Electromagnetic induction (EMI) is a non-invasive geophysical technique for studying the physical and chemical features of soil distribution. This paper focuses on the relations of the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) of soil, measured using a Profiler GSSI EMP-400, with soil abiotic and biotic parameters: volumetric water content, pH, electrical conductivity, coarse elements, density and biomass of different earthworm ecological categories (anecics and endogeics). Trials were carried out in nine commercial vineyards in Languedoc-Roussillon (France) cultivated according to different soil management technologies: grass cover, chemical weeding and tillage. Hand sorting and a mustard method were used to measure the earthworms. Strong relationships between ECa values and the abundance and biomass of anecic and endogeic earthworms were found, particularly in grass covered and chemically weeded plots. This result is supported by the high determination coefficients found (R2 from 0.53 to 0.94). Our results suggest that the EMI signal, as an integrated value of the physicalchemical conditions of soil, represents a real possibility for reducing the number of laborious earthworm samplings, by guaranteeing the reliability of the estimates of mean real values of earthworm parameters and their surface spatial distribution. EMI could therefore be a useful tool to spatialize and to predict the presence of earthworms in fields in perennial crops.
Electromagnetic induction (EMI) measurements as a proxy of earthworm presence in Southern French vineyards
LARDO, EGIDIO;XILOYANNIS, Cristos;PALESE, Assunta Maria;CELANO, Giuseppe
2012-01-01
Abstract
Electromagnetic induction (EMI) is a non-invasive geophysical technique for studying the physical and chemical features of soil distribution. This paper focuses on the relations of the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) of soil, measured using a Profiler GSSI EMP-400, with soil abiotic and biotic parameters: volumetric water content, pH, electrical conductivity, coarse elements, density and biomass of different earthworm ecological categories (anecics and endogeics). Trials were carried out in nine commercial vineyards in Languedoc-Roussillon (France) cultivated according to different soil management technologies: grass cover, chemical weeding and tillage. Hand sorting and a mustard method were used to measure the earthworms. Strong relationships between ECa values and the abundance and biomass of anecic and endogeic earthworms were found, particularly in grass covered and chemically weeded plots. This result is supported by the high determination coefficients found (R2 from 0.53 to 0.94). Our results suggest that the EMI signal, as an integrated value of the physicalchemical conditions of soil, represents a real possibility for reducing the number of laborious earthworm samplings, by guaranteeing the reliability of the estimates of mean real values of earthworm parameters and their surface spatial distribution. EMI could therefore be a useful tool to spatialize and to predict the presence of earthworms in fields in perennial crops.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
