Effects of weed management on soil mites in coffee plantations in a Neotropical environment

Environmental disturbance, as a result of land use change and/or different agricultural practices, may have negative impacts on the richness and abundance of edaphic mites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different weed management methods in coffee plantations on edaphic mites, and to compare these results with mite communities of native forest habitats in southeastern Brazil. Soil samples were taken between the rows of a coffee plantation under different weed management methods, such as without weeding, manual weeding, agricultural grid, contact herbicide (glyphosate), residual herbicide (oxyfluorfen), mechanical tiller, and mechanical mower, and in a native forest area. Weed management affected edaphic mite communities, with the residual herbicide treatment having the greatest impact on species composition, abundance, richness and diversity. The use of manual weeding and the maintenance of unweeded areas were the practices that preserved mite communities closest to those found in native forest habitats. Thus, such practices are recommended as best practices in coffee plantations. Among the studied mites, the groups Oribatida and Mesostigmata were found in all sites, presenting the greatest abundance and richness, and were sensitive to different forms of weed control. On this basis, we suggest these groups as indicators of soil quality in coffee plantations.