from botanical garden and agricultural field. M. posthuma was abundantly found in agriculture field due to its endogeic nature. It was found that earthworm of botanical garden was more efficient in cast production as compare to earthworm of agricultural field. Application of chemical fertilizer and pesticide in the field may be the possible reason for suppressing the activity of earthworm. M. posthuma increased the content of nitrogen, phosphorus and Organic Carbon (OC) while decreased the content of pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Na, K, Ca, Li and heavy metals. Ni was one of the key heavy metals which was efficiently decreased by the M. posthuma followed by Fe (95.01%), Pb (79.31), Zn (72%) and Cr (4.87%). Cast produced by earthworm has higher nutritional value and act as excellent soil ameliorating agent.
... Neuerdings wird auch der Einsatz konservierender Bodenbearbeitungsverfahren im Ökolandbau versucht und kontrovers diskutiert (Peigne et al., 2007). Diese wirkte jedoch im Ökolandbau nicht positiv auf die Regenwurmpopulation (Peigne et al., 2009;Metzke et al., 2007). Hingegen begünstigen ökologische Bewirtschaftungsverfahren ansich höhere Abundanzen und Biomassen sowie ein größeres Artenspektrum an Regenwürmern (Bengtsson et al., 2005;Pfiffner, 1993). ...
Organic-biological agriculture still draws on the theories on soil fertility published by the German scientist Hans Peter Rusch in the 1950s and 1960s, namely the Rusch-Test determining the biological quality of organic matter and soils, the decomposition of organic material in soils to humus and the surface-composting. Rusch's teachings address the advancing of soil tilth by efficient application of organic matter and humus formation and an improved nutrient use. Rusch strictly rejected the upcoming mineral fertilization and emphasized the role of humus for soil quality, which is even today beyond debate. Rusch's methods to characterize degradability of organic materials in soil and his microbial parameters are of little importance in practical agriculture and they have not been scientifically proven. However, his systematic approach to the decomposition of organic materials in soil, to humus formation and his consequences for the management of farmyard manure and other sources of organic matter can not be refuted with today's knowledge, but still need to be validated.
... In Org B pre-ploughing earthworm total abundance was two times higher in noninversion tillage (NIT) than mouldboard ploughing (MP), in contrast to Conv B. Mouldboard ploughing clearly affected total earthworm abundance in Conv B and Org B. Conv B and Org B differed in that Aporrectodea rosea was second-most abundant and L. rubellus least abundant in Conv B, whereas the reverse was true in Org B. Manure additions (Peigné et al., 2009) and more diverse crop rotations (including legumes as ley) (Metzke et al., 2007;Peigné et al., 2009;Riley et al., 2008) may account for the differences in earthworm assemblages between farming systems. Therefore, as hypothesised, ploughing reduced total earthworm abundance and total earthworm biomass over the short term in Conv B. However, in Org B the hypothesis is confirmed for total earthworm abundance but not total earthworm biomass. ...
... A complete cessation of these practices would thus be needed to see an effect on Oligochaeta communities. This is in accordance with Metzke et al. (2007) who explained that some authors reported a higher earthworm abundance and biomass in organic rotations compared to conventional or integrated farming systems. However, other sampling events would be necessary to assert all these results. ...
Agricultural intensification has reduced soil biodiversity in cultivated fields. Alternative cropping systems have been implemented to limit the harmful environmental effects of intensive conventional systems. This study aims at (i) assessing the impact of alternative systems on abundance and biomass of earthworms and enchytraeids, which are involved in key agro-ecological functions, and (ii) investigating the relationship between these soil organisms, under field conditions. Field data were collected in spring 2014 in two long-term agricultural sites near Paris, France. In Site 1, two types of organic amendments i.e. animal manure (MAN) and composted sludge (SLU) were compared to a control system (CONT) without organic fertilization. In Site 2, four different cropping systems were compared: a conventional (CONV), an integrated (INT), an organic (ORG) and a living mulch-based cropping system (LIV). They differed mainly in soil tillage, pesticide and fertilizer use, crop rotation and crop biomass production. In both sites, higher earthworm abundance was found in the alternative systems except in the INT system i.e. SLU, MAN vs CONT and LIV, ORG vs CONV, even if differences were not always significant. For enchytraeids, we found no significant effect of organic amendments but a higher abundance in LIV and ORG systems than in CONV and INT systems in Site 2. Positive effects of alternative systems on earthworm and enchytraeid communities could be explained by the organic amendments in Site 1 and the permanent plant cover, the absence of pesticide use and tillage and the crop rotations in Site 2. Finally, no significant correlation was found between enchytraeid and earthworm abundance or biomass. We concluded that under environmental favorable conditions, earthworms and enchytraeids could coexist without competitive exclusion.
... A complete cessation of these practices would thus be needed to see an effect on Oligochaeta communities. This is in accordance with Metzke et al. (2007) who explained that some authors reported a higher earthworm abundance and biomass in organic rotations compared to conventional or integrated farming systems. However, other sampling events would be necessary to assert all these results. ...
Earthworms and enchytraeids are of great importance in soil agroecosystem functioning and are used as bioindicators in agricultural management. This study aimed at (1) understanding how the abundance and biomass of these soil organisms are affected by different cropping systems and cultural practices in two long-term experimental trials located near Paris, and (2) better defining the relationships linking earthworm and enchytraeid communities. In Feucherolles, the trial compared fields with repeated inputs of fresh manure (MAN) or sewage sludges (SLU) with a system without organic fertilization (CONT). The other trial, in Versailles, compared four cropping systems, differing mainly in soil tillage, crop rotations, pesticide use and mineral fertilization: a conventional system (CONV), an integrated system (INT), an organic system (ORG), and a living mulch cropping system (LIV), with no ploughing and a permanent living cover crop. Earthworm and enchytraeid communities were sampled in spring 2014.We found in average 114 and 177 earthworms m-² and 22 600 and 7 900 enchytraeids m-² in Feucherolles and Versailles, respectively. Organic matter inputs had a positive effect on earthworm density but no difference was found for enchytraeid density between the systems MAN, SLU, and CONT. In Versailles, earthworm density was not significantly different between the four cropping systems but it was between 1.5 and 2 times higher in the ORG and LIV systems than in the two others. We found a positive effect of LIV system on enchytraeid density, maybe due to the permanent plant cover. Enchytraeid density was between 2 and 3 times higher in the ORG system than in the INT and CONV systems. We thus found a positive effect of alternative cultural practices on the studied terrestrial oligochaetes. In Feucherolles, we found in average 1.9 times more biomass of enchytraeids than earthworms. This underlined the potential functional importance of enchytraeids in this trial. Finally, no significant correlation was found between enchytraeids and earthworms. In order to better understand the relationship between these soil organisms, more information should be collected at the species level.
... The abundance and biomass of endogeic and anecic earthworms were significantly higher in CC strips than in CW ones (Table 2). Such finding confirms that disturbance factors, such as tillage, chemical weeding, and mineral fertilization, significantly affect earthworm biology (Metzke et al., 2007;Paoletti, 1999;Peres et al., 2006). ...
Non-invasive geophysical methods, such as EMI (Electromagnetic Induction), are innovative tools to study soil biological parameters. This work was carried out to assess correlations between soil earthworm abundance and biomass and soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) measured by means of a Profiler GSSI EMP-400. The trial was performed in a 1-hectare commercial peach orchard characterized by a clay loam soil. Mustard method combined with hand-sorting technique were used to sample earthworms in areas (1 x 1 m) falling in cover cropped (CC) and chemically weeded (CW) strips. Statistically significant linear relationships were found between ECa, measured at 13 kHz, and earthworm biomasses in both CC and CW strips (R2 >0.72). Instead, abundance earthworm showed relations only in CW strips (R2 >0.50). EMI technique seems to be a very efficient tool to locate representative soil sampling areas and spatialize earthworm parameters at field level.
