Agricultural Practices Modulate the Beneficial Activity of Bacterial-Feeding Nematodes for Plant Growth and Nutrition: Evidence from an Original Intact Soil Core Technique

Jean Trap, Mahafaka Patricia Ranoarisoa, Sariaka Raharijaona, Lilia Rabeharisoa, Claude Plassard, El Hassan Mayad, Laetitia Bernard, Thierry Becquer and Eric Blanchart
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Jean Trap: Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
Mahafaka Patricia Ranoarisoa: Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
Sariaka Raharijaona: Laboratoire des Radio-Isotopes, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
Lilia Rabeharisoa: Laboratoire des Radio-Isotopes, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
Claude Plassard: Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
El Hassan Mayad: Laboratory of Biotechnology and Valorization of Natural Resources, Faculty of Sciences, Agadir, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir 80000, Morocco
Laetitia Bernard: Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
Thierry Becquer: Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
Eric Blanchart: Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-15

Abstract: Free-living nematodes have beneficial effects on plant growth and nutrition. Exploring how agricultural practices modulate these beneficial effects is still challenging. A study was conducted in Ferralsols from Madagascar from one unmanaged grassland and 16 upland rainfed rice fields, representative of different agricultural practices: rotation, agroforestry and monoculture. Intact soil cores in plastic cylinders were sampled in the field to assess the effects of agricultural practices on changes in plant growth and nutrition induced by the presence of bacterial-feeding nematodes. The soil cores were fumigated to kill the nematodes and moistened with a filtered fresh soil suspension containing only microbial cells. A rice seed was introduced in the core, which was then incubated under natural climatic conditions for 40 days with or without inoculation of the bacterial-feeding nematode Acrobeloides sp. The inoculation of the nematodes induced lower, similar or higher plant biomass and nutrient content in comparison to the control according to the agricultural practices. Positive effects of Acrobeloides sp. on plant functions were frequent in soil cores sampled from fields with high plant diversity, especially from agroforestry systems. The intact soil core technique appears to be a robust means of mimicking field conditions and constitutes a promising tool to assess effects on soil processes of the ecological intensification of agricultural practices.

Keywords: sustainable agriculture; soil fertility; plant nutrition; Oryza sativa; Acrobeloides sp.; soil microbial loop; agroforestry; Ferralsols (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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