Response of soil–surface arthropod population densities across the 15 different soil management treatments

ABSTRACT In India, there have been very few studies to quantify the effects of soil macrofauna activity in farmland, and on the effects of farm practices on the structure and function of soil arthropod populations. Thus, the present investigation was undertaken and efforts were made to assess the response of soil–surface arthropod population densities across 15 different soil management treatments. The relative population density of soil–surface inhabiting arthropods were monitored using pitfall traps. Pitfall traps have been used often in studies examining the occurrence and activity of epigeic–invertebrates. These arthropods were sampled in each plot every month during three seasons, i.e., rainy (June to September,) post rainy (October to January) and summer (February to May) seasons. Each pitfall trap consisted of a glass jar (12 cm high with a diameter of 5 cm at the mouth), which was sunk into the ground so that its upper rim (mouth of the bottle) was flushed with the soil surface. The mean density of total arthropods were significantly low in annual treatments compared with those of the perennial ley treatments. Under the annual crop, in zero–tillage treatments, the density was low in bare amendment while it was high in rice-straw amendment. In shallow–tillage treatments, it was lower in rice–straw amendment and increased to 22 in bare amendment, In deep–tillage treatments, it was low in bare amendment, which increased to 28 in farmyard manure amendment. In perennial ley treatments, the density was low in C. ciliaris + S. hamata treatment, which reached 35 in pigeon pea + S. hamata treatment. REFERENCES Reddy, M.V., Yule , D.F., Reddy, V.R. and George, P.J. 1992. Attack on pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp.) 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