The aim of the present research was to compare the communities of oribatid mites (Oribatida) on the plantations of chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott) and blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) as well as to define the effect of mi-croirrigation on those Acari. The experiment was performed in degraded Phaeozems formed from sand, on shallow-deposited sand in Kruszyn Krajeński in the vicinity of Bydgoszcz. The soil reaction was slightly acid or acid and the differences in the acidity between chokeberry and blackcurrant were inconsiderable. The abundance of oribatid mites on chokeberry and blackcurrant plantations ranged from 3110 to 5290 individuals • m-2 and it was much higher, as compared with the neighbouring set-aside. The density of Oribatida on blackcurrant plantation was clearly higher than in chokeberry; however there was recorded no significant effect of the type of irrigation on the density. In total on both plantations there were reported 31 species of oribatid mites; mean species number s in blackcurrant was higher than in chokeberry. The dominance structure of oribatid mites on the chokeberry plantation was more even than in blackcurrant and in Tectocepheus velatus communities dominated mostly. The species preferred the blackcurrant plantation and irrigation stimulated its abundance. Chamobates schutzii, an ...
The aim of the study was to determine the population density and group composition of soil mites (Acari), and especially species composition of oribatid mites (Oribatida), in rhizoboxes with apple trees, and to investigate the potential effect of biopreparations on the Acari fauna. The investigations were conducted in 2011-2012, on the basis of a glasshouse experiment established at the Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice in 2009. The acarological examinations were carried out in rhizoboxes with apple cultivars ‘Topaz' and ‘Ariwa' grafted on M.26 rootstock and growing in the following combinations: C - control (without fertilization), N - mineral fertilization (standard NPK mineral fertilization, in doses of 70/60/120 kg of respective ingredient per hectare), O - fertilization with manure (at 30 t/ha), M - application of the biopreparation Mycosat (20 g/plant + ½ dose of manure, i.e. 2.5 g per rhizobox), H - application of the biopreparation Humus Active 2% + Aktywit PM 1%.The average total number of soil mites in the different experimental combinations was in the range from 10.70 (combination C) to 12.97 thousand indiv. ∙ m-2 (combination N). Within the hierarchy of mites, the predominant group were oribatid mites, which constituted from 73.9 ...
The aim of the research was to determine the population density and group composition of soil mites (Acari), and in particular the species composition of oribatid mites (Oribatida), on strawberry plantations mulched with wood chips. Field studies were conducted in the experimental field of the Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice in 2011-2012. The plots selected for examination were mulched with wood chips as follows: ZC - chips without additives, ZT - chips with the addition of the biopreparation TSB (unidentified Gram-negative rod bacteria), ZG - addition of the biopreparation 7GII (unidentified Actinobacteria). The control plot was a patch of grass near the experimental plots.On the plots examined, the most abundant were oribatid mites, 16.11-18.84 thousand indiv.∙m-2. They accounted for 64.3% of all the mites in the grass patch, but significantly more of them (86.8-89.5%) were found on the strawberry plantations mulched with wood chips. A total of 17 species of oribatid mites were identified on the strawberry plots, but only 9 in the nearby patch of grass. Punctoribates punctum dominated in the grass-covered soil, while the dominant species in the mulched soil were Ramusella mihelcici or Tectocepheus velatus (depending on the experimental combination) .The high abundance and species diversity of ...
The study was conducted in the experimental field of the Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice, on strawberry plantations mulched with wood chips and in a nearby patch of grass. Seasonal dynamics (in spring, summer, and autumn) of the occurrence of soil mites (Acari), especially of oribatid mites (Oribatida), were studied on 6 occasions during the seasons in 2011-2012.Already in the first season of the study, high numbers of mites - 26.91 thousand indiv. • m-2, were found in the mulched soil of the strawberry plantations. Among these arachnids, the predominant group were oribatid mites (98.2%). The density of mites, especially of the Oribatida, in the wood chips during the vegetative period was more uniform than in the grass patch. The mulch used in the experiment provided favourable environmental conditions for the development of most Oribatida species.There were 12 species of Oribatida found on the strawberry plantations, and 9 in the nearby grass patch. The number of species in the grass-covered soil ranged from 5 to 8 in the successive seasons. In the wood chips, by comparison, there were 7 taxa at the beginning of the study, and at the end of the cycle the number increased to 11. The differences ...
This paper analyzed seasonal dynamics of mite (Acari) aggregations, with particular attention to oribatid mites (Oribatida), in two different substrates intended for soil regeneration - shredded forest litter from Scots pine forest and pine wood chips. The study was conducted in the years 2011-2012, on microplots established within a belt of trees in a nursery in Białe Błota (Bydgoszcz Forest District). To maintain optimum moisture content, the microplots were hydrated by micro sprinklers as per the guidelines and schedule for the irrigation of nurseries, and mean soil moisture was kept at the level of 5.1-9.9 %. The mites were classified into orders and oribatid mites into species or genera, with regard to juvenile stages. A total of 4,142 mites were determined, including 2,939 oribatid mites.Mite density in the shredded forest litter, intended mainly for soil inoculation with edaphon, was similar in the initial and final period of the study. Mite density in the pine wood chips, intended for mulching degraded soils and providing optimal conditions for mesofauna development, increased over two years of the study. Oribatid mites were the most abundant mites in the analyzed samples. Mean number of their species s in the forest litter was comparable at the ...
