Soil microarthropod effects on crop production under different cover cropping strategies

Soil microarthropods, a group of fauna dominated by mites and collembolans, mediate multiple microbial-driven soil processes. The effects that soil microarthropods have on crop production are typically explored with a focus on one microbial driven process, such as nutrient cycling or plant pathogen disease incidence, though their behaviors influence these processes simultaneously. The primary objective of this research is to understand how the effects of microarthropods on these interconnected microbial processes impact crop production.
In 2019 and 2020 these relationships were investigated in both soybeans and dry beans under three different cover cropping treatments [1) no cover crop with tillage (control treatment), 2) cereal rye with tillage, and 3) rolled cereal rye with no tillage]. Early in the growing season the soybeans had greater microarthropod abundances than the dry beans, but by the harvest the dry beans had much greater microarthropod abundances compared to the soybeans. Interestingly, there were more mites in the no cover crop with tillage treatment, primarily driven by Oribatida mite abundances. There were consistently more Collembola in the rolled cereal rye with no tillage treatment compared to the other treatments, and at the end of the growing season there were more Mesostigmata mites which prey on collembolans in this treatment as well. These shifts observed in the microarthropod communities highlight the importance of crop choice in cropping system and soil health management. The findings from this research can help inform sustainable crop management systems that rely on soil processes to enhance crop production.