... Neuerdings wird auch der Einsatz konservierender Bodenbearbeitungsverfahren im Ökolandbau versucht und kontrovers diskutiert (Peigne et al., 2007). Diese wirkte jedoch im Ökolandbau nicht positiv auf die Regenwurmpopulation (Peigne et al., 2009;Metzke et al., 2007). Hingegen begünstigen ökologische Bewirtschaftungsverfahren ansich höhere Abundanzen und Biomassen sowie ein größeres Artenspektrum an Regenwürmern (Bengtsson et al., 2005;Pfiffner, 1993). ...
... Soil biological life comprises not only microorganisms but also the so-called mesoflora and mesofauna, whose role in the soil is very important. For instance, earthworms are not only responsible for shaping soil structure and its aeration the transfer of organic matter in soil is not only associ-ated with tillage treatments but also depends on the activities of such animals as earthworms whose numbers are greater in permanent agrocenoses (grasslands) and in soils that are not subjected to intensive tillage systems [41]. ...
Traditional ploughing cultivation can contribute to soil erosion as well as to other symptoms of soil degradation, leading to a decline in its biological and production potentials. An alternative to conventional tillage is offered by simplified cultivation systems consisting of shallower and less intensive interference into the soil physical structure or even complete abandonment of cultivation treatment. The aim of the performed investigations was to ascertain the impact of a long-term application of simplifications in soil tillage on select soil chemical and microbiological properties under sugar beet cultivation employing two watering combinations: natural distribution of precipitation and sprinkling. Conventional ploughing tillage was treated as reference. The research hypothesis assumed that the application of simplifications in the pre-sowing soil cultivation of sugar beets contributes to the increase in soil organic carbon content and soil fertility. Its microbiological activity and sprinkling also can modify this effect. Experiments were carried out for a period of four years in conditions of long-term application of three tillage systems (conventional tillage, simplified cultivation, and direct sowing). Select soil chemical (pH, Corg., total N) and microbiological (total bacterial counts, numbers of oligotrophs, copiotrophs, actinomycetes and fungi, plus activity of dehydrogenases and acid phosphatase) parameters were analyzed. The microbiological indices analyzed in this study nearly always spoke in favour of simplifications in soil tillage or complete abandonment of cultivation treatments. In successive years of experiments, almost all the analyzed parameters assumed the lowest values in conditions of ploughing cultivation and the highest ones in direct sowing. Sprinkling and fertilization modified this rule, whereas the level and directions of this impact varied and depended on weather conditions.
... Les activités agricoles peuvent avoir des effets dramatiques sur les invertébrés du sol (Hendrix et Edwards, 2004) ainsi, les densités et les richesses spécifiques ont généralement des valeurs plus faibles dans les sols cultivés que dans les sols non perturbés (Paoletti, 1999 ;Curry et al., 2002). La mort directe due aux outils, la prédation accrue, le compactage du sol, l'utilisation de biocides, les limitations de nourriture et d'humidité et la diminution de la quantité de matière organique sont des facteurs connus pour affaiblir les populations de vers de terre dans les systèmes agricoles intensifs (Metzke et al., 2007). C'est ce que nous pouvons observer dans des parcelles situées à l'extérieur du site atelier (cultures de pommes de terre ou de lin) et dans une moindre mesure la parcelle Bien-Assise qui, bien que les pratiques soient raisonnées, subit des travaux du sol importants dus aux cultures telles que celles de la pomme de terre, de la betterave ou du pois vert. ...
Un agriculteur de Guînes a développé un réseau de bandes fleuries et de haies totalisant près de 3 hectares sur une plaine de 50 hectares de grandes cultures. Bien que les effets de tels aménagements soient décrits dans la littérature, leur développement par les agriculteurs reste relativement faible. Le Parc naturel régional des Caps et Marais d’Opale s’est rapproché de partenaires scientifiques et universitaires pour mettre en œuvre un projet de recherche en conditions réelles d’exploitation et de faire de ce site un observatoire pérenne des interactions entre la biodiversité et la production agricole. Dans cet article sera abordée une partie des premiers résultats après 3 années de suivi : les insectes auxiliaires de cultures, la mésofaune du sol, les vers de terre, les micromammifères et le hérisson.
... Most papers on soil tillage, particularly those on ploughing, are based on trials comparing populations in different agricultural systems at a given time point in the year (Eriksen-Hamel et al., 2009;Metzke et al., 2007;Riley et al., 2008). However, the earthworm abundance may change rapidly and strongly in response to environmental conditions (temperature, soil water content, fresh organic matter content). ...
An understanding of the effects of ploughing on earthworm dynamics is required for the design of organic cropping systems maximising the beneficial effects of earthworms. Earthworms are often reported to be disturbed by ploughing, which is frequently used for weed control in organic farming. In this preliminary study, we investigated the effect of ploughing on the dynamics of two common endogeic species: Aporrectodea caliginosa and Aporrectodea rosea, to test the assumption that the sensivity to ploughing is species dependant. Two field trials were set up in October 2009 and November 2010, at two locations on a haplic luvisol, located in northern France. For comparison, part of each field was left unploughed, with the rest being ploughed. Earthworms were sampled at ten dates between October 2009 and July 2010 at Vi and six dates between November 2010 and March 2011 at Fa. Seven species were found in these two fields, with more than 88% of the earthworms belonging to two endogeic species, A. caliginosa and A. rosea. Ploughing had contrasting effects on the two species. A. caliginosa was more sensitive than A. rosea to tillage. In the unploughed part of the field, in 2009, the population remained small (less than 100 individuals m−2) and it was assumed that the two species were in competition for food. In 2010, the carrying capacity was higher, and A. caliginosa abundance reached 300 individuals m−2, whereas the abundance of A. rosea remained below 90 individuals m−2. In 2009, the effect of ploughing on A. caliginosa was immediate and persisted throughout the experiment, from October 2009 to June 2010, with an 80% decrease in abundance in June 2010. In 2010, the effect was delayed, but populations decreased during the winter following ploughing, with a 60% decrease in January 2011. Concerning A. rosea, the differences between the ploughed and the unploughed treatments were lower than for A. caliginosa. Our results confirm that endogeics earthworms may adapt themselves to the disturbance caused by tillage. Our observations suggest that A. caliginosa is more sensitive to ploughing than previously reported. These preliminary findings were obtained under favourable climatic conditions. They may help to define the optimal scheduling of tillage for earthworm conservation.
... Agricultural activities have negative effects on invertebrates (Hendrix and Edward, 2004). Direct killing, increased predation, soil compaction, use of biocides, food and moisture limitations and decreasing organic matter contents are factors known to reduce earthworm populations in intensive cropping systems (in Metzke et al., 2007). Ponge et al. (2013) also recorded an increase of earthworm species richness along a gradient of decreasing agricultural intensification (from crop to meadow) in French Brittany. ...
Highly metal contaminated soils found in the North of France are the result of intense industrial past. These soils are now unfit for the cultivation of agricultural products for human consumption. Solutions have to be found to improve the quality of these soils, and especially to reduce the availability of trace elements (TEs). Phytostabilisation and ash-aided phytostabilisation applied since 2000 to an experimental site located near a former metallurgical site (Metaleurop-Nord) was shown previously as efficacious in reducing TEs mobility in soils. The aim of the study was to check whether this ten years trial had influenced earthworm communities. This experimental site was compared to plots located in the surroundings and differing by the use of soils. Main results are that: (1) whatever the use of soils, earthworm communities are composed of few species with moderate abundance in comparison with communities found in similar habitats outside the TEs-contaminated area, (2) the highest abundance and specific richness (4-5 species) were observed in afforested plots with various tree species, (3) ash amendments in afforested plots did not increase the species richness and modified the communities favoring anecic worms but disfavoring epigeic ones. These findings raised the questions of when and how to perform the addition of ashes firstly, to avoid negative effects on soil fauna and secondly, to keep positive effects on metal immobilization.
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... On the contrary, cultivation and absence of mulch make the micro-climate and the resource levels less favourable for soil micro-arthropods. In various studies, highest earthworm abundance and biomass have been reported in no-tillage soil, in particular with cover crops whereas ploughed soil hosted the lowest worm populations, regardless of the crop grown (Birkas et al., 2004;Chan, 2001;Eriksen-Hamel et al., 2009;Metzke et al., 2007). Similarly, various forms of conservation tillage have resulted in elevated abundances and diversity of various micro-arthropods compared with conventional tillage (Brennan et al., 2006;Davis et al., 2009;Wilson-Rummenie et al., 1999). ...
