JOURNAL of Soil Biology and Ecology

Do the subterranean termite Odontotermes horni  alter the micronutrient status of different host plants? 

Author: N. G. KUMAR

Abstract :

 The study investigated the effects of O.horni foraging on various organic litters such as maize straw, finger millet straw, cattle dung, farm waste, grass, silver oak leaves, eucalyptus leaves and bark, and the replaced soils. The results show that the earthen sheetings of O.horni contained significantly less exchangeable Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu contents than the various organic litters. Variations in the exchangeable Na, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu content were also observed among the earthen sheetings of the different organic litters. Additionally, these earthen sheetings contained slightly higher nutrient content than the surrounding subsoils. 

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