ASSESSMENT OF HANDICAPS OWING TO HIGH INPUT (HIP) FARMING ON THE SOIL MACRO-INVERTEBRATES DIVERSITY IN SUGARCANE FIELD

The modern and intensified agriculture can cause significant reduction in diversity of soil macro- invertebrates resulting in negative impacts on soil organisms, aeration, and decomposition of organic matter and functional roles of component populations. Keeping in view these facts, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of high input farming on soil macro-invertebrates diversity in comparison to low input farming system. Soil samples were taken by core sampler from three micro-habitats from a randomly selected field (open edge, subshadow and within field) for two consecutive years, for the session 2008 2009. Soil samples were sorted out in the laboratory for the collection of macro-invertebrates by direct hand picking, preserved in the 70% ethanol solution with few drops of glycerin and identified up to species level. A total of 2138 specimens belonging to various order and families were recorded from both low input and high input. Out of 2138 specimens, 1400 were recorded from low input belonging to 79 species as well just 738 specimens belonging to 61 species from high input crop fields of sugarcane. The abundance of macro-invertebrates in the low input fields was significantly higher (p 0.001) than in the high input fields and species diversity was also higher in the low input fields (H^/ = 3.630), than the high input fields (H^/ = 2.932). T-test analysis between them was highly significant (t = 10.24). Order Pulmonata, Hymenoptera, Oligochaeta and Coleoptera were the most abundant from both the low input and high input fields. The data showed that organically managed low input fields of sugarcane are supporting the diversity of macro-invertebrates, which is essential for appropriate functioning of ecosystem.