![Sample our Environment & Agriculture journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5934/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Environment-Agriculture.jpg"})
Abstract
Soil invertebrates have limited defences against moisture stress but little is understood of how irrigation influences their community. This paper investigates the influence of five summer irrigation schedules on earthworms over a 15-month period in a long-term pasture irrigation study. The influence of the two extreme rates of irrigation on other soil invertebrates was also examined. The effects of frequent drought periods under dryland pasture favoured small and short-lived nematodes and oribatids. During wetter months, earthworm abundances were similar between dryland and irrigated treatments, while earthworms tended to migrate down the soil profile and aestivate in response to soil water deficits during summer. The higher abundance of earthworms in the summer months under irrigation may partly explain the lower soil carbon found under irrigation, due to enhanced rates of soil organic matter turnover, despite higher primary production and inputs of carbon. It is thus important to consider irrigation schedules not only to optimise plant growth, but also to optimise the invertebrate community and its activity.
Keywords:
Acknowledgements
We are sincerely grateful to all past and present staff of Winchmore Research Station for initiating and maintaining the long-term irrigation trial at Winchmore and for allowing us access to the site. We are also very grateful to GW Yeates, MJ Hedley, R Gray, P Budding and S Lambie for their assistance. The projects were funded by the FRST contracts CO2XO405 and C02X0812 and an AGMARDT Doctoral Scholarship.
