Aggregation of undisturbed soil mesoscoms inoculated by earthworm after different cultivation–tillage systems

Abstract Earthworms through their feeding, casting, and burrowing activity can have significant influence on a wide range of soil physical properties. A research was conducted in order to study the role of earthworms in modifying the properties of tilled and cultivated soil. Undisturbed soil mesoscoms (500 mm i.d. × 250 mm height) with and without tillage and cultivation, with and without earthworm's inoculation were tested and physical properties were compared with existing properties in native field. Earthworms ( Allolobophora caliginosa ) were inoculated directly in mesoscoms and represented the following treatments: non-cultivated non-tilled (C 0 T 0 ), cultivated non-tilled (CT 0 ), non-cultivated tilled (C 0 T) and cultivated tilled (CT). Inoculated soils were incubated for six weeks at 21 ± 1 °C. Inoculated soils reflected significantly higher aggregate meanweight diameter (MWD = 2.75 mm), higher clod density (CD = 1.66 Mg m −3 ), higher modulus of rupture (MR = 410 kPa), and lower hydraulic conductivity (HC = 0.85 cm h −1 ) compared with non-inculcated soils. The MWD of inoculated soils for different treatments was in following order: T 0 C > T 0 C 0  >TC > TC 0 .