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Effects of Soil Management on Soil Organisms

Effects of Soil Management on Soil Organisms. Mary Barbercheck Dept. of Entomology Penn State University . In 1 teaspoon of agricultural soil there are…. Elliot & Coleman. 1988. Ecol. Bull. 39: 23-32. Some Goals of Soil Management. Manage system for productivity and beneficial processes

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Effects of Soil Management on Soil Organisms

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  1. Effects of Soil Management on Soil Organisms Mary Barbercheck Dept. of Entomology Penn State University

  2. In 1 teaspoon of agricultural soil there are…

  3. Elliot & Coleman. 1988. Ecol. Bull. 39: 23-32

  4. Some Goals of Soil Management • Manage system for productivity and beneficial processes • Improvement in abiotic and biotic properties of soil • Improvement of plant health • Conservation of beneficial organisms • Suppression of pests

  5. Crop Rotations Know Your Pest Above-Ground Diversity to Favor Beneficials Reduce Pest Habitat Provide Beneficial Habitat Minimal Pesticide Use Pest and Disease Suppression Healthy Plants! Healthy Soil Add Organic Matter Crop Rotations Minimize Tillage to Conserve OM Below-Ground Diversity Minimal Use of Synthetic Pesticides & Fertilizers

  6. Effects of Agricultural Management on Soil Arthropods • Densities are much lower than in unmanaged systems, regardless of level and types of inputs • Favors bacteria over fungi • Soil arthropods tend to consume fungi Energy Pyramid (After Moldenke, 2002)

  7. Implication of Bacterial Dominance in SoilTypical Ratio B:F >10:1 Bacterial-based Fungal-based (After Moldenke, 2002)

  8. Some Factors Affected by Tillage • Soil Moisture • Soil Temperature • Range of Temperature and Moisture Fluctuations • Surface Residue • Soil Fauna Abundance and Diversity • Plant Diversity • Favors Bacteria > Fungi

  9. Tillage Effects on Soil Arthropod Abundance & Diversity in Corn Goldsboro, NC • Richness: No. of taxa • Simpson’s: probability that 2 species selected at random will be the same; 0 to 1; diversity decreases as index increases • Shannon’s: uncertainty in predicting identity of organism chosen at random; equals zero when only 1 species present • Evenness: 1=all taxa in similar numbers, as approach 0, divergence from evenness, some taxa more dominant

  10. Effects of Tillage on Entomopathogenic Nematodes in Maize S. carpocapsae S. riobrave H. bacteriophora Millar & Barbercheck, 2002

  11. Effects of Tillage and Cover Crops on Pest & Beneficial Arthropods in SoilPeachy et al. 2002. Applied Soil Ecology 21: 59-70

  12. Effects of Cover Crop Rye Managementin Reduced Tillage CornClark et al. 1993. J. Entomol. Sci. 28: 404-416 a ab bc c

  13. Effects of Cover Crop Rye Managementin Reduced Tillage CornClark et al. 1993. J. Entomol. Sci. 28: 404-416 a a a a a a ab b b b b b

  14. Effect of Organic & Mineral Fertilizers in AlfalfaFratello et al. 1989. Agric. Ecosyst. Envt. 27: 227-239

  15. Effect of Compost Type on Microbial Biomass N and Soil ArthropodsGunadi et al. 2002. Eur. J. Soil Biol. 38:161-165 Vermicomposts Trophic Groups 2 4 6 7

  16. Systems Experiment 1999-2002Microarthropods Cumulative Average Barbercheck, unpubl.

  17. Systems Experiment 1999-2002EPN & EPF Cumulative Average Barbercheck, unpubl.

  18. BMP for Management of Soil Organisms • Systems effects can arise from very complex direct and indirect interactions • Minimize compaction • Provide continuous energy (e.g., cover crops) • Reduce tillage to favor fungal-based food webs • Provide refuges for mobile predators • Rotate crops to reduce pest organisms • Reduce use of biocides Cosmochthonius (Oribatida) D. Walter

  19. Web Resources • Soil Biodiversity Portal www.fao.org/ag/AGL/agll/soilbiod/default.htm • Soil Biology Primer http://www.swcs.org • USDA Soil Quality Institute http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/ • Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areashttp://www.attra.org/ • Earthworms: The agriculturist’s friend http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/publications/eap6.htm

  20. The End Photo by M. Greenwood

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