NDLI: Earthworm casts form stable aggregates in physically degraded soils

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Marashi, Abdul R. A. Scullion, John
Copyright Year	2003
Abstract	Topsoils affected by surface mining suffer severe physical degradation and lose most of their earthworm populations. After mining, replaced soils are planted to grassland and managed to improve soil structure. Earthworm inoculation into selected restored areas produced populations similar to those of undisturbed soils within 3 years. Soil properties in inoculated areas were compared with those of controls to evaluate the contribution of casts to bulk soil aggregation, and soil organic matter and root content responses to earthworm activity. Crumb porosity and coarse particle content were measured in water-stable macro-aggregates and earthworm casts to establish whether aggregates were formed by earthworms. Over a 5- to 6-year period, inoculation increased stable aggregation (>2 μm, >60 μm and >3 mm), even at 0- to 5-cm depth where it reduced soil organic matter content. Productivity and root content were also increased by inoculation; roots and organic matter were re-distributed to greater depth. Crumb porosity decreased with casts > aggregates (inoculated plots) > aggregates (control plots). Coarse particle content increased with casts < aggregates (inoculated plots) < aggregates (control plots). Coarse particle and porosity data were consistent with much of the newly aggregated soil being processed and formed by earthworms as casts. Whilst levels of soil organic matter were often closely associated with percentage stable aggregation, root content showed weaker associations. Aggregation percentage was most closely associated with abundance of Aporrectodea longa, although at particular depths significant correlations were also obtained for Aporrectodea caliginosa and Lumbricus terrestris. Results suggest that earthworms, rather than plant roots, initiate aggregation in severely degraded grassland soils.
Starting Page	375
Ending Page	380
Page Count	6
File Format	PDF
ISSN	01782762
Journal	Biology and Fertility of Soils
Volume Number	37
Issue Number	6
e-ISSN	14320789
Language	English
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
Publisher Date	2003-04-17
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Agronomy and Crop Science Soil Science Microbiology

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