Peatland is an important ecosystem in Indonesia.But in almost every dry season,drained peatlands have been subject to detrimental wildfires.As a response,the government has explicitly prohibited the burning of land si...Peatland is an important ecosystem in Indonesia.But in almost every dry season,drained peatlands have been subject to detrimental wildfires.As a response,the government has explicitly prohibited the burning of land since 2016.To clear the land of crop residues and conduct zero burning practices,one alternative method is to utilize the waste biomass to support the cultivation of earthworms(vermiculture).This study examined the quality of liquid fertilizers and compost produced from vermiculture using a completely randomized factorial design,consisting of two treatment factors.The first factor was worm type,with two species used in this research named Lumbricus rubellus and Eudrilus eugeniae.The second factor was the type of feed provided to the worms,comprising no feed(control),vegetable waste,and crop residue waste resulting from zero burning land preparation.The type of feed significantly affected the pH value of the liquid fertilizer produced by the vermiculture but did not significantly affect the nutrient contents(N,P,and K).The combination of the types of earthworms and types of feed significantly affected the pH value of the vermicompost.The combination of worm types and feed types had a significant effect on exchangeable Ca,but not on exchangeable Mg,Na,and K.In combination,green vegetable waste and Lumbricus rubellus produced the greatest effect on soil CEC.However,for Base Saturation,the control(no food)and Eudrilus eugeniae showed the highest value.Types of worms and types of feed had a significant effect on the exchangeable Mg,while the other three parameters made no significant differences.Zero burning waste and Eudrilus eugeniae provide a better exchangeable Ca and Mg.In contrast,no-feeding and Eudrilus eugeniae have a better effect on exchangeable Na and K.Types of worms and types of feed did not significantly affect the weight of worm colonies,but the addition of feed increased the weight of worms with the highest weight resulting from the use of zero burning waste feed.The results showed that crop展开更多
Eudrilus eugeniae （Kinberg）, well known vermicomposting earthworms, are often subjected to predator attacks leading to loss of body parts due to their surface living habit. Thus nature has gifted them the power of r...Eudrilus eugeniae （Kinberg）, well known vermicomposting earthworms, are often subjected to predator attacks leading to loss of body parts due to their surface living habit. Thus nature has gifted them the power of regeneration of lost body parts. As neurosecretion is the sole source of hormone in oligochaetes, we hypothesize that neurohormone secreted from the neurosecretory cells of the central nervous system （CNS） will control the phenomenon of regeneration in earthworms. In Eudrilus eugeniae, appearance of regeneration blastema was noticed within 72 h of posterior amputation. In fact, posterior amputation brought about multiple cytoplasmic alteration in the neurosecretory cells （NSCs） viz. deep stained A cells and moderately stained B cells in cerebral ganglia, deep stained ＇U＇ cells and moderately stained B cells in the sub-esophageal and ventral nerve cord ganglia. Massive depletion followed by marginal accumulation of NSM in the NSCs following 24 h and 48 h of amputation were recorded. Thereafter （72 h and 96 h of amputation） moderate to massive engorgement of NSM in the B cells, coupled with spectacular increase in number of A cells were noticed. Sequential changes involved in the secretory dynamics of NSCs, as well as, NSM accumulation both within and periphery of the ganglia （perineurium） provides evidence for the utilization of materials through repaired vascular systems during posterior regeneration in E. eugeniae.展开更多
Generally discharges from on-site sanitation （OSS） system could be a source of pollution to the environment if not well managed. This work illustrates the potential of subsurface infiltration to treat secondary effl...Generally discharges from on-site sanitation （OSS） system could be a source of pollution to the environment if not well managed. This work illustrates the potential of subsurface infiltration to treat secondary effluent from a novel on-site vermi-biofiltration system called the Biofil Toilet Technology （BTT）. In practice, the BTT effluent is discharged via sub-surface infiltration. The focus of the research was to determine possible contaminant removal within the first 1.5 m depth of soil column. To achieve this objective, laboratory scale soil columns were designed and constructed for the treatment of secondary domestic wastewater from the BTT. Four different soil columns, each with 1.5 m depth of soil （sandy soil--SS, loamy soil--LS, clayey soil----CS, and red laterite soil--RLS） and fifth column with 0.45 m multi-layer sand filter were constructed and characterized. The columns were fed with the BTT effluent and sampled at ports spaced at 0.3 m, 0.8 m, and 1.5 m depths. Using the samples, parameters like COD, BODs, TSS, T-N, NO3-N, NO2-N, PO4-P, and pathogenic indicator microbes were monitored. RLS and SS columns efficiently removed COD, BODs, and TSS from the BTT effluent below the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency （GH EPA） guideline values. Up to 99% COD removal were observed in RLS column. A two to five log pathogen removal was recorded for the soil columns. The RLS and SS were found to have a high efficacy for contaminant removal with up to 80% of all contaminants being removed at a depth of 0.3 m along the soil columns. Thus the subsurface infiltration system can serve as a promising technology for the BTT effluent treatment. The study recommends the incorporation of infiltration systems to the BTT especially for areas with high water table or clayey soils.展开更多
