Soil Microarthropods as Tools for Monitoring Soil Quality: The QBS-ar Index in Three European Agroecosystems

Filippo Gallese, Laura Gismero-Rodriguez, Anton Govednik, Laura Giagnoni, Erica Lumini, Marjetka Suhadolc, Francesco Primo Vaccari and Anita Maienza ()
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Filippo Gallese: National Research Council (CNR), 00185 Roma, Italy
Laura Gismero-Rodriguez: Instituto de la Grasa (IG-CSIC), 41013 Sevilla, Spain
Anton Govednik: Biotechnical Faculty (BF), University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Laura Giagnoni: Department of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics (DICATAM), University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy
Erica Lumini: National Research Council (CNR), 00185 Roma, Italy
Marjetka Suhadolc: Biotechnical Faculty (BF), University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Francesco Primo Vaccari: National Research Council (CNR), 00185 Roma, Italy
Anita Maienza: National Research Council (CNR), 00185 Roma, Italy

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: The QBS-ar, based on the study of microarthropod community structure, is well known as a quick and low-cost indicator to monitor soil biological quality at the farm scale. Temperature fluctuations and other climate factors in European countries may indirectly influence soil microarthropod communities by altering resource availability and microhabitat conditions. In the context of the climate crisis, along with drought and erosion threats, especially in southern Europe, it is essential to define the limits and advantages of the QBS-ar index. We applied the QBS-ar index along a warm temperature gradient at three long-term experimental sites. Our results underlined that the QBS-ar is very sensitive for detecting soil quality and treatment effects. The results suggest that the choice of sampling season is a particularly vulnerable phase, especially for southern Mediterranean sites. Air temperature and cumulative precipitation, even in the months prior to sampling, are critical factors to consider when applying the QBS-ar index in European countries. Drought periods can negatively influence the results for soil microarthropod relative abundance; however, the presence of biological forms seems to provide useful information about the effects of treatments on soil quality. This paper lays the groundwork for scaled-up QBS-ar applications considering soils and several environmental characteristics of agroecosystems in Europe. The work can contribute to the development of applications of the index, facilitating and improving the monitoring of soil biology at the field scale. Furthermore, this study can open future perspectives for the application of QBS-ar on a larger scale thanks to the implementation and updating of an open-source database.

Keywords: soil; biological indicators; conservative agriculture; climate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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