EFFETS DE DIFFERENTES PRATIQUES SYLVICOLES ET DE L'INTRODUCTION DE VERS DE TERRE SUR LA STRUCTURE DU SOL EN PLANTATIONS DE FEUILLUS

Abstract
Impacts of silvicultural practices on soil structure were evaluated in hardwood plantations. On two different sites, four treatments (mechanical weed control, herbicide weed control, seeding of nitrogen-fixing companion species and a control) were undertaken, with and without earthworm introduction, according to a complete randomized block design. Treatments had significant effects on the water stability of soil aggregates, macroporosity and bulk density. Earthworm introduction significantly increased macroporosity in control plots while decreasing it in the three other treatments. Key words: Soil structure, silvicultural practices, earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris