Vermiculture in Egypt: - FAO - Regional Office for the Near East and

General information and FAQ
WORM FACTS
Annex 1
SMALLEST: Less than an inch
LARGEST: 22 Foot found in South Africa
An earthworm has a brain, five hearts, and “ breathes” through its skin
An earthworm produces its own weight in casts everyday
There are over 1 million earthworms in one acre of soil
Earthworms can burrow as deep as fifteen feet
Earthworms are 82% protein and are a food source for many people around the
world
Eating earthworms can reduce cholesterol, as the basic essential oil of
earthworms is Omega 3
Benefits of Earthworms
Increased moisture absorption
Improved soil aeration and drainage
Leaching counteracted by nutrient-rich castingsbrought to the surface
Nutrients are pre-digested, making them readily available to microorganisms
and plants
Worm castings form aggregates which improve soil structure
Castings neutralize soil by buffering acid and alkaline conditions
Worm tunnels create fertile channels for the growth of plant roots
The bottom line: Earthworms increase crop yields while building soil fertility
reserves.
FAQ Compost Worm -
Do compost worms also eat normal earth or only rotting organic material?
Although the compost worms Eisenia foetida and Eisenia andrei are not commonly
found in mineral grounds, scientific investigations show that they also eat mineral
earth. However, they select an organic enriched fraction from the bulk soil
(approximately by a factor 2), which is also typical for soil dwelling worms.
Therefore, compost worms can also be used to clean contaminated mineral grounds.
Can compost worms be used for decontamination of mineral soils?
Yes, because they eat mineral soils too. Experiments were done with the harbour
sludge of Rotterdam.
Eisenia andrei is commonly used in standard toxcicity tests and in bioassays for
contaminated soils (Cortet et al., 1999).
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