Tillage treatments and earthworm distribution in a Swiss experimental corn field.
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Published source details
Wyss E. & Glasstetter M. (1992) Tillage treatments and earthworm distribution in a Swiss experimental corn field.. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 24, 1635-1639.
Published source details Wyss E. & Glasstetter M. (1992) Tillage treatments and earthworm distribution in a Swiss experimental corn field.. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 24, 1635-1639.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Undersow spring cereals, with clover for example Action Link |
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Plant more than one crop per field (intercropping) Action Link |
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Reduce tillage Action Link |
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Undersow spring cereals, with clover for example
A trial at an experimental farm in 1989 on the Swiss Plateau, Switzerland (Wyss & Glasstetter 1992) found that earthworm (Lumbricidae) abundance and biomass were higher in a maize Zea mays plot undersown with grass than in conventionally managed maize, although statistical analyses were not presented. Control and undersown plots had averages of 127 and 145 earthworms/m2 and 45 and 71 g earthworm biomass/m2, respectively. The proportion of deep-burrowing earthworms was similar with 14 and 12% of individuals in the control and undersown plots respectively. A test strip of maize 14 m-long was undersown with grass in summer and compared with a control strip of conventional maize. Earthworms were sampled by hand-sorting 0.1 m3 of soil from each test strip, to a depth of 40 cm, on six dates between April and October 1989. There was no replication.
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Plant more than one crop per field (intercropping)
A trial at an experimental farm on the Swiss Plateau, Switzerland, in 1989 (Wyss & Glasstetter 1992) found that earthworm (class: Oligochaeta) abundance but not biomass was higher in a maize Zea mays plot immediately followed by a rye grass Lolium 282 perenne crop (called a ‘catch crop’) to provide winter cover. Control and catch crop plots had averages of 127 and 111 earthworms/m2, and 45 and 64 g earthworm biomass/m2, respectively. The proportion of deep-burrowing earthworms was similar with 14 and 13% of individuals in the control and catch crop plots respectively. A test strip of maize 14 m long was sown with a rye grass catch crop in autumn, and compared with a control strip of conventional maize. Earthworms were sampled by hand-sorting 0.1 m3 of soil from each test strip, to a depth of 40 cm, on six dates between April and October 1989. There was no replication.
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Reduce tillage
A trial at an experimental farm in 1989 on the Swiss Plateau, Switzerland (Wyss & Glasstetter 1992) found that earthworm (Lumbricidae) abundance and biomass were not higher in a no-tillage plot than other plots. No-tillage and control plots had averages of 47 and 127 earthworms/m2, and 57 and 45 g earthworm biomass/m2, respectively. There was a much higher proportion of deep-burrowing earthworms in the no-tillage plot (67% of individuals, compared to 11-14% of individuals in ploughed plots), which is why there were more individual worms in the control plot. Test strips of maize Zea mays 14 m-long were either managed with no-tillage (sowing directly into undisturbed stubble) or conventionally ploughed and harrowed. The no-tillage treatment also had rye grass Lolium spp. sown after the maize. Earthworms were sampled by hand-sorting 0.1 m3 of soil from each test strip, to a depth of 40 cm, on six dates between April and October 1989. There was no replication.
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