The Effect of Long‐Term Underlying Management on Soil Faunal Communities of a Newly Established Herbal Ley

Summary

This 10-year field experiment compared soil fauna communities under three contrasting crop establishment systems in an arable rotation, revealing that minimum and no-tillage practices supported greater mesofaunal and nematode populations than conventional ploughing, with anecic earthworms more prevalent in undisturbed soils. The findings demonstrate that long-term tillage intensity effects are visible across multiple trophic levels of the soil food web, with potential implications for ecosystem service provision that may persist even after a shift to conservation-focused management. However, the study did not establish clear linkages between soil physical properties and biological community structure, limiting their utility as simple biological indicators.

Regional applicability

This study was conducted in the United Kingdom and directly reflects British arable farming conditions and soil types. The findings are immediately applicable to UK policy and practice, particularly regarding the conservation agriculture transition and the environmental land management schemes (e.g. Sustainable Farming Incentive) that incentivise reduced tillage. The long-term nature of the experiment (10 years) provides robust evidence for the United Kingdom's temperate climate and clayey soil contexts.

Key measures

Total mesofauna abundance, Collembola abundance and superfamily composition (Oduromorpha and Symphypleona), nematode abundance, earthworm abundance and functional group distribution (anecic species), soil physical assessments

Outcomes reported

The study measured soil fauna diversity and abundance across mesofauna (Collembola and mites), nematodes, and earthworms under three tillage regimes (plough-based, minimum tillage, and no-tillage direct drill) over a 10-year period in an arable rotation. It assessed whether long-term tillage effects persist across the soil food web and examined relationships between soil physical properties and biological indicators.

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