Liming, phosphorus and zinc influence on soil nematode community structure at hot pepper

Abstract

Monitoring the biological quality of soils often include nematodes as bioindicators. The aim of this study was determined the influence of liming, P and Zn effect on nematode community structure as an indicator of soil ecosystem health in hot pepper. Pot experiment with hot pepper was conducted in randomized block design as follows: control, P, Zn, P + Zn, lime, P + lime, Zn + lime and P + Zn + lime (25 mg/kg P, 1 mg/kg Zn and lime as 2.22 g/kg CaCO3). The highest number of nematodes genera was with phosphorus application (17.25). The most common genera were Rhabditis and Tylenchus. Above all indices, only the Structure index (SI) shown significance (P &lt; 0.01) in reflecting soil disturbance. The highest significant correlation was found between Maturity index 2–5 and Structure index <br />(r =  0.946***), Maturity index and Plant parasitic nematode and Maturity index ratio (r = –0.919***) and between Ecological and Channel index (r = –0.815***).