Effect of Industrial Effluent on the Population Structure of Soil Microarthropods at Bokaro Steel Plant Area, Jharkhand-A Preliminary Survey

A field survey was conducted in and around Bokaro steel plant area, Jharkhand, India to know the effect of continuous discharge of steel plant effluents on the soil microarthropods. The density and diversity of soil microarthropods are low nearer to the steel plant area compared to those of the distant sites. Acari was the predominant group followed by the Collembola and other soil microarthropods are few in number. The soil factors like temperature, relative humidity, moisture, pH and organic carbon have also been conducted. The relationship between soil microarthropods and these physico-chemical parameters is analyzed statistically.