Effect of different set-aside management systems on soil nematode community and soil fertility in North, Central and South Italy

摘要

The current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2014-2020 of the European Union (EU) proposed some environmental attempts to contrast the biodiversity decline and mitigate the effects of intensive agricultural management systems. In the present work, the results of the effectiveness of set-aside management to enhance soil nematode biodiversity and soil fertility are reported. In a mid-term experimental trial, three different set aside managements, with mowing in May or July and without mowing, were compared through conventional rotation to provide management indications in the context of Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) Standard 4.2 in fields located in three sites (North, Central and South Italy). Soil fertility was evaluated by determining available phosphorous, total organic carbon and carbon humification. Soil nematode diversity was explored by examining soil nematode community structure, assessing Maturity (MI), Plant Parasitic (PPI), Basal (BI), Enrichment (El), Structure (SI), Channel (CI) indices and diversity-weighted abundance.