Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
19
The Use of Earthworms:
Nature's Gift for Utilization of
Organic Wastes in Asia
Radha D. Kale
Department of Zoology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India
CONTENTS
Earthworms are soil macroinvertebrates well known for their contributions to soil formation and
turnover and with a widespread global distribution. The role of earthworms in the breakdown of
organic debris on the soil surface and in soil turnover was first highlighted by Darwin (1881). Since
then, it has taken almost a century to appreciate the important contributions of earthworms to
curbing organic pollution and improving topsoil. This realization, although a long time coming,
has awakened the global human population to the potential for utilizing earthworms for ecological
benefits. Their potential as a biological tool is much better understood; selected species of earth-
worms can facilitate organic farming and make sustainable development a reality. This concept is
gaining priority status as the quality of the soil is increasingly related to its capacity to accept,
store, and recycle nutrients and water. Soil improvement is urgently needed to maintain economic
crop yields and improve environmental quality (Haynes 1997).
Many scientists have realized the possibility of utilizing earthworms to break down organic
wastes, which often have been the causative agents of organic pollution (Edwards 1988; Edwards
and Neuhauser 1988; Dominguez and Edwards 1997; Edwards 1997). By regulating moisture levels
in wastes and mixing the ingredients in ratios that can be accepted by the earthworms, coffee pulp
(Arellano et al. 1994), sugar factory waste (Kale et al. 1994), and pig solids (Dominguez and
Edwards 1997) can all be converted into good-quality soil additives, along with the biomass
production of earthworms.
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