Abstract
Pot experiments were carried out to assess the nutrient availability of earthworm casts (wormcasts) of Hyperiodrilus africanus that were collected from plots of Dactyladenia barteri, Leucaena leucocephala and Treculia africana grown on an Alfisol (Oxic paleustalf) as affected by drying and grinding, different periods of pre-incubation of ground wormcasts, and fertilizer application. Experiments were carried out using a double pot technique and rice (Oryza sativa) was used as test crop. Wormcasts had a higher nutrient status than corresponding surface soils. Rice grown on wormcasts produced higher shoot dry weight and showed higher nutrient uptake, lower fertilizer response than rice grown on surface soils. Poor rice growth and nutrient uptake when grown on unground wormcasts are attributed to high bulk density of the wormcasts. Preincubation of the wormcasts did not benefit the crop. Drying and grinding and fumigation of wet wormcasts improved rice plant growth and nutrient uptake.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Critchley B R, Cook A G, Critchley U, Perfect T J, Russel-Smith A and Yeadon R 1979 Effects of bush clearing and soil cultivation on the invertebrate fauna of a forest soil in the humid tropics. Pedobiologia 19, 425–438.
Hauser S 1993 Distribution and activity of earthworms and contribution to nutrient recycling in alley cropping. Biol. Fertil. Soils 15, 16–20.
Juo A S R 1981 Selected methods for soil and plant analysisIITA manual seriesno 1. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Kang B T, Akinnifesi F K and Pleysier J L 1994 Effect of agroforestry woody species on earthworm activity and physico-chemical properties of wormcasts. Biol. Fertil. Soils 18 193–199.
Lal R and Cummings D J 1979 Clearing a tropical forest I. Effects on soil and microclimate. Field Crops Res. 2, 91–107.
Lal R and deVleeschauwer D 1982 Influence of tillage methods and fertilizer application on chemical properties of wormcastings in a tropical soil. Soil Till. Res. 2, 37–52.
Lee K E 1985 Earthworms: Their ecology and relationships with soils and land use. Academic Press, London, UK.
Little T M and Hills F J 1978 Agricultural Experimentation: Design and Analysis. John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA. 242p.
Madge D S 1965 Leaf fall and litter disappearance in a tropical forest. Pedobiologia 5, 188–214.
Mulongoy K 1986 Microbial biomass and maize nitrogen uptake under Psophocarpus palustris live mulch grown on a tropical Alfisol. Soil Biol. Biochem. 18, 395–398.
Mulongoy K and Bedoret A 1989 Properties of wormcasts and surface soils under various plant covers in the humid tropics. Soil Biol. Biochem. 21, 197–203.
Tian G, Brussaard L and Kang B T 1995 Breakdown of plant residues with contrasting chemical compositions under humid tropical conditions: Effects of earthworms and millipedes. Soil Biol. Biochem. 27, 277–280.
Tian G, Kang B T and Brussaard L 1992 Biological effect of plant residues with contrasting chemical compositions under humid tropical conditions-decomposition and nutrient release. Soil Biol. Biochem. 24, 1051–1060.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kang, B.T., Ojo, A. Nutrient availability of earthworm casts collected from under selected woody agroforestry species. Plant Soil 178, 113–119 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011169
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011169