Rapid recolonization of agricultural soil by microarthropods after steam disinfestation

Steam disinfestation of soil is attracting growing interest in intensive agriculture, because of the increasing demand of reduced use of fumigants. In this study, we assessed the effect of steam application on the microarthropod community, a fundamental component of soil environment. We conducted steam disinfestation treatments in experimental parcels, where we sampled for edaphic microarthropods on one date before and on four dates after the treatments. Our results showed that edaphic fauna quickly recolonized the disinfested soil, re-establishing dense and rich communities after 45 days. These results support the low environmental impact of this technique and thus could be used for certification of the eco-biological sustainability of steam treatment in organic farming.