Dynamics of earthworm species at different depths of orchard soil receiving organic or chemical fertilizer amendments

Year 2018, Volume: 7 Issue: 4, 318 - 325, 01.10.2018

Mojtaba Yahyaabadi Amir Hossein Hamidian Sohrab Ashrafi

https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.454506

Cited By: 2

Abstract

We
investigated the dynamics of different earthworm species through the soil
profile, which had received short-term amendments of either organic or
inorganic fertilizer in an orchard during the spring of 2016. Earthworm
populations were sampled at two consecutive depths of soil on 20 and 60 days
after addition of fertilizers. The dominant earthworm species were Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826), Dendrobaena veneta (Rosa, 1886), Dendrobaena hortensis (Michaelsen,
1890), Lumbricus terrestris
(Linnaeus, 1758) and Aporrectodea longa
(Ude, 1885). Seven different types of fertilizers including Urea, Ammonium
sulfate (AS), Diammonium phosphate (DAP), Solupotas, NPK (15-5-25), (NPK+OM)
and organic manure (OM) as experimental treatments were studied. Fluctuations
in earthworm numbers and biomass were attributed to changes in time and depth
of sampling, in addition to the types of fertilizers. The results of the means
comparison showed that on the 20th day, at 0-20 cm soil depth, E. fetida species abundance was
decreased significantly in AS and Urea treatments compared to the control plot
(p˂0.05). We highlighted that from epigeic group, D. hortensis species had a better chance to survive and its
population in AS treatment was more than that of Urea treatment. Results also
showed that the anecic L. terrestris,
had a greater tolerance to chemical fertilizers compared to the A. Longa species. The results of this
study outline more clear horizons in managing the use of chemical fertilizers
while simultaneously maintaining the biodiversity of soil organisms.

Keywords

Chemical fertilizer, organic fertilizer, earthworm species, abundance, biomass

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