Tillage is one of the oldest practices in agricultural production and offers many short term benefits in agro-ecosystem. These perceived benefits of tillage, however, have been gradually questioned because of its negative long-term consequences on soil and environment. Therefore conservation tillage systems have become the subject of intensive research among scientific communities and common practices among farming communities. However, scientific information on beneficial effects of conservation tillage systems on soil and environment is scattered. Critical analysis and synthesis of such information is helpful for scientific communities, farmers, students, and policy makers.
... In Org B pre-ploughing earthworm total abundance was two times higher in non-inversion tillage (NIT) than mouldboard ploughing (MP), in contrast to Conv B. Mouldboard ploughing clearly affected total earthworm abundance in Conv B and Org B. Conv B and Org B differed in that Aporrectodea rosea was secondmost abundant and L. rubellus least abundant in Conv B, whereas the reverse was true in Org B. Manure additions (Peigné et al., 2009) and more diverse crop rotations (including legumes as ley) (Metzke et al., 2007;Riley et al., 2008;Peigné et al., 2009) may account for the differences in earthworm assemblages between farming systems. Therefore, as hypothesised, ploughing reduced total earthworm abundance and total earthworm biomass over the short term in Conv B. However, in Org B the hypothesis is confirmed for total earthworm abundance but not total earthworm biomass. ...
Due to an expected improvement of soil quality and soil water storage, the substitution of mouldboard ploughing by reduced tillage was identified as a potential climate change adaptation measure for organic farming in a relatively dry region with a humid continental climate. In a field trial on a sandy loam soil in eastern Germany, reduced tillage was carried out to 6 cm soil depth by means of a ring cutter and compared to mouldboard ploughing with 25 cm tillage depth. In the present study, the influence of ring cutter tillage on soil properties was investigated for the first time. The effects of shallow ring cutter tillage on soil physical parameters, soil organic matter distribution, soil mineral nitrogen content, total nitrogen uptake by the crop, root content, and grain yield of organically grown winter rye (Secale cereale L.) were analysed in the uppermost 20 cm of a sandy loam soil and compared to those of mouldboard ploughing.
Under ring cutter tillage, soil bulk density was in 8–20 cm soil depth by up to 15% higher than under mouldboard ploughing. In 9–15 cm soil depth, ring cutter tillage resulted in smaller contents of coarse macropores and mesopores, more micropores, and an 11% smaller available water capacity compared to mouldboard ploughing. The total nitrogen uptake by winter rye was in the ring cutter treatment by up to 44% smaller than in the mouldboard plough treatment. Root content was up to 209% higher in 1–6 cm soil depth and up to 71% smaller in 8–20 cm soil depth after ring cutter tillage than after mouldboard ploughing. Winter rye yield declined by 22–43% in the ring cutter treatment relative to the mouldboard plough treatment.
Shallow ring cutter tillage resulted in a root growth-restricting soil compaction in the non-tilled soil layers below 6 cm depth and led to a limitation of nitrogen mineralisation until spring. Both effects likely caused the considerable reduction of crop yield. The results suggest that shallow ring cutter tillage in organic farming seems to be not suitable for sandy loam soils as long as the risk of a soil compaction-induced limitation of root growth and nitrogen supply cannot be minimised.
The traditional mouldboard ploughing in agriculture has disadvantageous effects on soil structure. Results may be accelerated soil erosion and off-site damages like water pollution and mudflows (Arévalo & Schmidt 2011, D’Haene et al. 2008, Lal et al. 2007, Holland 2004). Therefore, different plough-less soil tillage systems, so-called reduced or conservation tillage systems, were developed in the past decades and are already applied to a certain degree (Triplett Jr. & Dick 2008, Lal et al. 2007). However, in organic farming of temperate climates, mouldboard ploughing is still widespread (Vakali et al. 2011, Krauss et al. 2010, Metzke et al. 2007).
Reduced tillage is considered as one agricultural adaptation measure to climate change impacts like higher frequency and intensity of drought and heavy rainfall events (Reyer et al. 2012, Bloch & Bachinger 2010). Therefore, effort increases to apply more frequently reduced tillage systems in organic agriculture as well. In the case of the German Federal State of Brandenburg, research was carried out using the innovative ring cutter as conservation tillage tool.
Crop production and soil quality benefits following adoption of conservation-tillage practices in conventional dryland agriculture are well documented. These successes have spurred interest among farmers and researchers in developing conservation-tillage practices that can be used in organic cropping systems. However, achieving long-term, consistent weed control has been cited as a major obstacle preventing the adoption of organic conservation-tillage systems in the US Great Plains, particularly when farm scale prevents hand removal of weeds and intensive tillage could result in unsustainable soil erosion. In particular, Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop), field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.), and other creeping perennial weed species pose particular obstacles to the continued use of conservation-tillage practices following the first 2 to 4 years after adoption, although annual weeds (e.g., downy brome [Bromus tectorum L.]) and simple perennials (e.g., dandelion [Taraxacum officinale Weber]) can also become problems. To fill this knowledge gap, researchers and farmers have explored several practices including cover crop mulch, grazing, and acetic acid applications to reduce and even eliminate tillage and suppress weeds in organic environments across the US northern Great Plains region. In this paper, we summarize efforts to develop long-term, conservation-tillage systems in organically managed environments and how these practices impact the soil biological community and discuss how successful adoption of conservation-tillage practices by organic farmers may revolutionize organic farming in the US Great Plains and similar climatic regions globally.
Agriculture has an important role in the development of the Beninese economy. Now, the sector has a major change with the agricultural motorization. In order to contribute to the sustainable management of farms, this study evaluated the effect of four motorized ploughing depths on soil structure and vegetative growth of maize. Results show that ploughing at 15 cm depth provides the best agricultural yield and does not adversely affect the physical, mechanical and hydrodynamic characteristics of the soil. The optimum yield is estimated at 2.98 t / ha with a plow depth of 14.66 cm for the DMR-ESR-W variety. The TZEE-W-SR variety was 3.29 t / ha obtained with a plow depth of 14.39 cm.
Soil biodiversity has been shown essential to provide ecosystem services for plant growth that have large economic value. However a number of ecosystem management practices and the effects of pollutants can decrease soil biodiversity and, hence, reduce its role in sustaining plant growth. This chapter briefly explores the diversity of soil organisms and the effects of pollutants on this diversity and concentrates on the management of agricultural ecosystems that minimize our impacts on soil diversity and function. Specific examples have been selected from viticulture, organic row crop agriculture, grassland farming and agroforestry. It is concluded that we need to understand more the role of biodiversity in soils and how we affect it with our agricultural practices and foresee a need for broader education in and awareness of soil ecology to improve management decisions in agriculture and land use management.
Conservation tillage includes a range of tillage practices, mostly noninversion, which aim to reduce soil erosion by leaving the soil surface covered by crop residues. Despite conservation tillage having been promoted in organic farming (OF) to improve inherent soil quality, several factors hinder its development such as weed control and soil compaction. Consequently, to enhance the adoption of conservation tillage in OF, long-term experiments were established several years ago in Europe. Different tillage techniques have been assessed from mouldboard ploughing to direct drilling under cover crops. In all cases, the effects of conservation vs. conventional tillage on soil fertility and weed and crop development were compared. Preliminary results show that the effects of conservation tillage are closely related to soil and climatic conditions, practices conducted in the field, and initial experimental conditions (level of weeds, previous crop, soil structure, etc.). Direct seeding under a cover crop or mulch remains a major challenge in OF, since weeds are not mechanically controlled, which thus affect crop performance. However, with other reduced tillage techniques, such as using a layer cultivator, weed development has had minimal effects with no impact on yields. In addition, to improved soil fertility, reduced tillage can increase crop yields. Most of the results of conservation tillage effects were obtained from experiments conducted for less than 10 years under OF management. Assessment over longer periods is needed and then shared with organic farmers to design new cropping systems. Introduction of new equipment and knowledge exchanges between conventional farmers practising conservation tillage and organic farmers could improve the adoption of conservation tillage in OF.
