Rotation/Succession Systems Affects Springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) Abundance in Cash Crops Under No Tillage Cultivation

Acknowledging the bio indicator importance of springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) for soil quality, this study aimed to determine the abundance of these arthropods in different systems of rotation/succession with commercial and cover crops, while also verifying the agricultural factor associated to these arthropods’ population. In the Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural do Paraná (IAPAR-EMATER), during six years, areas with differing crops in rotation/succession adopting the no-tillage system were studied. For each system, chemical analyses of the soil were conducted and the number of captured springtails in pitfall traps was counted. The phytosanitary products applied during the evaluations and the quantity of vegetal cover remaining after harvest were considered as well. No difference was found between the rotation/succession systems in relation to chemical soil attributes, however the largest number of springtails was found in crop covers from corn, Brachiaria sp., and canola. These crop covers, including wheat, resulted in the highest straw dry mass. When removing the system in which the predecessor crop had the highest quantities of fungicide application, a positive correlation (r = 0.63; p < 0.01) was found, between springtail abundance and highest amount of straw after the harvest. If no fungicide applications occur, the crops with the largest amount of vegetal cover favor springtail populations.