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True only if tilling has increased recently. The question is, what has changed since the last time the dead fields had earthworms? That's the cause. Reversin
by randcraw 8y ago
True only if tilling has increased recently. The question is, what has changed since the last time the dead fields had earthworms? That's the cause. Reversing or neutralizing that change is the cure.
Let's figure out how to fix this the right way, and now, before the remaining fields die off too.
- gus_massa 8y agoIt's not clear that this is a recent phenom. It's a result of voluntary samples, that cant be compared to a previous situation. It may be useful if they repeat the measurements in the same places, but currently it's more like an internet pool.
- 7952 8y agoIt is possible that population decreases gradually over many years, rather than in a short time frame.
- blubbi 8y agoI don't know the numbers for the UK but here [1] are some numbers for Bavaria with worm counts from a lot of monitoring spots starting in the 80s. (sorry, slides are in German) In the conclusion the author says a connection to the tilling method is likely. (worm numbers in Bavaria actually have increased as more and more farmers have changed away from "full" tilling). [1] https://www.lfu.bayern.de/boden/bodendauerbeobachtung/fachtagung/doc/walter.pdf https://www.lfu.bayern.de/boden/bodendauerbeobachtung/fachta...
- blubbi 8y agoSorry, I should probably add that the worm number also very heavily depends on the kind of ground you have on your fields. In case that is not apparent from the slides ;-)