We propose that a holistic view be taken to the study and implementation of ecological research into soils, soil organisms and plant growth. This builds upon the spatial and temporal aspects of soil physical and biological characteristics at the micro- and macroaggregate scales. This has major implications for the interactions of the soil biota and also for the possibilities of soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics, including gradual accumulation of SOM across decades and centuries. One of the key integrating factors in the role of soil biota in plant nutrition is the centrality of detrital and soil food webs in fostering nutrient cycling and ecosystem stability. We conclude with a five-dimension approach to studying key factors in soil biological interactions that affect plant nutrition and also long-term carbon balance in natural and agricultural ecosystems.
The main goal of the study was to compare the abundance, the species diversity, the seasonal dynamics and the ecological structure of epigeal arthropods (Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Araneae) as well as that of soil mesofauna (Collembola, Acari) in three tillage systems: conventional, reduced and zero-tillage. The experiment was conducted at two localities in Lower Silesia, Poland, in 2003–2007, in two seasons: autumn and spring–summer time. Experimental winter wheat fields belonged to Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences and to individual farmers. To accomplish the objectives of the study four pitfall traps in each of the three habitats were used. Soil mesofauna was extracted using Tullgren apparatus, as modified by Murphy.
The results of the experiment reveal a strong positive effect of no-tillage system on the abundance and biodiversity of Carabidae. It is likely that the stand of winter wheat tilled using the non-inversion system provided the investigated fauna with the most favourable conditions (less disturbed habitat), especially shortly after sowing time. No apparent differences were detected with the respect to the species composition of most numerous ground beetles between the treatments. On the other hand, the species diversity in autumn was significantly different from the composition of these insects recognized in spring and summer. Most often recorded ground beetles species in autumn time were: Notiophilus aquaticus, Trechus quadristriatus, Calathus fuscipes and Bembidion femoratum, and in spring–summer time: Poecilus cupreus, Harpalus affinis, Ophonus brevicollis, Bembidion properans and Pterostichus melanarius. Majority of the recorded beetles are zoophagous species and they therefore can be important biocontrol agents. Both rove beetles and spiders caught to pitfall traps were most abundant in the reduced tillage system. Direct sowing did not clearly affect these two groups of arthropods.
The abundance of springtails was strongly affected by reducing soil tillage. The mean number of these arthropods was significantly higher when zero-tillage system was used, compared to both the conventional and reduced tillage. Species structure of Collembola varied between the seasons. The most numerous species were: Mesaphorura macrochaeta, Hypogastrura assimilis, Isotoma viridis and Ceratophysella succinea. In autumn, the greatest numbers of Micranurida pigmaea and Pogonognathellus longicornis were recorded as well. Species richness of springtails expressly increased with the reduced tillage. Similarly, mite populations were apparently adversely affected by ploughing. In contrary, they were found in large numbers in no-tillage system, and were scarcely present in simplified tillage system. The Oribatida group was most abundant in all the treatments. Less numerous were Mesostigmata, Prostigmata and Astigmata.
The research revealed the greatest abundance and biodiversity of beneficial epigeal and soil fauna in reduced tillage systems. They can importantly affect harmful organisms on winter wheat crop, as well as contribute to the higher quality of the arable soil. Therefore, such a practice, as closely related to ecological ideas, can be offered particularly to farms using principles of integrated agricultural production (IPM).
A total of 67 studies were located in which the response of plants to presence of earthworms was investigated. The number of studies increased strongly during the last decade. In most of the studies (79%) shoot biomass of plants significanty increased in the presence of earthworms. However, knowledge on effects of earthworms on plant growth is very biased; most studies investigated crop plants, particularly cereals, and pastures; very little is known on plant species in more natural communities. Recently, interest in tropical plant species has increased considerably, however, the studies have considered almost exclusively agricultural plant species. Generally, experiments focused on the response of plant shoots but 45% of the studies also considered roots. Most of the studies investigated European earthworms (Lumbricidae); very little is known on other earthworm species. Some early studies indicated that earthworms affect the composition of plant communities but only very recently has it been documented that earthworms affect plant competition. However, there is virtually no information on how earthworms affect plant performance in detail including fitness parameters such as flowering and seed production. It has been realized recently that earthworms not only modify plant growth and vegetation structure but also the susceptability of plants to herbivores. Herbivore performance might be stimulated but also reduced due to the presence of earthworms. Furthermore, earthworms function as subsidiary food resources to generalist predators when herbivore prey is scarce. The complex indirect interactions between earthworms and the aboveground system deserve further investigation in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. The imperative for future research is adopting an ecological rather than an agricultural perspective in studying earthworm-plant interrelationships and viewing earthworms as driving factors of the aboveground food web. It is suggested that studies on earthworm-plant interactions may contribute significantly to a more comprehensive understanding of terrestrial ecosystems and to the development of more environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
Earthworms affect agroecosystem processes and few studies have addressed population dynamics when earthworms are intentionally introduced. Handsorting and formalin extraction were used semi-annually from fall 1994 to fall 1997 to measure populations in plots with and without added earthworms under chisel till in a corn-soybean rotation (CT) and a ridge-till system in a corn-soybean-wheat rotation (RT) in Ohio, USA. Earthworm communities were altered by adding ∼76Lumbricus terrestris (L.) m–2 each spring and fall into plots with no, or very few of these anecic earthworms. Increases in L. terrestris were small (∼7 m–2) compared to the number added and their establishment was at the expense of the epigeic earthworm L. rubellus (Hoff.), which declined four and two-fold in CT and RT, respectively. Populations of the endogeic earthworm Octolasion tytaeum (Sav.) were unaffected by the addition of L. terrestris. Sampling 5 years after the additions indicated that L. terrestris persisted only in the RT plots. The decline in L. rubellus populations in plots with added anecic worms was no longer evident. We understand that the increased number and amounts of residues and the minimal level of disturbance found in RT probably increased the extent and quality of earthworm habitat over CT plots, which had fewer crops, less cover, and periodic disturbance. Apparently, population dynamics and competitive relationships among different earthworm functional groups were regulated by agroecosystem type, and their correspondent disturbance regimes and resource distributions.
In a long-term trial, the earthworm populations of two biological farming systems, two conventional systems and one control treatment were compared in a seven year crop rotation on a Luvisol from loess. The earthworms were investigated by handsorting at four dates during 1990–92. Nicodrilus longus (Ude), N. nocturnus (Evans), N. caliginosus (Savigny) and Allolobophora rosea (Savigny) were the dominant earthworm species in all treatments. The earthworm biomass and density, the presence of anecic species, and the number of juveniles were significantly higher in the biological than in the conventional or unfertilized plots. In addition, more earthworm species were found in the biological plots. In this trial, plant protection management seems to be the main factor responsible for the differences in earthworm populations.
The soil is a habitat for a vast, complex and interactive community of soil organisms whose activities largely determine the chemical and physical properties of the soil. In a fertile soil the soil biota may have a biomass exceeding 20 t ha-1, with life forms ranging from microscopic bacteria to the largest of earthworms which may be 1 m in length. Only a small fraction, probably <20%, of the soil microflora and microfauna (including bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, nematodes, collembola, acari) have been described. The role of soil organisms in the development and maintenance of soil structure, in nutrient cycling and in their various interactions (including associative, harmful and beneficial) with plant roots is described. Trophic interactions between soil organism groups in developed agroecosystems are considered in relation to nutrient cycling and the impact such interactions have on populations of saprophytic, parasitic and symbiotic microorganisms. Prospects for the management of the soil biota to promote sustainable productivity are illustrated by describing the effects of tillage on the composition of soil organism communities. Management technologies that conserve the biodiversity of communities may provide the greatest benefits for the long term sustainability of the soil resource.
