Building a food secured Africa
EARTHWORMS IN THE SOIL: A BLESSING OR A THREAT? Earthworms according to Wikipedia, are terrestrial invertebrates that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. They occur worldwide where soil, water, and temperature allow.
Earthworms can be found literally in our environment and can be seen each time we turn the soil soil either during tilling, digging or weeding. One can begin to wonder what on earth are these worms useful for? Are they harmful to the crops or should the be left unharmed?
However, earthworms plays vital roles in ensuring the soil is suitable for the growth and development of the plants as well as other benefits listed below;
Earthworms helps to improve soil drainage
Earthworms channel and burrow extensively, which aerates and loosens the soil and enhances soil drainage. Soils with earthworms can drain up to ten times more quickly than soils without earthworms. Water infiltration can be up to six times greater in zero-till soils than in cultivated soils, where worm populations are large.
Earthworms helps to improve soil structure.
In order to create water-resistant aggregates, earthworms cement soil particles together. These have the capacity to retain moisture without leaking it.
Earthworms helps to improve the availability of soil nutrients.
Earthworms feed on plant debris such as dear roots, grasses, leaves, manure and the soil. Their casts are richer in readily available nutrients than the soil surrounding them because their digestive tract concentrates the organic and mineral components in the food they eat. The castings contain nitrogen that plants may easily access. The quick decomposition of worm carcasses increases the amount of nitrogen in the soil.
Earthworms helps to improve productivity.
The activities of earthworms in the soil fosters a medium for available nutrients, good growth and plant development hence, enabling them produce to their maximum.
All these benefits derived from the presence and activities of earthworms in the soil has made them a blessing to a farmer and not a threat.
I understand you would be interested in knowing more about how you can sustain the population of the earthworms in your environment and also learn ways to introduce earthworms to your farm in cases whereby your environment is lacking earthworms.
Kindly watch out for the second part of this article which further explains the above mentioned.
For more insight, kindly visit
- How earthworms can help your soil. Department of Primary Industries. https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/soils/guides/soil-biology/