One hundred and ten fluff grass plants were transplanted into pots,
divided into 5 replicates of each of 4 treatments: 1) control, 2)
NEMACUR (to exclude nematodes), 3)chlordane (to exclude mites) and 4)
NEMACUR + Chlordane, with 5 sampling times (0,2,4,8,12 weeks), and
transferred to a green house. Pots were watered weekly (6mm/week) to
maintain them at field capacity. For each sampling time, rhizosphere
soil was analyzed for NO3(-)- N, NH4(+)-N, Inorganic-N, microbial-N, %
H20, % Organic matter, roots biomass, and nematodes density.
Microarthropods were extracted in modified Tullgren funnels into
water, then counted and identified to species. After microarthropod
extraction the soil was sieved through a 2-mm screen mesh and roots
were collected. On subsamples for nematode extraction, roots were
carefully separated by hand, then nematodes were extracted by a
modified sugar flotation technique (Freckman et al. 1977). Remaining
soil was sieved through a 2-mm screen mesh.