Earthworm and enchytraeid densities and biomass were sampled over an 18-month period in conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems. Overall, earthworm densities and biomass in the no-till system were 70% greater than under conventional tilling, and enchytraeid densities and biomass in the no-till system were 50%–60% greater. To assess the role of annelids in the breakdown of soil organic matter, carbofuran was applied to field enclosures and target (earthworm and enchytraeid biomass, standing stocks of organic matter) and non-target effects (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematode and microarthropod densities, litter decay rates, plant biomass) were determined in two 10-month studies. In the winter-fall study, carbofuran reduced the annelid biomass, and total soil organic matter standing stocks were 47% greater under no-till with carbofuran compared to control enclosures. Twelve percent of the difference could have been due to non-target effects of carbofuran, as determined from litterbag decay rates. In the summer-spring study, carbofuran again significantly reduced the annelid biomass, and treated pens in the no-till area had significantly greater standing stocks of fine organic matter (43%–45%). Although the densities of bacteria and nematodes were reduced in carbofuran-treated litterbags under a no-till system, the rates of decay were not reduced and estimates of the amount of organic matter processed could not be adjusted for non-target effects. A 76% difference in the standing stock of coarse organic matter between control and carbofuran-treated pens in the conventional-till system indicated further non-target effects. We concluded that our estimates of the amount of organic matter processed by annelids in no-till and conventionally tilled agroecosystems represented a maximum potential because of the confounding non-target effects of carbofuran.
Problemstellung und Ziele
Reduzierte Bodenbearbeitung wirkt in vielfältiger Weise positiv auf Bodenstruktur, Humusgehalt und Bodenleben und bietet darüber hinaus Vorteile in ökonomischer und arbeitswirtschaftlicher Hinsicht. Im konventionellen Landbau wird seit mehreren Jahrzehnten reduzierte Bodenbearbeitung betrieben. Im Ökologischen Landbau stellt sich die Frage, inwiefern eine Reduktion der Bodenbearbeitungsintensität und –tiefe praktikabel ist.
Arbeitshypothesen
Ein Verzicht auf wendende Grundbodenbearbeitung ist im Ökologischen Landbau nicht durchgängig möglich, da es zu einer starken Zunahme von Unkräutern kommt, insbesondere mit perennierenden Unkräutern. Eine flache Pflugfuche oder der Zweischichtenpflug stellen günstige Verfahren dar, die sowohl die Vorteile der konventionellen Arbeitsweise als auch der reduzierten Bodenbearbeitung vereinen.
Methoden
Auf der Versuchsstation für Ökologischen Landbau Kleinhohenheim der Universität Hohenheim wurde 1999 ein Feldversuch angelegt, bei dem vier Verfahren der Grundbodenbearbeitung getestet werden: Pflug tief, Zweischichtenpflug, Pflug flach, Grubber. In diesem wurden in den Vegetationsperioden 1999/2000, 2000/2001 und 2001/2002 Erhebungen zu Ertragsbildung und Verunkrautung sowie im letzten Jahr zum Bodensamenvorrat und den Regenwurmpopulationen durchgeführt.
Ergebnisse
Die Daten zeigen, dass eine Unterlassung der wendenden Grundbodenbearbeitung gravierende Folgen für die Ertragsbildung und die Unkrautpopulationen besitzt. In der Variante mit nichtwendender Grundbodenbearbeitung (Grubber) waren deutlich mehr Unkräuter festzustellen als in den drei Varianten mit wendender Grundboden-bearbeitung. Allerdings zeigten sich auch in den Varianten ‚Pflug flach‘ und ‚Zweischichtenpflug‘ höhere Unkrautpopulationen und tendentiell niedrigere Erträge als in der Variante mit Pflugbearbeitung auf 25 cm Tiefe (Pflug tief). Die Regenwürmer wurden durch die Bodenbearbeitungsmassnahmen nicht eindeutig beeinflusst. Die vorliegenden Daten legen damit nahe, dass eine Reduktion von Bodenbearbeitungsintensität und –tiefe unter den Produktionsbedingungen des Ökologischen Landbaus pflanzenbauliche Nachteile mit sich bringt, die durch damit verbundene Vorteile vermutlich nicht ausgeglichen werden.
The consecutive acquisition of genetic alterations characterizes neoplastic processes. As a consequence of these alterations, molecular interactions are reprogrammed in the context of highly connected and regulated cellular networks. The recent identification of the collection of somatically mutated genes in breast tumors (breast cancer somatic "mutome") allows the comprehensive study of its function and organization in complex networks.
We analyzed functional genomic data (loss of heterozygosity, copy number variation and gene expression in breast tumors) and protein binary interactions from public repositories to identify potential novel components of neoplastic processes, the functional relationships between them, and to examine their coordinated function in breast cancer pathogenesis. This analysis identified candidate tumor suppressors and oncogenes, and new genes whose expression level predicts survival rate in breast cancer patients. Mutome network modeling using different types of pathological and healthy functional relationships unveils functional modules significantly enriched in genes or proteins (genes/proteins) with related biological process Gene Ontology terms and containing known breast cancer-related genes/proteins.
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the breast somatic mutome, highlighting those genes with a higher probability of playing a determinant role in tumorigenesis and better defining molecular interactions related to the neoplastic process.
In this study, carried out on an experimental meadow in Austria, in non calceric cambisol, five common methods for sampling earthworms were jointly compared for their efficacy (handsorting, formalin, and allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) application, heat extraction in Kempson apparatus, and electrical octet method). Additionally, short- and long-term effects of the non-destructive of these methods (formalin and AITC application, octet method) on soil organisms (microarthropod abundance, phospholipid fatty acids) and shoot and root biomass were analysed. The Kempson extraction yielded the greatest number of individuals, followed by the octet method and handsorting. Formalin and AITC showed lower efficacy, but expelled high numbers of adult earthworms. Whereas AITC scarcely had nontarget effects on soil organisms, formalin negatively affected soil microorganisms and vegetation on the treated plots. The octet method seems to be well applicable especially in protected areas, since it is efficient, non-destructive and does not adversely affect soil organisms. The recommendations for method application are given, depending strongly on the scope of studies, as well as on ecological conditions and legal study site limitations.
Earthworm abundance and biomass of two different reduced tillage systems were compared with a conventional control system in two locations near Gottingen (loam and silt loam). In one of the reduced systems no chemical plant protection was used (water protection), the other one was prepared without ploughing (soil protection). Earthworms were collected using formalin in spring of the years 1995, 1996 and 1997. Compared to the control system more earthworms were found in the soil protection system only. In particular, abundances and biomasses of the endogeic earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa increased from 1995 to 1997 within the system without ploughing. Although earthworm numbers in the system without pesticides did not differ from the control systems, some results within the water protection system on the silt loam location indicates conducive effects on earthworm density, biomass, and diversity.
Winter abundances of earthworms were monitored in five permanent pastures in South Australia for nine years. The earthworm communities in these five pastures were dominated by exotic Lumbricidae, mostly Aporrectodea species, but indigenous Megascolecidae, e.g. Gemascolex species, were also common at some sites. Earthworm abundance and biomass varied markedly between sites, years and species, with different temporal patterns observed for some species at separate sites. Dominance hierarchies varied in time within communities. Major changes in earthworm abundance were associated with a particularly wet year. Aggregation indices also varied between species. Implications from the data for modelling the influence of earthworms on soil properties and pasture production and for the use of earthworms as indicators of agricultural sustainability are discussed. The study was supplemented with data from two extensive regional surveys of earthworm communities in South Australia (113 sites) and western Victoria (163 sites).
From the moment that soil is consumed by or enters into contact with an earthworm, either superficially or internally, physicochemical and microbiological changes take place. Furthermore, when seeds germinate, they immediately come into contact with soil microorganisms, and as the plant roots grow, microorganisms promote changes in the soil physicochemical and microbiological environment. The three-way plant-microbe-invertebrate interactions that follow have profound effects on the growth and development of plants, soil microorganisms, and invertebrate communities.
This study, carried out in Switzerland, aimed to provide information or numerous farmers who, fearing that predation by Black-headed Gulls might significantly decrease earthworm populations in their cultivated fields, had sought permission to shoot the gulls. Earlier studies on the topic wereonly qualitative and were done during a period when earthwormsseemed less important in the gulls diet (e.g. jirsik, 1945; Creutz, 1963; Schlegel, 1977).
