were more acidic (lower pHH2O and pHKCl) and had lower NH4
+
and higher Pavailable contents. This could be partially due to the
small quantity of phosphate and urea in the compost and vermicompost,
respectively (Table 1). Earthworms did not influence
the chemical properties of the soil in the mineral or vermicompost
treatments (except CEC which decreased in the presence of
earthworms for the vermicompost treatment). However, the PCA
differentiated the compost treatment in the presence or absence of
earthworms, mainly because of the lower C content in soils inoculated
with earthworms.