Effect of acetochlor and carbofuran on soil nematode communities in a Chinese soybean field

A field experiment was conducted at the Shenyang experimental station of ecology, Northeast China, to determine the response of soil nematode communities to agrochemical applications. Four treatments were compared including the control (CK, no agrochemicals applied), herbicide acetochlor (A), nematicide carbofuran (F) and the combination of acetochlor and carbofuran (AF). The obtained results indicated that the agrochemical applications could influence the soil nematode communities. In the treatments with acetochlor and/or carbonfuran, the abundances of total nematodes and plant-parasitic nematodes were reduced, and those of bacterivores decreased obviously at the 8th week. Forty-two nematode genera were identified, and Acrobeloides, Pratylenchus and Helicotylenchus were dominant and demonstrated different susceptibilities to agrochemical treatments. No significant sampling date and treatment effects were observed in the values of enrichment index (EI) and channel index (CI). However, the basal index (BI) and structural index (SI) were more suitable for indicating the soil conditions with different agrochemicals in this study, and higher BI and lower SI could indicate poor ecosystem health.