Journal of Environmental Biology

Effects of five earthworm species on some

physico-chemical properties of soil

Author Details

P.S. Chaudhuri

(Corresponding author)

Department of Zoology, Tripura University, Tripura - 799 022, India

e-mail: priya_1956@rediffmail.com

T.K. Pal

Rubber Research Institute of India, Regional Research Station, Agartala - 799 006, India

Sabyasachi Nath

Department of Zoology, Maharaja Bir Bikram College, Agartala - 799 004, India

S.K. Dey

Rubber Research Institute of India, Regional Research Station, Agartala - 799 006, India

Publication Data

Paper received:

25 October 2010

Revised received:

25 April 2011

Re-revised received:

18 May 2011

Accepted:

26 May 2011

Abstract

An incubation experiment was conducted to study the changes that occur in organic carbon content, phosphorous and potassium availability and other soil properties with ingestion of soil mixed with rubber leaf litter and cow dung by five earthworm species viz. Pontoscolex corethrurus, Drawida assamensis, Drawida papillifer papillifer, Eutyphoeus comillahnus and Metaphire houlleti of rubber plantation in Tripura (India). Due to earthworm activity organic C (1.56-1.63%) and available P (14.71-27.60 mg 100 g^-1) and K (43.50-49.0 mg 100 g^-1) content of the soil increased significantly (p<0.05) in most of the earthworm species studied. M. houlleti and D. papillifer papillifer had the highest P (27.60 mg 100 g^-1) and K (49.0 mg 100 g^-1) mobilization capacity, respectively. Earthworms, irrespective of the species, increased the pH (7.05-7.17) and electrical conductivity (663-1383 ?S cm^-1) of the soil significantly (p<0.05).

Key words

Rubber plantation, Soil, Physico-chemical properties, Earthworm cast?

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