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dc.contributor.authorSinha, RK
dc.contributor.authorHerat, S
dc.contributor.authorAgarwal, S
dc.contributor.authorAsadi, R
dc.contributor.authorCarretero, E
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-03T11:46:39Z
dc.date.available2017-05-03T11:46:39Z
dc.date.issued2002
dc.date.modified2010-08-24T06:50:47Z
dc.identifier.issn0251-1088
dc.identifier.doi10.1023/A:1016583929723
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/32788
dc.description.abstractThe practice of vermiculture is at least a century old but it is now being revived worldwide with diverse ecological objectives such as waste management, soil detoxification and regeneration and sustainable agriculture. Earthworms act in the soil as aerators, grinders, crushers, chemical degraders and biological stimulators. They secrete enzymes, proteases, lipases, amylases, cellulases and chitinases which bring about rapid biochemical conversion of the cellulosic and the proteinaceous materials in the variety of organic wastes which originate from homes, gardens, dairies and farms. The process is odour free because earthworms release coelomic fluids in the decaying waste biomass which has anti-bacterial properties which kills pathogens. The species used in India were Indian blue (Perionyx excavatus), African night crawler (Eudrilus euginae) and the Tiger worm (Elsinia foetida). E. foetida was used in Australia. E. euginae was found to have higher feeding, growth and biodegradation capacity compared to other two species. Earthworm action was shown to enhance natural biodegradation and decomposition of wastes (60-80 percent under optimum conditions), thus significantly reducing the composting time by several weeks. Within 5 to 6 weeks, 95-100 percent degradation of all cellulosic materials was achieved. Even hard fruit and egg shells and bones can be degraded, although these may take longer.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.format.extent73739 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherKluwer Academic Publishers
dc.publisher.placeNetherlands
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom261
dc.relation.ispartofpageto268
dc.relation.ispartofissue3
dc.relation.ispartofjournalThe Environmentalist
dc.relation.ispartofvolume22
dc.subject.fieldofresearchEnvironmental sciences
dc.subject.fieldofresearchHuman society
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode41
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode44
dc.titleVermiculture and waste management: study of action of earthworms Elsinia foetida, Eudrilus euginae and Perionyx excavatus on biodegradation of some community wastes in India and Australia
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dc.type.codeC - Journal Articles
gro.facultyGriffith Sciences, Griffith School of Engineering
gro.rights.copyright© 2002 Springer Netherlands. This is an electronic version of an article published in The Environmentalist Volume 22, Number 3, 261-268. The Environmentalist is available online at: http://www.springerlink.com/ with the open URL of your article.
gro.date.issued2002
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
gro.griffith.authorHerat, Sunil S.


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