Orchard floor management effect on soil free-living nematode communities
Gil Eshel A , Adrian Unc
B * , Roey Egozi A , Efrat Shakartchy C , Tirza Doniger C and Yosef Steinberger C *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Soil Erosion Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, P.O. Box 30, Beit-Dagan 50250, Israel.
B School of Science and the Environment, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Corner Brook A2H 5G4, Canada.
C The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 529002, Israel.
Soil Research 60(3) 310-319 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR21196
Submitted: 14 July 2021 Accepted: 31 August 2021 Published: 10 November 2021
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Although both plant cover and mulch are considered for erosion control in arid and semi-arid regions, they have divergent impacts on soil ecology.
Aim: We examined the effects of orchard floor management practices on the density and diversity of soil free-living nematode communities and relevant soil abiotic properties.
Methods: Soils were sampled in winter in a citrus orchard in the Sharon region of Israel from plots that for 6 years had been under (1) annual native species; or (2) Avena sativa and Vicia villosa, planted between tree rows; or (3) woodchip mulching along tree rows. There were two control sites: (4) bare soil between tree rows and (5) bare soil along the tree rows (both common practice).
Key results: Nematode communities and their trophic diversity were significantly impacted by floor management. Significant increases in soil moisture under plant cover, and higher organic matter and water-holding capacity for all covered orchard floors could be related to nematode changes. Shifts in nematode feeding group structure suggest a shift in the type and availability of soil carbon pools.
Conclusions: There was a strong association between orchard floor management and soil free-living nematode communities, indicating a shift in the soil food-web structure and functionality. Bare soil harboured fewer nematodes, but more complex communities dominated by persisters, while seeded plant cover had a greater nematode abundance dominated by coloniser communities, indicating increased availability of resources.
Implications: Results reveal the importance of integrating biological information in performance index determinations for improving soil management decisions, suggesting these relationships as sensitive bio-indicators of soil health.
Keywords: cover crops, functional diversity, mediterranean, mulching, nematodes, orchard, soil degradation, soil ecology.
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