Preliminary results on the effects of different soil cover methods on the composition of nematode communities

Abstract

In an experiment lasting for five months, changes in the soil nematode community composition were followed at an organic strawberry plantation. The aim of this study was to present the preliminary results of this investigation. Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa ‘Asia’) ‘frigo’ seedlings were planted at the end of March 2019, divided into nine plots (2.5 m × 2.2 m), after which they received three types of treatment in three replicates, in a random block arrangement: organic (hay) and inorganic mulch (black geotextile) and uncovered control. Of the soil microfauna, nematode communities were studied. For their characterization, taxonomic and functional diversity indices (taxon richness, effective species number and functional dispersion index) were used, and the trophic composition of the communities and their changes were explored. Soil nematode communities were affected by both the sampling period and the soil cover. The total nematode density decreased in all cases compared to the initial value (t0, pre-planting state). The effective species number was highest in the case of the geotextile cover. Both types of mulch increased the functional diversity of the communities over the five-month period, resulting in significant differences compared to the control plots. Furthermore, significant changes in the community structure were observed by trophic groups between both sampling times and treatments, which were mainly manifested in an increase in the proportion of plant parasitic and fungal-feeding nematodes and a decrease in the proportion of bacterial-feeding and omnivorous nematodes. Although the results were not significant in all cases, they showed that soil cover helps to maintain the taxonomic and functional diversity of soil invertebrates (here, nematodes), which can contribute to the stability of the soil ecosystem and to providing an ecosystem with a positive impact on production.