JOURNAL of Soil Biology and Ecology

The influence of Bt cotton varieties litter and squares on the abundance of soil mesofauna and acarids.

Author: 

N.G. KUMAR, P. NIRMALA, T.G. AVINASH AND SALEEM SAKHIDAD

Abstract:

The current field experiment investigated the impact of four BGII Bt cotton varieties (Mahadev BGII, MRC-6918 BGII, MRC-7351 BGII, and Sumo BGII) and one Non-Bt variety (Suraj) on the soil mesofauna, with a particular focus on soil Acari, in an undisturbed natural grassland ecosystem. The preferences exhibited by soil and litter mesofauna for various Bt cotton varieties demonstrated notable variability. The average abundance of soil mesofauna ranged from 299.33 (Sumo Bt squares) to 4948.67 (MRC-7351 Bt litter) mesofauna per 100 grams. The population of cryptostigmatid Acari varied from 4.33 (Sumo Bt squares) to 4922.67 (MRC-7351 Bt litter) cryptostigmatids per 100 grams. In contrast, mesostigmatid Acari were recorded from 0.00 (Sumo Bt squares) to 8.00 (MRC-7351 Bt litter) per 100 grams, while the abundance of Astigmatids ranged from 0.00 (Sumo Bt squares) to 93.33 (silver oak litter) astigmatids per 100 grams. Overall, soil Acari dominated the soil mesofauna, comprising over 94 percent of the total population, with cryptostigmatids being the most prevalent among the Acari. Notably, the Sumo BGII Bt variety was the least favored by both soil mesofauna and Acari.

Key words: BG II Bt cotton, Cryptostigmata,  Litter and soil mesofauna, Mesostigmata ,Non-Bt     cotton

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