Influence of liquid chicken manure preparation on soil health and agrochemical soil properties

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of liquid chicken manure preparation on nematode biodiversity as an indicator of soil health and agrochemi-cal soil properties. The field experiment was conducted during two years into two treatments and three samplings per year. One plot was treated with liquid chicken manure preparation (LCMP) while the other plot, without manure application, was control (C). In the first year of this study, the treatments were conducted in the wheat plantation, while in the following year the culture was rapeseed. Results indicate that genus biodiversity was significantly higher in treatments with LCMP (18% in wheat, 28% in rapeseed). Indices of disturbance (MI, MI [2-5], PPI/MI) show statistically significant differences during the two years indicating ecosys-tem stability, reduction of plant parasitic nematodes and the multitude of beneficial nematodes in treatment with LCMP compared to C. The analysed agrochemical properties showed the increasement of organic matter content (60%) and P and K content in treatment with LCMP compared to C. It can be concluded that the use of LCMP significantly increases the nematode diversity and the stability of the soil ecosystem as well as a nutrient content in the soil which results in a reduced eco-nomic investment, primarily in the use of mineral fertilizers.

Keywords

• nematode biodiversity
• wheat
• rapeseed
• ecological indices
• agro-chemical soil properties