The study was conducted in 2011-2012 by using litter bags on microplots in a forest soil under a canopy of trees, in optimal environmental conditions for most mites. The aim of the study was to analyze the colonization by mites of wood chips after application of two biopreparations containing cellulose-degrading bacteria. The experiment was conducted in the following variants: WC - control wood chips, WB I - chips after application of bacterial inoculum I (an unidentified G(-) rod-bacterium, Bacillus sp.) and WB II - chips after application of bacterial inoculum II (Streptomyces sp.). To maintain the optimum moisture level, the microplots were irrigated by means of microsprinklers. The highest average population density of mites in the two-year series of tests was found in the control chips: 42.28 individuals per 50 cm3. In the chips treated with the biopreparations, the density of these arthropods was lower, but the differences were not statistically significant. Dominant among the mites were mostly oribatid mites. Altogether, 34 species of oribatid mites were found in all the experimental variants. The most species (30) were found in the control variant, and fewer in the chips treated with the biopreparations - 27-26. Among the oribatid mites, Tectocepheus velatus ...
The study was conducted in the Pomological Orchard of the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice on a plantation of blackcurrant cultivar ‘Tiben'. The following variants of the experiment were applied: control - NPK fertilization only, mulching with a peat substrate, shredded pine bark, sawdust of coniferous trees, bovine manure, plant compost, straw of cereals, and application of mycorrhizal inoculant MYKOFLOR. Mulching was performed each year in the spring in an amount of 25 dm3 per plot, and the inoculum was applied in an amount of 10 ml per shrub. Samples for acarological examinations were collected at 4 times, in the spring and autumn of successive seasons in 2012-2013. An increase in the overall density of mites, in comparison with the control surface, was observed after mulching the soil with sawdust of coniferous trees and plant compost. On all the plots, the communities of mites were dominated by mites of the order oribatid mites. For these mites, a statistically significant increase density was recorded after mulching the soil with sawdust of coniferous trees, bovine manure and plant compost. Mulching did not increase significantly the species diversity of oribatid mites. The soil of the blackcurrant plantation was found to be inhabited ...
The aim of the study was to analyze the presence of mites (Acari), with special focus on indicator oribatid mites (Oribatida), in control pine wood chips and pine wood chips enriched with peat and lignite inoculated with forest litter and irrigated. The study was conducted in 2013 on microplots (1 x 1 m) located within a belt of trees in a nursery in Białe Błota. The experiments included the following variants: C - pine wood chips, Ec - pine wood chips inoculated with forest litter, Ec+Pe - pine wood chips enriched with deacidified high peat (20%) (pH 5.5-6.5) and inoculated with forest litter, Ec+Ca - pine wood chips enriched with granulated lignite (20%) (granule size 1-10 mm) inoculated with forest litter.The addition of forest litter caused an increase in total number of mites in the control pine wood chips and those enriched with peat. Mites belonging to Mesostigmata order prevailed in control chips and those enriched with forest litter and peat, while Oribatida were dominant mites in the other variants. Considering the results for the entire year, 20% addition of peat and lignite negatively affected the presence of oribatid mites, thus indicating a reduced biological activity of the substrates. The ...
The aim of this study was to compare colonization of pine chips without supplements and pine chips supplemented with forest litter, peat and lignite by mites (Acari), and particularly oribatid mites (Oribatida) in a two-year cycle. The study was conducted in the years 2013-2014, on microplots established in a belt of trees in a nursery in Białe Błota within Bydgoszcz Forest District. The experiment was established on four microplots (1 x 1 m). It included the following variants: C - pine chips alone, Lf - pine chips inoculated with fresh forest litter, Lf+Pe - pine chips enriched with deacidified high peat (20%) (pH 5.5-6.5) and inoculated with the litter, Lf+Li - pine chips enriched with granulated lignite (20%) inoculated with the litter.In the first year of the study, mite abundance in the chips inoculated with forest litter was significantly higher than that on microplot C. In the second year of the experiment, the abundance of these microarthropods decreased probably due to unfavorable weather conditions. The most common group of mites were usually oribatid mites that accounted for 19.7 to 80.4% of all mites. An analysis of seasonal dynamics of Oribatida abundance over the entire study cycle revealed a clear increase ...
The number and groups of mites (Acari) and species composition of oribatid mites (Oribatida) were analysed in three different substrates used for the restoration of degraded soils: (1) pine forest litter, (2) apple orchard litter, and (3) pine chips. The study was conducted in the years 2011-2012, on microplots of the area of 1m2, established in a belt of trees of a nursery in Białe Błota (Bydgoszcz Forest District). Average biannual mite density per 50 cm3 of the investigated substrates ranged from 14.6 to 54.43 individuals. The highest numbers of mites were found in shredded forest litter and the lowest in pine chips. The most abundant mites in the studied material were oribatid mites, accounting for 57.3 % of these arthropods. The highest number of oribatid mites was found in the forest litter (28), and the lowest (20) in pine chips. The number of species in both types of litter was similar in the first and second year of the study, but it rose three times in the pine chips substrate over the study period. Oribatid species in the litter substrates were dominated by the eurytopic Tectocepheus velatus, and the most abundant species in the pine chips substrate was Oribatula ...
