Soil mesofauna diversity in agricultural systems of Slovenia using the QBS index and its modifications
Soil mesofauna plays a key role in maintaining soil health by supporting the decomposition of organic matter, nutrient cycling and the maintenance of soil structure. In this study of Slovenian agricultural ecosystems, we used four modifications of the QBS index, a soil biological quality index base...
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| Format: | Article |
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University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Acta Biologica Slovenica |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uni-lj.si/abs/article/view/19787 |
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| author | Vid Naglič Nataša Šibanc Tine Grebenc Irena Bertoncelj |
| author_facet | Vid Naglič Nataša Šibanc Tine Grebenc Irena Bertoncelj |
| author_sort | Vid Naglič |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Soil mesofauna plays a key role in maintaining soil health by supporting the decomposition of organic matter, nutrient cycling and the maintenance of soil structure. In this study of Slovenian agricultural ecosystems, we used four modifications of the QBS index, a soil biological quality index based on soil mesofauna. We compared diversity in arable fields under different tillage intensities, a strawberry field and an orchard, managed with either organic or integrated pest management methods (IPM). The results show significant differences in the mesofaunal communities in the soil. Minimum tillage promoted higher biodiversity, especially of Collembola, compared to conventional tillage. In fruit production systems, the ratio of Collembola to Acarina differed from that of arable fields, skewing in favour of Collembola, possibly related to the use of copper-containing pesticides in organic orchards and systemic herbicides in IPM systems. The QBS index values for soil health varied considerably between systems. Only QBS modifications considering the abundances of organisms (QBS-ab and QBS-a) were able to distinguish between different system-management groups. This study provides insights into the limitations of the originally proposed QBS-ar index to discern the effects of farming intensity on the soil mesofaunal community. Results suggest that minimum tillage and organic management practices can promote healthier soil ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of sustainable soil management for the promotion of soil biodiversity. Future research should aim to incorporate a broader range of agricultural practices and assign fauna to a higher taxonomic rank to further explain the effects on soil mesofauna diversity.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-10a5a2ee39874c50916f645889e555e9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1854-3073 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Biologica Slovenica |
| spelling | doaj-art-10a5a2ee39874c50916f645889e555e92025-01-16T08:23:40ZengUniversity of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)Acta Biologica Slovenica1854-30732025-01-0168110.14720/abs.68.01.19787Soil mesofauna diversity in agricultural systems of Slovenia using the QBS index and its modificationsVid Naglič0Nataša Šibanc1Tine Grebenc2Irena Bertoncelj3Agricultural institute of SloveniaSlovenian Forestry InstituteSlovenian forestry instituteAgricultural institute of Slovenia Soil mesofauna plays a key role in maintaining soil health by supporting the decomposition of organic matter, nutrient cycling and the maintenance of soil structure. In this study of Slovenian agricultural ecosystems, we used four modifications of the QBS index, a soil biological quality index based on soil mesofauna. We compared diversity in arable fields under different tillage intensities, a strawberry field and an orchard, managed with either organic or integrated pest management methods (IPM). The results show significant differences in the mesofaunal communities in the soil. Minimum tillage promoted higher biodiversity, especially of Collembola, compared to conventional tillage. In fruit production systems, the ratio of Collembola to Acarina differed from that of arable fields, skewing in favour of Collembola, possibly related to the use of copper-containing pesticides in organic orchards and systemic herbicides in IPM systems. The QBS index values for soil health varied considerably between systems. Only QBS modifications considering the abundances of organisms (QBS-ab and QBS-a) were able to distinguish between different system-management groups. This study provides insights into the limitations of the originally proposed QBS-ar index to discern the effects of farming intensity on the soil mesofaunal community. Results suggest that minimum tillage and organic management practices can promote healthier soil ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of sustainable soil management for the promotion of soil biodiversity. Future research should aim to incorporate a broader range of agricultural practices and assign fauna to a higher taxonomic rank to further explain the effects on soil mesofauna diversity. https://journals.uni-lj.si/abs/article/view/19787soil healthsoil microarthropodsbiodiversityagroecosystemstillage intensityorganic farming |
| spellingShingle | Vid Naglič Nataša Šibanc Tine Grebenc Irena Bertoncelj Soil mesofauna diversity in agricultural systems of Slovenia using the QBS index and its modifications Acta Biologica Slovenica soil health soil microarthropods biodiversity agroecosystems tillage intensity organic farming |
| title | Soil mesofauna diversity in agricultural systems of Slovenia using the QBS index and its modifications |
| title_full | Soil mesofauna diversity in agricultural systems of Slovenia using the QBS index and its modifications |
| title_fullStr | Soil mesofauna diversity in agricultural systems of Slovenia using the QBS index and its modifications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil mesofauna diversity in agricultural systems of Slovenia using the QBS index and its modifications |
| title_short | Soil mesofauna diversity in agricultural systems of Slovenia using the QBS index and its modifications |
| title_sort | soil mesofauna diversity in agricultural systems of slovenia using the qbs index and its modifications |
| topic | soil health soil microarthropods biodiversity agroecosystems tillage intensity organic farming |
| url | https://journals.uni-lj.si/abs/article/view/19787 |
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