Soil macrofauna abundance, biomass and selected soil properties in the home garden and coffee-based agroforestry systems at Wondo Genet, Ethiopia

Abstract BackgroundIn Ethiopia, the majority of farmers have limited access to inorganic fertilizers, but agricultural development is largely limited by economic constraints. Agroforestry practices (AFPs) are the typical solutions for such kind of agricultural systems. AFPs play critical roles in the improvement of abundance and biomass of soil invertebrates, which are necessary for long-term improvement of soil properties. The overall objective of the present study was to investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics in macro fauna abundance and biomass in home garden and coffee- based agroforestry systems and to relate it with the dynamics in a range of soil physico-chemical parameters.Result The two AF systems did differ in plant species richness and diversity of life forms. For both sampling seasons, higher number of macrofauna was collected from home garden AF than Coffee-based AF plot. Total macrofaunal biomass between the wet and dry season was significant (p <0.05) for samples from home garden AF plot. Depth-wise pattern in macrofauna abundance and biomass showed distinct seasonal variation in the two-agroforestry systems. For both AF plots, marked and significant (p<0.001) seasonal differences were observed in relation to soil moisture, temperature, and pH. On the other hand, dry season samples from home garden AF plot had significantly (p<0.001) higher moisture content and soil pH than coffee-based AF plot.Conclusion The abundance and biomass of soil macrofauna including soil properties were improved by AFs. Thus, the results of this study encourage farmers and policy makers about land administration to implement AFs to ensure sustainability of soil fertility for sustainable production and productivity.