A total of 67 studies were located in which the response of plants to presence of earthworms was investigated. The number of studies increased strongly during the last decade. In most of the studies (79%) shoot biomass of plants significanty increased in the presence of earthworms. However, knowledge on effects of earthworms on plant growth is very biased; most studies investigated crop plants, particularly cereals, and pastures; very little is known on plant species in more natural communities. Recently, interest in tropical plant species has increased considerably, however, the studies have considered almost exclusively agricultural plant species. Generally, experiments focused on the response of plant shoots but 45% of the studies also considered roots. Most of the studies investigated European earthworms (Lumbricidae); very little is known on other earthworm species. Some early studies indicated that earthworms affect the composition of plant communities but only very recently has it been documented that earthworms affect plant competition. However, there is virtually no information on how earthworms affect plant performance in detail including fitness parameters such as flowering and seed production. It has been realized recently that earthworms not only modify plant growth and vegetation structure but also the susceptability of plants to herbivores. Herbivore performance might be stimulated but also reduced due to the presence of earthworms. Furthermore, earthworms function as subsidiary food resources to generalist predators when herbivore prey is scarce. The complex indirect interactions between earthworms and the aboveground system deserve further investigation in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. The imperative for future research is adopting an ecological rather than an agricultural perspective in studying earthworm-plant interrelationships and viewing earthworms as driving factors of the aboveground food web. It is suggested that studies on earthworm-plant interactions may contribute significantly to a more comprehensive understanding of terrestrial ecosystems and to the development of more environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
Potato cropping in southern Australia can involve up to 30 passes with a tractor, with up to 15 cultivations and multiple applications of fertilisers, fungicides, herbicides and insecticides. This was expected to significantly affect earthworm activity. Earthworms from four pasture sites were compared with those from adjacent potato paddocks. In the year following potatoes, earthworm numbers were about half in the paddocks which had been cropped. When the same sites were again sampled in the following year, populations had recovered and, on one field, were significantly higher in the second year after potatoes than in the adjacent pasture. This relatively rapid recovery, following substantial soil disturbance, may have been associated with the increased pH with lime added to the cropped paddocks.
Earthworms are probably the most important members of the soil biota. Although they are not numerically dominant in soils, their large size makes them one of the major contributors to total biomass, and their activities are such that they are extremely important in maintaining soil fertility in a variety of ways. Aristotle was the first to draw attention to their role in turning over the soil and he aptly called them “the intestines of the earth.” However, it was not until the late 1800s that Charles Darwin (1881), in his definitive work, “The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms,” defined the extreme importance of earthworms in breakdown of dead plant and animal matter that reaches soil and in the continued maintenance of soil structure, aeration, drainage, and fertility.
Crop-monitoring by farmer groups has been established to identify agronomic and soil factors limiting crop yields and to promote the adoption of sustainable farming practices in South Australia. The use of earthworms as a potential indicator of sustainability has been investigated with a survey of 95 paddocks sown to wheat, barley or peas, within an area of about 3500 km². Mean annual rainfall ranged from less than 350 mm to more than 500 mm, and soils varied from coarse sands through lighter loams to heavy clays.
The number of earthworms under long-term (25 years) zero tillage and conventional tillage in a dryland wheat-fallow rotation were studied. Data were collected from the fallow phase of the rotation on the same field plots in both 1992 and 1994. Earthworm abundance was determined by handsorting. The results showed that there were significantly more earthworms found under zero tillage than under conventional tillage in both 1992 and 1994. The majority of earthworms were in the 5–15 cm depth in both years. All the earthworms were identified as the endogeic species Aporrectodea caliginosa (Savigny) according to Sims and Gerard (1985). We conclude that there is a significant effect of long-term dryland tillage practices on earthworms in southern Alberta, Canada.
For 5 weeks, lettuce was supplied to the surface of three types of soil cores. In the first treatment, Lumbricus terrestris (L.) was added before the lettuce supply. The average specific growth rate of L. terrestris was 0.01 d−1 with an average feeding rate of 47 mg lettuce dw g−1 earthworm dw d−1 (2.1 mg lettuce Kjeldahl(Kj)-N g−1 earthworm dw d−1. In the second treatment, no worms were added, but the lettuce was mixed with the soil. Relative to this “Mixed control”, microbial biomass, nitrifying activity and respiration rate were significantly reduced in the presence of L. terrestris by 20, 25 and 49%, respectively. Proteolytic bacteria were significantly stimulated, but the inverse was noticed for fluorescent pseudomonads. Total plate counts, siderophore-producing bacteria and fungi were similar in both treatments. In the third treatment, no worms were added but the lettuce was left unmixed on the soil surface. The “Earthworm treatment” scored significantly higher for most values relative to this “Unmixed control”. Nutrient-enrichment processes (NEP) associated with the organic matter incorporation were distinguished from gut-associated processes (GAP) associated with the transit of soil and organic matter through the earthworm gut. It was concluded that the NEP rather than the GAP are responsible for the increased numbers of microorganisms reported in the presence of earthworms. On the other hand, the specific metabolic activity (qCO2) of the microbial biomass was decreased by 35% due to the GAP. The lower qCO2 indicated a better energy to biomass conversion and an alteration in the microbial community in favour of a higher proportion of K-strategists.
Between June 1988 and October 1989 the effect of soil compaction on abundance and biomass of active lumbricids was investigated in a longterm field experiment under spring-wheat and winter-barley. Seven plots were subjected to loads by agricultural machinery under conditions simulating three common kinds of agricultural practice and compared to an unloaded control plot (Table 1). The dominant species of the investigation area, Aporrectodea caliginosa and A. rosea (99.3% of total individual number) had their highest activity and biomass in the uncompact control plot. Lowest individual numbers were found in the extremely loaded wheel-track and the conservation tillage area. The extensive cultivation of this area began just at the start of the field experiment, so that a greater earthworm population had not had time to establish itself.In pot experiments the activity of the endogeic species A. caliginosa was investigated in tripartioned soil columns (40 cm long × 19 cm wide), each differently compact to pore volumes (pv) of 37.5, 42.5, 47.5 and 56%. A significantly higher activity, measured as the length and the number of the burrows visible from outside, was found in the lighter substrates. The volume number extent of earthworm burrows was as much as 2 times higher in the 47.5 and 56% pv columns than in the more compact 42.5 and 37.5% pv columns.
The effect of soil compaction on earthworms was investigated comparing earthworm populations in trafficked (T) and untrafficked (U) parts of three apple orchards intensively worked for 10, 15 and 20 yr. The results indicated that high traffic intensity (up to 200 passages of farm machinery per year) considerably reduced both earthworm density and biomass. The differences between T and U plots were significant (P < 0.01) except in the case of the orchard intensively worked for 15 yr in respect to biomass, and they could be attributed mainly to a reduction of juvenile worms in T plots. The community structure was also affected; epigeic species showed the decrease in proportion in T compared with U plots, while the proportion of hypogeic ones increased.
The quantitative and qualitative development of earthworm communities in ecologically managed soils under green fallow and winter rye, and with three different tillage techniques (ploughing, two-layer ploughing and layer cultivation) during a period of 4 years from 1995 to 1998 was investigated in a field study at Rommersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.Throughout the experiment earthworm communities showed a clear relationship to the different intensity of the tillage techniques. In both crops, the abundance and the fresh biomass of the total community, the dominant species (Aporrectodea caliginosa) and juvenile earthworms were significantly enhanced by layer cultivation compared with ploughing and two-layer ploughing. Species numbers rose from 4 (ploughing) to 5–6 (two-layer ploughing) and 6–7 (layer cultivation), respectively.
A microcosm experiment was designed to study the effect of the endogeic earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa (Savigny) on the C mineralization of C-14-labelled litter in the upper 10 cm of an agricultural and of a beech forest soil. The following treatments were set up for both soils: (1) control: (2) + 1 adult A. caliginosa; (3) daily mixing of the soils by hand; (4) as treatment (3) + addition of mineral N. The burrowing activity of A. caliginosa strongly stimulated C-14 mineralization. Mixing of soil and litter increased C-14 mineralization in the forest but not in the agricultural soil. The combined effect of mixing and N addition further increased C-14 mineralization in the forest soil and strongly increased it in the agricultural soil. While C-14 mineralization was still lower in treatment 4 than in treatment 2 of the beech forest soil, it was identical in those of the agricultural soil. It may thus be concluded that the effect of A. caliginosa on the mineralization of undecomposed litter in the agricultural soil is largely due to the combined effect of mixing of soil and litter and mobilization of N, while in the beech forest soil additional factors are important.
