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Windbreaks are among the most widespread agroforestry systems in the temperate biome. Tree windbreaks are expected to have unique soil properties and biotic communities, compared to adjacent agricultural fields. We compared key soil properties and communities of earthworms, bacteria and fungi along an agricultural transect through a tree windbreak into a cropped field. Soil properties, earthworm abundance and diversity, and bacterial and fungal alpha-diversity (16S-rRNA and ITS gene sequencing) were assessed along transects at distances of 0 (directly under the tree canopy), 8 (ecotone in the cropped field) and 50 m from the tree row in six mature (20- to 70-years-old) tree windbreaks located in southeastern Québec, Canada. Soil organic C, total N and C:N ratio were higher, while soil pH was lower in the tree row than in the adjacent cropped fields at distances of 8 m and 50 m from the windbreak. Each group of biota had a distinct pattern along the agricultural transect. Earthworm abundance and biomass were greater at 50 m than 8 m from the windbreak. Epigeic, endogeic, and anecic earthworms varied similarly along the agricultural transect. Fungal diversity was higher at 8 m than at 0 m from the windbreak. Bacterial diversity was higher at 50 m than at 0 m from the windbreak. Tree windbreaks made the soil environment in the ecotone more favorable for fungal communities, but less favorable for earthworm communities. Greater bacterial diversity was associated with agricultural activities than windbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paddy is one of the most important food crops in India. In Tripura of north east India, paddy covers 78–90% of cultivable areas with hydromorphic clay-rich acidic soils. As earthworms have important role in above-ground crop production, the present study deals with the earthworm communities in the soils of wet land paddy agro-ecosystem of West Tripura (India). The study was conducted during May 2015 to August 2017. Earthworms were collected from the paddy fields by TBSF monolith (25 × 25 × 30 cm) digging and hand sorting method. Temperature, moisture, pH and organic matters were estimated from 0 to 15 cm depth soils. Biological parameters such as density, biomass, relative abundance and ecological parameters such as indices of diversity, dominance etc. were measured. A total of 7 earthworm species belonging to 4 families and 5 genera were recorded: [Almidae Glyphidrilus sp. (near to gangeticus)], Moniligastridae (Drawida assamensis, Drawida papillifer papillifer and Drawida sp.), Megascolecidae (Metaphire houlleti, Perionyx excavatus) and Glossoscolecidae (Pontoscolex corethrurus). The average density and biomass of earthworms in the paddy plantations were 163 ind. m−2 and 56 g m−2 respectively. Diversity and dominance indices of earthworms of paddy plantations were 0.46 and 0.60 respectively. Glyphidrilus sp. contributed more than 50% biomass and density of earthworm community and probably had a great role in paddy production due to enormous deposition of casts ('cast hills') in the rhizosphere zone of paddy plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthworm survey was conducted across Bidar district that contains solidified lava and forms the part of Deccan trap of Hyderabad–Karnataka Region. Earthworm samples along with their habitat soil were collected by digging and hand sorting method from the selected spots like gutter, garbage, near bore well, near tap, garden, pasture, drainage system and fields. Ten different species of earthworms were identified viz., Eudrilus eugeniae of the family EUDRILIDAE; Lampito mauritii and Perionyx sansibaricus of the family MEGASCOLECIDAE; Dichogaster bolaui, D. modiglianii, Eudichogaster ashworthi, E. prashadi, E. poonensis, Octochaetona beatrix and O. paliensis of the family OCTOCHAETIDAE. Among these the genus Eudichogaster is found to be the most dominant and widely distributed earthworm in Bidar district. Eudichogaster poonensis is reported for the first time from South India. Soil chemical characteristics of their habitat were pH 6.7–8, electrical conductivity (EC) 0.28–1.16 mohs/cm, organic carbon (OC) 0.75–3.54%, nitrogen (N) 25.2–118 kg/acre, phosphorous (P) 6.6–48.8 kg/acre and potassium (K) 79–354 kg/acre. Earthworms inhabiting in the laterite soil showed wider range in the soil chemical characteristics, pH ranged from slightly acidic to alkaline; whereas earthworms inhabiting in regur soil of this region showed narrow range in the soil chemical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess how soil organic C (SOC) stocks and earthworm communities were modified in agroforestry systems compared to treeless control plots and within the agroforestry plots (tree rows vs alleys). We used a network of 13 silvoarable agroforestry sites in France along a north/south gradient. Total earthworm abundance and biomass were significantly higher in the tree rows than those in the control plots, but were not modified in the alleys compared to those in the control plots. Earthworm species richness, Shannon index, and species evenness were significantly higher in the tree rows than those in the alleys. Total abundance of epigeic, epi-anecic, strict anecic, and endogeic was higher in the tree rows. Surprisingly, earthworm individual weight was significantly lower in the tree rows than that in the alleys and in the control plots. SOC stocks were significantly higher in the tree rows compared to that in the control plots across all sites. Despite higher SOC stocks in the tree rows, the amount of available C per earthworm individual was lower compared to those in the control. The absence of disturbance (no tillage, no fertilizers, no pesticides) in the tree rows rather than increased SOC stocks therefore seems to be the main factor explaining the increased total abundance, biomass, and diversity of earthworms. The observed differences in earthworm communities between tree rows and alleys may lead to modified and spatially structured SOC dynamics within agroforestry plots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study revealed the presence of 16 earthworm species belonging to 11 genera and four families viz. Megascolecidae ( Amynthus alexandri, Metaphire houlleti, Lampito mauritii, Kanchuria sp1, Perionyx excavatus), Octochaetidae ( Eutyphoeus gigas, Eutyphoeus comillahnus, Eutyphoeus orientalis, Octochaetona beatrix, Dichogaster bolaui, Lennogaster chittagongensis, Lennogaster yeicus), Moniligastridae ( Drawida papillifer papillifer, Drawida assamensis, Drawida nepalensis) and Glossoscolecidae ( Pontoscolex corethrurus) in the soils of five bamboo species [ Bambusa balcooa (Sil Barak), Melocanna baccifera (Muli), Bambusa polumorpha (Bari), Bambus cacharensis (Bom) and Bambus bambus (Katabarak)] of West-Tripura. While four earthworm species viz. Metaphire houlleti, Drawida assamensis, Drawida papillifer papillifer and Pontoscolex corethrurus were common to all species of bamboo plantations, the rest showed restricted distribution. Among the earthworm species 4 were exotic ( Amynthus alexandri, Metaphire houlleti, Dichogaster bolaui and Pontoscolex corethrurus) and the others were native to the Indian sub-continent. In general, earthworms under the bamboo plantations occurred within temperature range of 21.6 °C-28.0 °C, pH 4.0-7.0, organic matter 0.56-5.99 %, moisture 9.6-31.7 %, water holding capacity 14.6-43.9 % and bulk density 0.7-1.8 g cm. The average density and biomass of the earthworms in the studied places were 108 ind m and 44 g m respectively. Earthworm diversity, dominance and evenness indices showed the values 1.00, 0.47 and 0.70 respectively. Earthworm density and biomass showed a negative correlation with temperature whereas those had a strong positive correlation with pH, moisture and organic matter of the soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woodlands in karnataka differ with respect to earthworm species and their densities. Lampito mauriii Kinberg, Pontoscolex corethrurus Fr. Mull., and Pheretima (now, Polypheretima) elongata E Perrier are the most dominant species. Significant positive correlations were obtained between the species number, diversity and population density on one hand, and plant species number, abundance, diversity, cover and biomass on the other. A major factor for the variations in the richness of worms was accounted through vegetation-related factors. Soil organic matter had a strong influence on the worm diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]