Long-term effects of three different continuous tillage practices on Collembola populations

The long-term effects on Collembola populations of three types of soil tillage (minimum tillage, conventional ploughing to a depth of 25 cm and conventional ploughing to a depth of 50 cm), with four-year rotation (sugar beet, winter wheat, maize, winter wheat), were studied. The responses to rate of N fertilization were also tested. The analysis, which started after 15 years of continuous treatment and extended over a four-year period, revealed very large variations in Collembola abundance in the various years, but found very few significant treatment effects on overall abundances of Collembola. However, analysis carried out at the species level did reveal differences related to tillage; some species were significantly more abundant in plots with minimum tillage and others in plots with conventional ploughing. Moreover, N fertilization affected some species.