Short-term effects of actively burrowing Octolasion lacteum (ORL.) (Lumbricidae) on the microbial C and N turnover in an arable soil with a high clay content were studied in a microcosm experiment throughout a 16 day incubation. Treatments with or without amendment of winter wheat straw were compared under conditions of a moistening period after summer drought. The use of C-14 labeled straw allowed for analyzing the microbial use of different C components. Microbial biomass C, biomass N and ergosterol were only slightly affected by rewetting and not by O. lacteum in both cases. Increased values of soil microbial biomass were determined in the straw treatments even after 24 h of incubation. This extra biomass corresponded to the initial microbial colonization of the added straw. O. lacteum significantly increased CO2 production from soil organic matter and from the C-14-labeled straw. Higher release rates of C-14-CO2 were recorded shortly after insertion of earthworms. This effect remained until the end of the experiment. O. lacteum enhanced N mineralization. Earthworms significantly increased both mineral N content of soil and N leaching in the treatments without straw addition. Moreover, earthworms slightly reduced N immobilization in the treatments with straw addition. The immediate increase in microbial activity suggests that perturbation of soil is more important than substrate consumption for the effect of earthworms on C and N turnover in moistening periods after drought.
WHILE investigating the removal of leaves by earthworms from the soil surface of some apple orchards at Wisbech (Cambs.) an estimate of the population of Lumbricus terrestris was needed because it seemed to be the only species present that pulled apple leaves into its burrows. L. terrestris burrows deeply in the light, well-drained soil of the Wisbech area, and a population estimate made by removing and hand-sorting soil samples was impracticable because of the depth of the burrows into which the worms retreat when soil samples are removed. The permanganate method used by Evans and Guild1 has been shown by Svendsen2 greatly to under-estimate the population and my tests at Wisbech confirmed this.
The effects of previous cropping history (varying periods of pasture or arable management) on soil organic C and microbial biomass C content and on the size and composition of earthworm populations were investigated on a range of mixed cropping (arable in rotation with pasture) farms. Some 105 fields located at 24 different commercial farms across the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand were sampled during spring. No native megascolecid earthworms were recorded. Up to five introduced European species were identified at sample sites. Overall, about 80% of earthworms were Aporrectodea caliginosa,10% were Aporrectodea trapezoides and 5% were Lumbricus rubellus. The remaining 5% were Octolasion cyaneum and Aporrectodea rosea. All five species were found under long-term pasture. As the length of time under arable production increased, the number of species declined until, under continuous arable production, only A. caliginosa and A. trapezoides were recovered.Although soil organic C content was not greatly affected by cropping history, microbial biomass C content generally increased with time under pasture and decreased with time under arable. Earthworm numbers and biomass showed a similar but more pronounced trend to that of microbial biomass. This trend is reflected in the increased organic matter inputs under pasture and decreased inputs and increased decomposition under arable. In mixed cropping rotations, earthworm populations varied greatly with cropping history. Populations reached their maximum (over 800 m−2) after about 3 years under pasture whilst with more than 3 years under arable they were less than 400 m−2. With continuous arable production for more than 9 years, populations fell to below 100 m−2. Similar trends were found for earthworm biomass.
In a long-term field trial in northwestern Switzerland, the effects of organic and conventional land-use management on earthworm populations and on soil erodibility were investigated. A silt loam soil which had developed in deep deposits of alluvial loess characterised the study site. Three methods were applied to analyse soil erodibility, at three different periods between autumn 1992 and 1993: aggregate stability (measured in the laboratory by a high energy rainfall simulation and by percolation) and soil particle detachment (measured in the field by splash erosion). Earthworm biomass and density, as well as the population diversity, were significantly greater on the organic plots than on the conventional plots. Likewise, the aggregate stability of the organic plots, when determined by means of percolation, was significantly better. Therefore, erosion susceptibility is greater on plots farmed conventionally. On the other hand, splash erosion monitoring and simulated rainfall experiments only partially highlight differences in erodibility between the two main land-management methods. Future comparisons between the farming systems should also include farmer managed fields with greater differentiation in crop rotations and cultural practices like tillage, fertilisation and pesticide use.
Sanborn Field, an agricultural demonstration field at the University of Missouri-Columbia, has over 100 years of cropping histories and management practices implemented at this site. We examined the effect of these cropping systems and management practices on earthworm populations and microbial activity. A field experiment was conducted to characterize and quantify earthworms and to determine the microbial activity in the same selected plots. We sampled 14 plots at the site, six of which were the original plots established in 1888 with the same cropping histories and management, and eight of which had been modified over the years to accommodate changing farmer needs and scientific questions. Earthworms and soil samples were collected in the spring and fall of 1999. Aporrectodea trapezoides, Aporrectodea caliginosa, and Lumbricus terrestris were the dominant species found in this field. Lumbricus terrestris was commonly associated with the no-tillage plot at Sanborn Field. Due partly to soil moisture conditions, most of the species were found and identified during the spring. Microbial activity, as expected, was greatest during the spring. Manure, no-tillage and crop rotations that include legumes had the greatest earthworm abundance and microbial activity. In general, where no fertility treatments were added to soil or where food sources were lacking, earthworm abundance decreased significantly. The abundance of earthworms found in this field reflected the cropping history and management practices used recently and within the last 100 years. In most cases, microbial activity showed similar trends as earthworm density. However, some dynamic microbial transformations, like nitrification, do not always follow the same trend as potential soil quality biotic indicators. Earthworms, along with microbial activity, may serve as useful soil quality indicators in sustained and short-term field trials.
In an experiment with lettuce supplied as a C and N source, three types of treatments were carried out. In the first treatment, Lumbricus terrestris was added prior to the lettuce which was supplied on the surface. The average specific growth rate of L. terrestris was 0.01 d−1 for an average feeding rate of 47 mg lettuce dry wt g−1 earthworm dry wt d−1. No worms were added in the second treatment, but the lettuce was manually mixed with the soil. Relative to this “mixed control”, microbial biomass, nitrifying activity and respiration rate were significantly reduced in the presence of L. terrestris by 20, 25 and 49%, respectively. Similarly, in the worm-worked soil, the NO3− concentration was decreased by 25%, while dry matter production and N content of spinach plants were reduced by 6 and 19%, respectively. Analysis of N uptake in plants and initial mineral N concentration in soils revealed that the lower plant growth was caused by the lower availability of N. In contrast with the effect on the NO3− concentration, the availability of PO43− (6%) and the elements Mg (5%), Ca (4%), Fe (6%), Mn (12%) and Cu (6%) was increased in the soil in the presence of earthworms. These differences were significant only for Mn and Cu. No differences were found for the elements K and Zn. In the third treatment, no worms were added but the lettuce was left unmixed on the soil surface. Relative to this “unmixed control”, the “earthworm treatment” always scored higher values, except for microbial biomass and nitrifying activity, which were unchanged. In the presence of L. terrestris, two processes occur at the same time: the nutrient enrichment processes (NEP) due to the incorporation of organic matter in the soil and the gut-associated processes (GAP) due to the transit of soil and organic matter through the gut of the earthworm. Based on this experimental set-up, it was concluded that the GAP decreased microbial biomass and microbial activity as well as NO3− concentration in soil and N content of the crop. On the other hand when the NEP was also taken into account, all of these effects were counteracted, mostly yielding an increase in the presence of L. terrestris.
