Environmental Science Archives (2024) Vol. III Issue 1 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11103687 164 www.envsciarch.com Received: 2024/03/14 Accepted: 2024/04/23 Published: 2024/05/02 Earthworm Diversity and Abundance in Various Cropping Systems under Conventional and Organic Farming A Kaur 1 , RK Aulakh 1 and N Rani 2 1 Department of Zoology, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141004, Punjab, India 2 School of Organic Farming, College of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141004, Punjab, India Correspondence for materials should be addressed to RKA (email: randeepk@pau.edu) Abstract Earthworms form an integral part of the soil ecosystem, contributing to the development of soil structure, nutrient cycling, pedogenesis, water regulation and pollution remediation. The present study is an attempt to assess the earthworm abundance and diversity in the different cropping systems (basmati-wheat, basmati-chickpea, soybean-wheat, moong-wheat) under organic and conventional farming systems in the fields of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The four earthworm species found during the study period are Metaphire posthuma, Lampito mauritti, Amynthas morrisi and Travoscolides chengannur which belong to two families - Megascolicidae and Octochateidae. Out of these Travoscolides chengannur was reported for the first time in Punjab. The results indicated that richer earthworm diversity is found in the organic farming systems as compared to the conventional farming systems. The annual overall abundance of earthworms in kharif season i.e. M. posthuma (61.75) was found in basmati rice-wheat, (62.75) in basmati rice-chickpea, (36.5) in soyabean-wheat, (43.5) in moong-wheat cropping systems in the organic farming. This abundance was higher as compared to the conventional farming as found (8.2) in basmati rice-wheat, (9.2) both in basmati rice-chickpea and soyabean-wheat, (8.2) in moong-wheat cropping systems (Rabi). The same trend was found for other species. The current study demonstrates that conventional farming management practices such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides negatively influence the earthworm population, which could explain the existence of fewer earthworm species in conventional fields. Keywords: Earthworms; Abundance; Diversity, Organic farming; Conventional farming; Travoscolides chengannur Introduction Earthworms belong to Phylum Annelida, Class Oligochaeta and Family Lumbricidae. Inside the phylum Annelida, three important categories have been traditionally acknowledged. These include Polychaeta, Oligochaeta and Hirudinea. Talking about their phylogenetic relationship, Oligochaeta has evolved from Polychaeta (Struck et al., 2011). The various land use patterns have affected the diversity and abundance of earthworms. The attention of many researchers has been drawn to aboveground biodiversity, but scientific knowledge on soil species has remained ignored and their possible benefits have not been completely achieved (Rossi and Blanchart, 2005). Different studies have shown that changes in land use structures have impacted the structure, functionality and dynamics of soil species with a major effect on critical soil functions (Decaens, 2010). Normal and relatively undisturbed habitats foster a wide range of earthworms due to the availability of adequate niches for them. RESEARCH PAPER OPEN ACCESS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ARCHIVES ISSN: 2583-5092 Volume III Issue 1, 2024