Determination of the soil health status of wheat fields in Tekirdağ, Türkiye, based on nematode diversity

Objective: A study was conducted in wheat cultivation areas in Tekirdağ to estimate the soil health of fields using nematode biodiversity indices. Material and Methods: In the study, nematode taxa identified in wheat fields were subjected to community and food web analyses and several indices were calculated to determine the health status of soils in sampled areas. Results and Conclusion Nematodes belonging to 41 genera were identified in wheat fields. The mean values of 10 biodiversity indices calculated in each sampled field were as follows; the Maturity index (MI): 2.26±0.28; the Maturity index MI2-5: 2.32±0.33; the Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H′): 2.03±0.24, the Evennes (J′): 0.90±0.06, the Genera Richness index (GR): 8.32±3.17, the Channel index (CI): 91±20.44; the Basal index (BI): 42.35±12.66; the Enrichment index (EI): 41.93±14.3, the Structure index (SI): 33.6±26.49 and the Plant-parasitic (PPI) index: 2.89±0.17. The nematode faunal indices indicate that 21% of surveyed wheat fields have well-developed and 79% have degraded soil profiles.