Short-term effects of different tillage in a sustainable farming system on nematode community structure

This study investigated the effects of different tillage practices on the nematode community structure. The different tillage systems were: untilled control, conventional deep plough, two-layer plough and cultivator. Sampling was carried out in a field experiment at Worrstadt-Rommersheim (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) in order to study the effects of these tillage systems in a sustainable farming system. Soil samples were taken every 3 months from June 1994 to March 1995 and divided into two depths of 0–10 and 10–20 cm in order to study the vertical distribution of nematode density and community structure. Nematode density was significantly reduced after the first tillage. The second tilla…