Summary:

The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of mulching and organic fertilization on growth parameters of two-year old Scots pine seedlings as well as on the occurrence of soil mites (Acari) under conditions of irrigation. Fe-licity of proposed revitalization measures was conducted with the use of the bioin-dication method. In this investigation the indicatory organisms were mites, common and very numerous in forest soils. The experiment was carried out in 2009 at forest nursery Bielawy (Forest Inspectorate Dobrzejewice). The slightly loamy sand was predominant on the studied area. Experiment was design as two-factorial trial (split-plot), replicated four times. The first row factor was organic fertilization used in the two treatments (main plots): without organic fertilization-control, organic fertilization with compost from forest cap - humus applied before sowing of Scots pine seeds (spring 2008). The second row factor was mulching used in the two treatments (subplots): without mulching - control, mulching with fresh cap-humus from habitat of fresh coniferous forest, which was applied after seedling emergence (September 2008). It was stated that the influence of both the two investigated factors (organic fertilization and mulching) on the growth indices of two-year old seedlings was significant. Seedlings cultivated on the plots fertilized with compost and mulched were characterized by the significantly increased diameter of seedling collar-root as well as by the increased seedling height and its fresh mass of above-ground parts. Mulching was the factor which positively influenced on the abundance of mites (including Actinedida, Gamasida and Oribatida) as well as the species diversity of oribatid mites.