Biomass and density of annelids and myriapods as quality indicators of a soilaffected by tillage and mulching

Abstract

With the objective of verifying the hypothesis that annelids and myriapods can be used to evaluate soil quality, an experiment was set up in which the soil surface of the area was covered with mulch dry matter at the rates of 0, 3.0, 3.6, and 4.6 Mg ha^- and submitted to two soil management systems : mobilized and non-mobilized. In the first year, cotton, and, in the second, corn were sown between pigeon pea rows. Annelids and myriapods were collected. Cotton plants were evaluated by means of the leaf area index and the estimated growth rate and corn had its grain yield determined. The alterations of soil quality affected more severely the cotton plant than the characteristics of annelids and myriapods. The density and biomass of annelids and myriapods increased with the reiteration of mulching and no tillage. The results of this work support the including of annelids and myriapods in medium and long run evaluations of tropical agronomical systems. Additional keywords: Alfisol; soil fauna; no-tillage, soil indicators.