Garima and Namita Joshi
Abstract
Earthworms are one of the major macrofauna of the soil ecosystem. They help in improving soil fertility by their activities and maintaining the biogeochemical cycles of soil. They are often called as âfriends of farmersâ as their presence makes the soil environment more hospitable for crops and other floral communities. Earthworm population and diversity depend on various edaphic and climatic factors. Among them, soil physico-chemical properties play a crucial role. The Present study was conducted in the Gohana region of Haryana to find out the earthworm diversity and factors that can impact the earthworm density. Three different fields, mix crop field (site 1), sugarcane field (site 2) and java plum garden (site 3) were selected for the study. Soil physicochemical properties, viz., temperature, moisture, bulk density, water holding capacity, pH, carbon, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium were analyzed on a monthly basis from November 2021 to October 2023 and earthworm density and diversity was measured during the rainy season of the year 2022 and 2023. Only three species were reported in the fields, out of which two species, Metaphire posthuma and Lampito mauritii were reported in all fields and Eutyphous incommodus was recorded only at site 3. Pearson correlation was applied using t-test and the results indicated that annual average Nitrogen values have a positive correlation with earthworm density (p<0.025). The correlation of earthworm densities across all fields with the coefficient of variation indicated that temperature negatively impacts the earthworm density (p<0.05). The study also indicated that an undisturbed environment is better suitable for earthworms as maximum earthworm density was observed at site 3. It also indicated that field management practices such as tillage and the use of pesticides and fertilizer may have an impact on the earthworm population.