The interactive effects of two functionally different earthworm species (Aporrectodea caliginosa (endogeic species) and Lumbricus rubellus (epigeic species)) on the incorporation of fresh residue into large macroaggregates and formation of microaggregates within these large macroaggregates were investigated during a short-term laboratory experiment using 13C-labelled sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) residues. Soil was collected from a long-term no-tillage agricultural field, crushed through a 250-μm sieve and incubated under laboratory conditions. The following earthworm treatments were applied: (i) soil+13C-labelled residue+A. caliginosa; (ii) soil+13C-labelled residue+L. rubellus; (iii) soil+13C-labelled residue+A. caliginosa+L. rubellus and; (iv) soil+13C-labelled residue. Two residue placement treatments (i.e. surface and incorporated) were superimposed on the earthworm treatments. Earthworms were added after 8 days of incubation. Aggregate size distribution and total C and 13C were measured after 22 days. Microaggregates, fine inter-microaggregate particulate organic matter (inter-POM) and intra-microaggregate POM (intra-POM) were isolated from macroaggregates. Earthworms had a greater stimulating effect on the formation of large macroaggregates (>2000 μm) and microaggregates within large macroaggregates when residue was incorporated in the soil, especially in the presence of A. caliginosa. When residue was placed on the surface, residue-derived intra-POM C was highest when L. rubellus was present and significantly lower in the presence of A. caliginosa. Residue-derived inter-POM C was highest when a mix of both species was present. These results indicate that earthworm species differentially affect incorporation of fresh organic matter into stable microaggregates within macroaggregates, and that interactive effects of earthworm species might have important consequences for the incorporation and protection of C inside of microaggregates within macroaggregates especially when residues are placed on the soil surface.
Earthworms often play an important role in maintaining or improving soil physical conditions, and earthworm populations often increase under reduced tillage systems. The objective of our study was to determine earthworm populations and species distributions under long-term no-till vs conventional tillage on a variety of soil types in the states of Indiana and Illinois, U.S.A. Fourteen paired sites were located on farmers' fields. Each paired site consisted of a no-till and conventional tillage field on the same soil type, located as close together as possible. Fields were in corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max) rotation, and earthworm counts were made in the spring following a soybean crop. Populations of shallow-dwelling earthworms (endogees) ranged from 2 to 343 earthworms per m−2. Of the 14 paired sites, eight sites had higher earthworm populations in no-till than conventional, four sites had roughly equal populations in both systems, and two sites had slightly lower populations in no-till than conventional. At most sites, shallow-dwelling species were dominated by Apporectodea tuberculata and A. trapezoides. Some of the sites also had significant populations of Lumbricus rubellus. The presence or absence of significant L. terrestris populations was noted by observing middens. Nine no-till and three conventional sites showed significant activity of L. terrestris. Implications for tillage management and the need for additional applied research are discussed.
The earthworm community in El Molar (Madrid) is studied, and its distribution patterns and relation with some soil factors are described by using geostatistic and multivariate tools. Six species were found, Hormogaster elisae, Allolobophora rosea and Allolobophora caliginosa being the three most abundant ones. These species exhibited a clumped distribution. The most dominant species, H. elisae, was distributed in patches of an average size of 45 m in spring and more than 100 m in autumn. A. rosea was aggregated in patches of an average size of 22 m and A. caliginosa formed patches of an average size of 38 m. There seemed to be a positive correlation between the abundance of H. elisae and the percentage of total and coarse sands, as well as a negative correlation with clay, nitrogen, carbon and coarse loams contents, opposite to what was observed for A. rosea.
Earthworms influence a wide range of soil properties. They are affected by practices that perturb the soil or change organic inputs. This study compared populations in UK organic and conventional rotations differing in such practices. Three farm pairs, ranging from stockless to arable-grassland systems, were sampled on three occasions in each of two crop years. Additional farm pairs were sampled on a single occasion. Nine common earthworm species were grouped into three classes based on the depth ranges from which they were recovered. Cast and soil samples were taken from leys to compare aggregate stability, organic and nutrient content, and microbial biomass. For similar rotation stages, populations of surface and shallow species classes were often larger in organic systems. In some comparisons the reverse was the case, particularly as the proportion of ley within each pair increased. System differences in biomass, but not abundance, could be attributed to the proportion of leys in rotations; individual earthworm weights were larger in conventional systems. Casts from both systems had markedly higher organic contents, stability, available P and K concentrations, and microbial biomass than underlying soil. This trend was more pronounced in conventional sites for nutrients and microbial biomass. Differences in populations and cast properties may have implications for soil fertility and wider ecosystem function. MAFF OF0117T
Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Göttingen, 1999.
Auswirkungen landwirtschaftlicher Bearbei-tungsverfahren auf die Meso und Makrofauna des Bodens In: Bodenorganismen und Bodenschutz e Fla ¨chenstillegung und Extensivierung in der Landwirtschaft
- W So
W. So ¨chtig, Auswirkungen landwirtschaftlicher Bearbei-tungsverfahren auf die Meso und Makrofauna des Bodens. In: Bodenorganismen und Bodenschutz e Fla ¨chenstillegung und Extensivierung in der Landwirtschaft. Berichte der Norddeutschen Naturschutzakademie (NNA), Heft 2 (1990) 69e72.
Auswirkungen landwirtschaftlicher Bearbei-tungsverfahren auf die Meso und Makrofauna des Bodens
- W Sö
W. Sö, Auswirkungen landwirtschaftlicher Bearbei-tungsverfahren auf die Meso und Makrofauna des Bodens.
Einfluss o ¨kologischer Bewirtschaftung und verschiedener Kul-turen auf die Regenwurmfauna [Influence of organic production and different crops on the erthworm fauna
- D Dubois
- W Jossi
- L Pfiffner
- R Tschachtli
- U Zihlmann
D. Dubois, W. Jossi, L. Pfiffner, R. Tschachtli, U. Zihlmann, Einfluss o ¨kologischer Bewirtschaftung und verschiedener Kul-turen auf die Regenwurmfauna [Influence of organic production and different crops on the erthworm fauna], in: B. Freyer (Ed.), Beiträ zur 7. Wissenschaftstagung zum o ¨kologischen Land-bau, O ¨ kologischer Landbau der Zukunft, Wien, 2003, pp. 445e446.
Consequences of earthworms in agricultural soils: aggregation and porosity
- Edwards
W.M. Edwards, M.J. Shipitalo, Consequences of earthworms in agricultural soils: aggregation and porosity, in: C.A. Edwards (Ed.), Earthworm Ecology, St. Lucie, Boca Raton, 1998, pp. 147e161.
Soil organisms and sustainable pro-ductivity, Australian
- K E Lee
- C E Pankhurst
- M Metzke
K.E. Lee, C.E. Pankhurst, Soil organisms and sustainable pro-ductivity, Australian. Journal of Soil Research 30 (1992) 855e892. S214 M. Metzke et al. / European Journal of Soil Biology 43 (2007) S209eS215
Earthworms in agroecosystems: a summary of current research
- Hendrix
P.F. Hendrix, Earthworms in agroecosystems: a summary of current research, in: C.A. Edwards (Ed.), Earthworm Ecology, Soil and Water Conservation Society, St. Lucie Press, Boca Raton, 1998, pp. 259e269.
Ein-fluss reduzierter Bodenbearbeitung auf Ertragsbildung, Un-krautdynamik und Regenwurmpopulationen im O ¨ kologischen Landbau [The impact of reduced tillage on yields, weeds and earthworms in Organic Farming
- C Pekrun
- N Schneider
- C Wü
- F Jauss
- W Claupein
C. Pekrun, N. Schneider, C. Wü, F. Jauss, W. Claupein, Ein-fluss reduzierter Bodenbearbeitung auf Ertragsbildung, Un-krautdynamik und Regenwurmpopulationen im O ¨ kologischen Landbau [The impact of reduced tillage on yields, weeds and earthworms in Organic Farming], Beitrag prä bei der Konferenz: 7. Wissenschaftstagung zum O ¨ kologischen Land-bau, O ¨ kologischer Landbau der Zukunft, Wien, 2003, 21e24.
Life in a complex community: func-tional interactions between earthworms, organic matter, microor-ganisms, and plant growth
- B M Doube
- G G Brown
B.M. Doube, G.G. Brown, Life in a complex community: func-tional interactions between earthworms, organic matter, microor-ganisms, and plant growth, in: C.A. Edwards (Ed.), Earthworm Ecology, St. Lucie, Boca Raton, 1998, pp. 179e211.
Regenwurmgesellschaften in Ackerböden des integrierten Landbaus e Aspekte von Bodenschutzund Wasserschutzmaßnahmen, Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für O ¨ kologie
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