Effect of mechanical disturbances on nematode communities in arable land

Nematode communities were used as bioindicators of changes in agroecosystems caused by anthropogenic factors. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of plowing and harrowing on nematode communities structure in comparison to “no tillage” treatments. The effects of mechanical disturbing of nematodes were determined on four soil treatments. Differences in nematode community structure were compared between two tillage regimes: standard tillage and no tillage. Research was conducted in 2000, in Kneževo near Osijek. Plowing had impact on increasing of bacterivorous nematodes and decreasing of fungivorous nematodes. Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus and Tylenchus were dominant plant-feeding nematodes in no tillage treatments, while in plowing treatments Pratylenchus and Tylenchus were dominant. Abundance of Aphelenchoides decreased significantly after plowing. Tillage affected nematode communities in the soil ecosystem by changing the trophic structure and gave a decreasing, but not statistically significant, trend in MI.