Abstract
An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of earthworm (Metaphire guillelmi) activities on rice photosynthates distribution in plant–soil system through 14C pulse-labelling method. Rice was planted in pots, and maize straw was mulched on the surface with or without earthworms. Rice plants at tillering stage or heading stage were labelled with 14CO2. Plant and soil were sampled 15 days after labelling at the tillering or heading stage and at harvest. Rice growth was inhibited by earthworms (M. guillelmi) at early stage, but the inhibition disappeared at later stage. Earthworms significantly (P < 0.01) increased the 14C percentage in root at day 15 after tillering stage labelling, but the effect disappeared at harvest. Earthworms (M. guillelmi) significantly (P < 0.01) increased the 14C percentage in root at day 15 after heading stage labelling and increased 14C percentage in soil at harvest. Earthworms decreased the percentages of total organic 14C (TO14C) present as microbial biomass 14C (MB14C) and increased the percentages of total organic 14C present as dissolved organic 14C (DO14C) at all sampling times. It is suggested that earthworms might alter the transfer of plant photosynthates from the aboveground to the belowground, and thus, soil active C pool. However, these data should be also confirmed in the field.
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