Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2009
Soil fauna of irrigated olive and vine farms and a rain-fed farm at the Egyptian western desert were surveyed and analysed between September 1977 and August 1978. In samples from these farms, Collembola and Acari constituted the highest fraction of total arthropod fauna while Aranea, Myriapoda, Crustacea, and Pseudoscorpionida comprised the lowest fractions. Populations of annelids and nematodes differed from one farm to another. The study revealed that plant cover, irrigation system, human interference and the physical and chemical properties exerted a considerable effect on the number and type of soil fauna components at each farm.