Tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms, termites, dung beetles and centipedes: Evidence from a long-term trial in Zambia
Macro-organisms contribute significantly to soil fertility improvement. The influence of conservation agriculture (CA) in southern Africa on their populations has not yet been fully understood. Thus, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of CA and conventional tillage on bel...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Cambridge University Press
2019
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/106621 |
| _version_ | 1855527980379406336 |
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| author | Muoni, T. Mhlanga, Blessing Forkman, J. Sitali, M. Thierfelder, Christian L. |
| author_browse | Forkman, J. Mhlanga, Blessing Muoni, T. Sitali, M. Thierfelder, Christian L. |
| author_facet | Muoni, T. Mhlanga, Blessing Forkman, J. Sitali, M. Thierfelder, Christian L. |
| author_sort | Muoni, T. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Macro-organisms contribute significantly to soil fertility improvement. The influence of conservation agriculture (CA) in southern Africa on their populations has not yet been fully understood. Thus, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of CA and conventional tillage on below ground biological activity in a CA long-term trial in Monze, Zambia from 2011 to 2013. The study had ten treatments which differed by tillage systems (conventional ploughing, planting basins and direct seeding) and crop diversification intensity (sole cropping, 2- or 3-year crop rotations) involving maize, cotton and sunn hemp. These factors were combined to create rotation-tillage (RotTill) treatments. Sampling of macrofauna was done once per year using a metal frame measuring 0.25 m2, hand-sorted to 30-cm depth. RotTill treatments had a significant effect on earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris), termites (Coptotermes formosanus), dung beetles (Scarabaeus viettei) and centipedes (Lithobius forficatus). Earthworms and termites were more abundant in CA treatments than in conventionally ploughed (CP) treatments. Biota diversity was generally higher in CA treatments than in CP controls. Conventional mouldboard ploughing generally reduced macrofauna, thus affecting biological soil fertility and the beneficial effect of the interactions of these organisms with the soil. CA treatments had the highest maize grain yields throughout the study period. Based on the results, reduced tillage systems and crop rotations increase biological activity shown by increased densities of termites and earthworms. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace106621 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publishDateRange | 2019 |
| publishDateSort | 2019 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| publisherStr | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1066212024-11-15T08:52:37Z Tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms, termites, dung beetles and centipedes: Evidence from a long-term trial in Zambia Muoni, T. Mhlanga, Blessing Forkman, J. Sitali, M. Thierfelder, Christian L. biodiversity crop rotation conservation agriculture soil biology intensification Macro-organisms contribute significantly to soil fertility improvement. The influence of conservation agriculture (CA) in southern Africa on their populations has not yet been fully understood. Thus, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of CA and conventional tillage on below ground biological activity in a CA long-term trial in Monze, Zambia from 2011 to 2013. The study had ten treatments which differed by tillage systems (conventional ploughing, planting basins and direct seeding) and crop diversification intensity (sole cropping, 2- or 3-year crop rotations) involving maize, cotton and sunn hemp. These factors were combined to create rotation-tillage (RotTill) treatments. Sampling of macrofauna was done once per year using a metal frame measuring 0.25 m2, hand-sorted to 30-cm depth. RotTill treatments had a significant effect on earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris), termites (Coptotermes formosanus), dung beetles (Scarabaeus viettei) and centipedes (Lithobius forficatus). Earthworms and termites were more abundant in CA treatments than in conventionally ploughed (CP) treatments. Biota diversity was generally higher in CA treatments than in CP controls. Conventional mouldboard ploughing generally reduced macrofauna, thus affecting biological soil fertility and the beneficial effect of the interactions of these organisms with the soil. CA treatments had the highest maize grain yields throughout the study period. Based on the results, reduced tillage systems and crop rotations increase biological activity shown by increased densities of termites and earthworms. 2019-08 2020-01-18T19:10:48Z 2020-01-18T19:10:48Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/106621 en Limited Access Cambridge University Press Muoni, T., Mhlanga, B., Forkman, J., Sitali, M. and Thierfelder, C. 2019. Tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms, termites, dung beetles and centipedes: Evidence from a long-term trial in Zambia. Journal of Agricultural Science 157(6): 504-514 |
| spellingShingle | biodiversity crop rotation conservation agriculture soil biology intensification Muoni, T. Mhlanga, Blessing Forkman, J. Sitali, M. Thierfelder, Christian L. Tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms, termites, dung beetles and centipedes: Evidence from a long-term trial in Zambia |
| title | Tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms, termites, dung beetles and centipedes: Evidence from a long-term trial in Zambia |
| title_full | Tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms, termites, dung beetles and centipedes: Evidence from a long-term trial in Zambia |
| title_fullStr | Tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms, termites, dung beetles and centipedes: Evidence from a long-term trial in Zambia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms, termites, dung beetles and centipedes: Evidence from a long-term trial in Zambia |
| title_short | Tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms, termites, dung beetles and centipedes: Evidence from a long-term trial in Zambia |
| title_sort | tillage and crop rotations enhance populations of earthworms termites dung beetles and centipedes evidence from a long term trial in zambia |
| topic | biodiversity crop rotation conservation agriculture soil biology intensification |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/106621 |
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