Soil nematodes indicate soil health in macadamia orchards

Abstract

Current macadamia management practices may be impacting on the physical, chemical and biological status of macadamia-growing soils. Nematodes are integrators of soil properties, and changes in soil properties may be reflected in changes of the nematode community composition in the soil. Macadamia orchards from different soil types were sampled and benchmarked against nearby undisturbed soils. The diversity of nematode populations provided information on the ‘biological health’ of the soils and when linked with other soil chemical and physical parameters provided an indication of the biological status of macadamia producing soils.