Summary
This field study examined how two carbon-enrichment strategies—biodegradable paper film mulch and duckweed cover—affect soil nematode communities in rice paddies under alternate wetting and drying irrigation. Paper film mulching significantly increased nematode abundance, particularly r-selected opportunistic species, at tillering and flowering stages compared with duckweed alone, likely due to differential degradation rates and carbon availability. The findings suggest that irrigation cycles and organic matter inputs substantially influence nematode functional and structural dynamics in intensively managed paddy systems.
UK applicability
Direct applicability to UK rice production is minimal given the absence of commercial rice cultivation in temperate UK climates; however, the methodological approach to monitoring soil nematode communities as indicators of soil management impacts could inform UK arable and soil health monitoring protocols for other crops.
Key measures
Nematode abundance and community composition across four growth stages (tillering, panicle initiation, early flowering, grain filling); soil bulk density; soil ammonium-nitrogen (NH4+-N); correlation coefficients between nematode feeders and soil properties
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil nematode abundance and community structure across rice growth stages in response to straw-derived paper film mulching and duckweed integration under alternate wetting and drying irrigation. Results indicated that paper film mulching significantly increased nematode abundance at specific growth stages compared to duckweed alone, with nematode trophic feeders correlating with soil bulk density and ammonium-nitrogen levels.
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