Abstract
A “living mulching system” made up of sludge and earthworms (Eisenia fetida) were tested in a laboratory experiment with the goal of improving the biochemical and chemico-physical properties of two different agricultural soils: a clay soil (Vicarello, Italy) and a sandy-loam soil (Murcia, Spain). A sludge-earthworms mixture was layered onto the soil surface and kept moistened for 4 mo. Biochemical and chemico-physical soil properties were compared in order to assess the efficiency of living mulch as a function of soil type. The experiment showed that soil improvement starts from the activation of the microbiological processes through a gradual modification of the nutritive conditions occurring within the living mulch system due to earthworm activity. Also the physical properties of both soils were improved by increasing the total cracked area, mainly due to the formation of small (< 500 μm) and small-medium cracks (500–1000 μm), which represent the typical micro-habitat for soil microorganisms. In fact, i...
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