The introduction of earthworms in tea plantaton and its effects on soil microbial community
Organic farming management is important for agricultural sustainability, but the benefits depend on the presence of soil biota. Earthworms play a vital role in the regulation of soil ecosystem services. The recovery of earthworm population and diversity may be very slow in a degraded soil system. Introduction of two earthworm species that can be artificially reared was tested through field experiment in a tea plantation. The effects of introducing single species and both species were compared. The soil microbial community was investigated through high throughput sequencing.