Effect of Soil Physical State on the Earthworms in Hungary

Abstract

Hungarian authors have long been discussing the role of earthworms in improving soil productivity. Earthworm counts in our higher quality soils are similar to those found in soils where more attention is paid to earthworm activity. Negative impacts that are independent of farming—such as sustained dry spells in the summer—also affect earthworm counts. Negative impacts that definitely depend on farming include land use causing soil moisture loss, deep stubble treatment leaving the soil without cover, and ploughing in the summer without subsequent pressing. The climate change is having both positive and negative impacts. Weather patterns are causing losses but adopting climate mitigating tillage are generating benefits. In the trials results so far show that tillage focusing on preserving soil moisture, structure, and organic materials, covering the surface in the critical months as well as adequate soil loosening are fundamental pre-requisites for making the soil a favourable habitat for earthworms.

Earthworm community and soil microstructure changes with long-term organic fertilization

“…Earthworms significantly contribute to many of the ecosystem services provided by the soil, but they are also indicators of unknown but harmful soil components. The analysis of earthworm roles, apart from abundance and diversity of species, must include their activity (Birkas et al 2010) through the evaluation of soil bioturbation (soil microstructure description) in order to properly assess the impact of a long term use of wastes as fertilizers, as it is proved in our conditions. Our results support the recent trend towards integrative approaches in soil health assessment combining qualitative and quantitative tools (Pirón et al 2017;Bünemann et al 2018).…”

Conventional tillage decreases the abundance and biomass of earthworms and alters their community structure in a global meta‐analysis

“…When results from the same experiment were reported in different papers by the same or different authors, the most complete source of information, containing the longest investigated period, was selected (e.g. Hendrix, Muller, Bruce, Langdale, & Parmelee, and Parmelee et al., ; Eichhorn & Tebrügge, and Henke, ; Söchtig, and Söchtig & Larink, ; Radford, Key, Robertson, & Thomas, and Wilson‐Rummenie, Radford, Robertson, Simpson, & Bell, ; Jordan, Gantzer, et al., ; Jordan, Stecker, et al., ; Potthoff, and Potthoff & Beese, ; Emmerling, and Webber & Emmerling, ; Fortune, Kennedy, Mitchell, & Dunne, and Fortune et al., ; and Kennedy, Connery, Fortune, Forristal, & Grant, ; Riley, Pommeresche, Eltun, Hansen, & Korsaeth, and Pommeresche & Loes, ; László, and Birkas, Bottlik, Stingli, Gyuricza, & Jolánkai, ; Joschko et al., , ; Severon, Joschko, Barkusky, & Graefe, and Schirrmann et al., ). Similarly, if two papers reported results from the same experiment, but with sampling being performed in different seasons of the same year(s) or two consecutive years, the results from those samplings were averaged to produce one record for each experimental site (e.g.…”

“…Common terminology for reduced tillage treatments used in the literature Fortune, Dunne, 2003 andFortune et al, 2005;and Kennedy, Connery, Fortune, Forristal, & Grant, 2013;Korsaeth, 2008 andLoes, 2009;L aszl o, 2007 andBirkas, Bottlik, Stingli, Gyuricza, &Jol ankai, 2010;Joschko et al, 2009Joschko et al, , 2012Severon, Joschko, Barkusky, &Graefe, 2012 andSchirrmann et al, 2016).…”

Effect of earthworms on soil physico-hydraulic and chemical properties, herbage production, and wheat growth on arable land converted to ley

“…Qualitative observations made whilst measuring K indicate that although earthworm casts were found on the surface of the DeF+E monoliths in summer and autumn 2017 these were at a relatively low density compared to spring 2018. Earthworm activity typically reduces in the summer months (Birkas et al, 2010) and the higher than average temperatures during the summer of 2017 may have reduced earthworm populations in the DeF+E monoliths further, which may explain the non-significant differences between the DeF+E and DeF treatments.…”