INFLUENCE OF AGRICULTURE ON ENCHYTRAEIDAE FAUNA OF SOILS IN THE SOUTH-WEST OF THE NORTH-ISLAND OF NEW-ZEALAND

The enchytraeid fauna has been measured on 6 pasture soils (4 hill pas ture, 2 dairy), 2 mixed cropping soils, 2 Kiwifruit orchard soils, and one native forest soil. Enchytraeid numbers were highest in the Kiwif ruit orchards and the hill pastures and lowest on the dairy pasture an d the native forest. There was no correlation of enchytraeid numbers w ith pH. All the agriculturally modified soils had a Fridericia-Lumbric etum oligichaete fauna, whereas the native forest soil had megascoleci d earthworms and enchytraeids of the Mesenchytraeus-Cernosvitoviella t ype. The enchytraeid fauna is sensitive to changes in management, both in terms of total population numbers and species composition. However , the difficulties of measurement and identification limit their usefu lness as routine bioindicators for sustainable management.