title: [Diversity of soil fauna in corn fields in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China under effects of conservation tillage].
abstract: An investigation was made on the abundance and diversity of soil fauna in the corn fields under conventional and conservation tillage in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China. The abundance and diversity of soil fauna were higher at corn maturing (September) than at its jointing stage (July), and higher at jointing stage under conservation tillage than under conventional tillage. Soil fauna mainly distributed in surface soil layer (0-10 cm), but still had a larger number in 10-20 cm layer under conservation tillage. The individuals of acari, diptera, diplura, and microdrile oligochaetes, especially those of acari, were higher under conservation tillage than under conventional tillage. At maturing stage, an obvious effect of straw-returning under conservation tillage was observed, i. e., the more the straw returned, the higher the abundance of soil fauna, among which, the individuals of collembola, acari, coleopteran, and psocoptera, especially those of collembolan, increased significantly. The abundance of collembola at both jointing and maturing stages was significantly positively correlated with the quantity of straw returned, suggesting that collembola played an important role in straw decomposition and nutrient cycling.
authors.affiliation: Fengqiu State Experimental Station for Agro-Ecology, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China. zhuqgen@sohu.com
authors.forename: Qiang-Gen
authors.initials: QG
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: An-Ning
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jia-Bao
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Huan-Chao
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Cong-Zhi
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D001200:Ascaris / Q000254:growth & development*; D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D004175:Diptera / Q000254:growth & development; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D003313:Zea mays / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil