~ 961 ~ Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2018; 6(2): 961-966 E-ISSN: 2320-7078 P-ISSN: 2349-6800 JEZS 2018; 6(2): 961-966 © 2018 JEZS Received: 11-01-2018 Accepted: 12-02-2018 Abroo Ali Department of Environmental Science, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu Kashmir, India GA Bhat Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu Kashmir, India Correspondence Abroo Ali Department of Environmental Science, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu Kashmir, India Composition and diversity of soil macrofauna in saffron fields of Pampore, Kashmir Abroo Ali and GA Bhat Abstract Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) has a significant place in agricultural economy of Kashmir, but it has remained under exploited and unrefined and needs to be managed to increase and sustain its yield. This study assessed the diversity and composition of macrofauna and effect of intercropping on the same. Macro fauna was sampled in transects, for which the ideal size was 40 x 4m in accordance to Anderson and Ingram (1993) [4] . During the study a total of 33 taxa, belonging to 19 families, 9 orders, 5 classes and 2 phyla were recorded. Amid the entire developing season, Shannon wiener index of 0.99 ± 0.05 was recorded for the macro faunal community of the study area. The area was found to be more diverse in terms of genera belonging to order Coleoptera with a diversity index of 0.76 ± 0.13. Results additionally pointed almond intercropping in saffron field did not conspicuously affect the diversity and the composition of soil macrofauna. As no examination in such manner has been directed, it will go about as basic and standard information for future investigations to help decision makers and managers to take wise choices while dealing the saffron agro frameworks, to maintain them. Keywords: bioindicator, intercrop, diversity, macrofauna, monoculture, soil, saffron Introduction Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) has a significant place in agricultural economy of Kashmir as it is the most noteworthy estimated flavor and highly priced spice in the world. As revealed by Kamili and Wani (2006) [25] , the crop has remained under exploited and unrefined. The intensive cultivation and monoculture of saffron in saffron-growing belts of the Kashmir valley is prompting to nutrient depletion and pest infestations reported in many investigations (Nehvi, 2003; Zaki and Mantoo, 2008; Kirmani, 2010) [35, 52] . What is more, disappointment in irrigation system at time of growing season has expanded the input costs in development of the yield (Munshi et al., 2002; Kirmani, 2010; Nehvi and Makhdoomi, 2007b) [33] . This has brought about the region under saffron development from past years. This investigation was an endeavor to investigate the impacts of intercropping almond in the saffron fields. Monocultures are a case of agro biological systems with low diversity and might be more susceptible to pest or disease outbreaks (Theunissen, 1994; Rusch et al., 2016) [46, 42] . Perennial plants intercropped with yearly harvests, can enhance the sustainability of those cropping systems which support low diversity agro ecosystems. Biodiversity conservation in agricultural ecosystems is of growing concern, since it is essential to support and sustain ecosystem services (Altieri, 1999; Norris, 2008) [2, 36] . Bioindication exists as a valued tool, as it empowers the appraisal of protection of an ecosystem in light of the living organisms that it comprises. Soil macro fauna specifically, has been seen to express as delicate markers to modifications in plant cover (Lavelle and Pashanasi, 1989; Mathieu et al., 2005; Sileshi et al., 2008) [28, 32, 43] and can, thus, have considerable impacts on soil processes. A few investigations utilized arthropods as bioindicators, generally pointing on a particular group. For some arthropods, survival in agrosystems relies upon the suitability of the habitat, which in turn is sturdily affected by agricultural management, along with the characteristics of the surrounding landscape (Jeanneret et al., 2003) [23] . Many authors have proposed the deployment of higher taxonomic levels, such as order or family in addition to lower (Balmford et al., 1996; Biaggini et al., 2007; Cotes et al., 2011) [7, 9, 13] , to develop bioindication methods. Most farming practices are detrimental having effect on the Soil macro fauna. Cover crops can turn out to be a noteworthy way of conserving beneficial insects and