Diversity and Abundance of Soil Macrofauna in Wheat Fields with Low and High Input of Fertilizers

Abstract

The diversity and abundance of soil macrofauna under different plant covers can indicate the health and fertility of the soil because they are considered a rich source for improving the nutritive status of the soil through decomposition and scavenging of the organic material in the soil. The study was conducted to deal with the exploration of soil macrofauna for a period of six months extending from January through June 2022 in Faisalabad. Two locations of choice were selected where high- and low-input crop fields were present. One was from Ayub Research Institute, Faisalabad, high-input (HIP) crop fields (cultivated with intensive farming using pesticides and synthetic fertilizer), and the other from Gatti near Faisalabad, low-input (LIP) crop fields (cultivated with relatively low doses of synthetic fertilizers and mostly using organic manures) to study the diversity and abundance of soil macrofauna in wheat fields. A total of 81 specimens were picked up and identified as belonging to 12 orders, 23 families, and 41 species. Orders were Collembola (01 specimen), Diplura (01), Orthoptera (01), Dermaptera (02), Isoptera (04), Coleoptera (03), Diptera (05), Lepidoptera (03), Hymenoptera (30), Pulmonata (17), Oligochaeta (04) and Isopoda (11). Low-input crop fields showed 25 different species with 35 specimens, while high-input crop fields also showed 25 different species with 46 specimens. The Shannon-Weiner index indicated higher diversity in LIP crop fields (H= 3.04) than in HIP crop fields ( (H' = 2. while higher abundance was found in HIP crop fields. In conclusion, research on the variety and quantity of soil macrofauna in wheat fields with different fertilizer inputs is important from a socioeconomic standpoint because it has the potential to improve agricultural production, sustainability, and the general well-being of communities that depend on agriculture.