Soil Fauna Activities in Agricultural Greek Landscapes
97
(ES). Nevertheless, the process regulating belowground biota, among which the crop
health protecting earthworms are fundamental drivers of self-regulation, finds little
notice and suffers under intensifying agro-environmental measures and an obviously
changing climate [98, 122, 123]. Earthworms, shielding the productivity of winter
wheat from the toxic plant fungi Fusarium, are crucial in soil live balancing, soil
water retention potential, soil healthy soils, plant biomass growth, food production
security, soil structure stabilisation, and in helping to minimize erosion, desertification, landslides, and climate change mitigation. In the drilosphere, the soil volume
under earthworm influence, earthworms may cause drastic shifts in soil density, structure, and microbial and fauna communities diversity, (a) by comminution, burrowing
and casting; (b) by ingesting dwelled organic and inorganic soil material; (c) by
dispersing the ingested soil life that must adapt on earthworm gut passage [124].
Pauli et al. [125] consulted farmers and asked them what they know concerning soil
microflora and fauna communities functioning and experienced an in depth going
farmers’ knowledge about the invisible, hidden soil microflora and fauna diversity in
Earth’s soil habitats, but also a large unawareness of the soil fauna potential. Some
farmers held detailed observations of local soil biological activity and use biota
counts and taxonomies as soil fertility indicators and for getting better insights in
soil properties dependent earthworm abundance. For achieving a greater interest in
organic cropping systems the Greek Ministry of Agriculture, financially supported
by the European Union (EU), could encourage farmers to participate in a 5 years
organic farming promoting program. In December 1993 surface soil sampling (0–
30 cm) took place in different Greek agriculturally sites (cereal fields, olive and citrus
groves, vineyards, various fruit tree plantations, fallow land) in order to study the
effect of nitrogenous fertilization and cultivation system on the earthworm abundance [126]. In 316 collected soil samples earthworm abundance, clay, silt, and sand
percentage (soil texture), soil pH, organic matter, total N and other nutrients contents
were determined as well as NH 4
+ and NO 3
− –N in approximately 50 soil samples
[126, 127].
3 The Greek, Cultivation Dependent Abundance
of the Earthworm Population
Surface soil samples (0–30 cm) were taken during the months (October to April)
across various agricultural areas of Greece (Fig. 5) by considering crop type and
cultivation system, and the earthworm abundance in relation to soil physical and
chemical properties was estimated, the species and subspecies identified (Fig. 5;
Tables 3 and 4; [126, 128]). Soil samples were collected across various agricultural
areas of Greece by considering crop type and cultivation system. From the 67 found
individual Clitellata: Megadrilispecies and subspecies (Table 4) 59 taxa belonged
to the Lumbricidae, 3 to Megascolecidae, 2 to Acanthodrilidae and Ocnerodrilidae,
and 1 taxon to the Criodrilidae family. The earthworm species Eisenia spelaea var.
97
(ES). Nevertheless, the process regulating belowground biota, among which the crop
health protecting earthworms are fundamental drivers of self-regulation, finds little
notice and suffers under intensifying agro-environmental measures and an obviously
changing climate [98, 122, 123]. Earthworms, shielding the productivity of winter
wheat from the toxic plant fungi Fusarium, are crucial in soil live balancing, soil
water retention potential, soil healthy soils, plant biomass growth, food production
security, soil structure stabilisation, and in helping to minimize erosion, desertification, landslides, and climate change mitigation. In the drilosphere, the soil volume
under earthworm influence, earthworms may cause drastic shifts in soil density, structure, and microbial and fauna communities diversity, (a) by comminution, burrowing
and casting; (b) by ingesting dwelled organic and inorganic soil material; (c) by
dispersing the ingested soil life that must adapt on earthworm gut passage [124].
Pauli et al. [125] consulted farmers and asked them what they know concerning soil
microflora and fauna communities functioning and experienced an in depth going
farmers’ knowledge about the invisible, hidden soil microflora and fauna diversity in
Earth’s soil habitats, but also a large unawareness of the soil fauna potential. Some
farmers held detailed observations of local soil biological activity and use biota
counts and taxonomies as soil fertility indicators and for getting better insights in
soil properties dependent earthworm abundance. For achieving a greater interest in
organic cropping systems the Greek Ministry of Agriculture, financially supported
by the European Union (EU), could encourage farmers to participate in a 5 years
organic farming promoting program. In December 1993 surface soil sampling (0–
30 cm) took place in different Greek agriculturally sites (cereal fields, olive and citrus
groves, vineyards, various fruit tree plantations, fallow land) in order to study the
effect of nitrogenous fertilization and cultivation system on the earthworm abundance [126]. In 316 collected soil samples earthworm abundance, clay, silt, and sand
percentage (soil texture), soil pH, organic matter, total N and other nutrients contents
were determined as well as NH 4
+ and NO 3
− –N in approximately 50 soil samples
[126, 127].
3 The Greek, Cultivation Dependent Abundance
of the Earthworm Population
Surface soil samples (0–30 cm) were taken during the months (October to April)
across various agricultural areas of Greece (Fig. 5) by considering crop type and
cultivation system, and the earthworm abundance in relation to soil physical and
chemical properties was estimated, the species and subspecies identified (Fig. 5;
Tables 3 and 4; [126, 128]). Soil samples were collected across various agricultural
areas of Greece by considering crop type and cultivation system. From the 67 found
individual Clitellata: Megadrilispecies and subspecies (Table 4) 59 taxa belonged
to the Lumbricidae, 3 to Megascolecidae, 2 to Acanthodrilidae and Ocnerodrilidae,
and 1 taxon to the Criodrilidae family. The earthworm species Eisenia spelaea var.