Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 18 ISSUE 3
Written by Ojimgba ONWUCHEKWA, Onyejiji OGECHI VICTORIA

The effect of some indigenous trees on earthworm activities and physical properties of an ultisol were studied at Umudike, Nigeria. These studies were carried out under some indigenous tree canopies namely: cacao, breadfruit, avocado pear and mango, and were compared with the soils of their open adjacent sites, ten meters away at different soil depths (0-15 cm and 15 – 30 cm). Generally, soils under tree canopies at various soil depths had lower bulk density, higher total porosity, and water stable aggregates than the adjacent sites. Example, the soils under cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) canopy had significantly higher values of total porosity, water stable aggregate and lower values of bulk density than the soils under mango, avocado pear and bread fruit and their adjacent sites. Mango tree gave the least values at various soil depths. Also, soils under tree canopies gave significantly (P = 0.05) higher values of earthworm population and casts than those of their adjacent sites at various soil depths, for instance at 0 – 15cm soil depth, cacao (14.00 and 9.00) gave significantly higher mean values of earthworm population and casts than mango (5.00 and 2.33), breadfruit (9.67 and 6.00) and avocado pear (8.00 and 4.00) per M2, respectively. They were in the following significant decreasing magnitude: cacao > Breadfruit > avocado > mango. Mango gave significantly (P = 0.05) the least mean values of earthworm population and casts’.

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