JOURNAL of Soil Biology and Ecology

Impact of soil microbial biomass carbon on the activity of soil mesofauna in baby corn ecosystem

Authors: C.R. ABHILASHA AND N.G. KUMAR

Abstract:

Soil mesofauna, along with microbial biomass carbon, plays an invaluable role in the maintenance of biological, chemical and physical characteristics of the soil ecosystem and alters the physicochemical properties of the soil. With this concept, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the varying doses of farmyard manure on soil mesofauna at GKVK, Bengaluru, in an eight years old experiment plot. The results revealed that higher abundance of soil mesofauna with 20 tons of FYM ha-1 compared to the treatments as per package of practices (POP) and with inorganic fertilizers alone. The plots treated with 20 t of recommended FYM + native fauna recorded significantly higher soil microbial biomass C content than recommended fertilizer alone. The soil mesofauna, Cryptostigmata, other acari, total acari, Collembola and other soil invertebrates exhibited a significant positive relation with soil microbial biomass carbon

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