The ingestion of organic and mineral materials by earthworms is a prominent functional role that has profound consequences for the decomposition and stabilization of soil organic matter.To investigate the litter consu...The ingestion of organic and mineral materials by earthworms is a prominent functional role that has profound consequences for the decomposition and stabilization of soil organic matter.To investigate the litter consumption of the African nightcrawler earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae under different tropical conditions,we used DNA barcoding to identify specimens of E.eugeniae collected from sites across the Adamawa region in Cameroon,and studied the influence of habitat suitability(soil properties),soil moisture,litter type,and population density on litter consumption.A total of four litter consumption experiments were carried out using soils collected from refuse disposal sites,agricultural lands,and savannahs dominated by the Mexican sunflower Tithonia diversifolia.The results revealed that litter consumption significantly increased in the refuse disposal and agricultural soils as opposed to the Mexican sunflower(T.diversifolia)soil,a cow dung enriched substrate,and a sterile soil horizon from the savannah(P<0.05).The optimum moistures for litter consumption were between 24%and 50%.Litter type did not affect the consumption rate of the earthworms(P>0.05).We observed a general positive density-dependent consumption with litter mass loss increasing with increasing density.Our results suggest that E.eugeniae has a strong direct effect on the decomposition of plant materials than expected from previous estimations,and that litter consumption rates are determined by several habitat components and population density.展开更多
文摘Peatland is an important ecosystem in Indonesia.But in almost every dry season,drained peatlands have been subject to detrimental wildfires.As a response,the government has explicitly prohibited the burning of land since 2016.To clear the land of crop residues and conduct zero burning practices,one alternative method is to utilize the waste biomass to support the cultivation of earthworms(vermiculture).This study examined the quality of liquid fertilizers and compost produced from vermiculture using a completely randomized factorial design,consisting of two treatment factors.The first factor was worm type,with two species used in this research named Lumbricus rubellus and Eudrilus eugeniae.The second factor was the type of feed provided to the worms,comprising no feed(control),vegetable waste,and crop residue waste resulting from zero burning land preparation.The type of feed significantly affected the pH value of the liquid fertilizer produced by the vermiculture but did not significantly affect the nutrient contents(N,P,and K).The combination of the types of earthworms and types of feed significantly affected the pH value of the vermicompost.The combination of worm types and feed types had a significant effect on exchangeable Ca,but not on exchangeable Mg,Na,and K.In combination,green vegetable waste and Lumbricus rubellus produced the greatest effect on soil CEC.However,for Base Saturation,the control(no food)and Eudrilus eugeniae showed the highest value.Types of worms and types of feed had a significant effect on the exchangeable Mg,while the other three parameters made no significant differences.Zero burning waste and Eudrilus eugeniae provide a better exchangeable Ca and Mg.In contrast,no-feeding and Eudrilus eugeniae have a better effect on exchangeable Na and K.Types of worms and types of feed did not significantly affect the weight of worm colonies,but the addition of feed increased the weight of worms with the highest weight resulting from the use of zero burning waste feed.The results showed that crop
文摘Eudrilus eugeniae （Kinberg）, well known vermicomposting earthworms, are often subjected to predator attacks leading to loss of body parts due to their surface living habit. Thus nature has gifted them the power of regeneration of lost body parts. As neurosecretion is the sole source of hormone in oligochaetes, we hypothesize that neurohormone secreted from the neurosecretory cells of the central nervous system （CNS） will control the phenomenon of regeneration in earthworms. In Eudrilus eugeniae, appearance of regeneration blastema was noticed within 72 h of posterior amputation. In fact, posterior amputation brought about multiple cytoplasmic alteration in the neurosecretory cells （NSCs） viz. deep stained A cells and moderately stained B cells in cerebral ganglia, deep stained ＇U＇ cells and moderately stained B cells in the sub-esophageal and ventral nerve cord ganglia. Massive depletion followed by marginal accumulation of NSM in the NSCs following 24 h and 48 h of amputation were recorded. Thereafter （72 h and 96 h of amputation） moderate to massive engorgement of NSM in the B cells, coupled with spectacular increase in number of A cells were noticed. Sequential changes involved in the secretory dynamics of NSCs, as well as, NSM accumulation both within and periphery of the ganglia （perineurium） provides evidence for the utilization of materials through repaired vascular systems during posterior regeneration in E. eugeniae.
文摘Generally discharges from on-site sanitation （OSS） system could be a source of pollution to the environment if not well managed. This work illustrates the potential of subsurface infiltration to treat secondary effluent from a novel on-site vermi-biofiltration system called the Biofil Toilet Technology （BTT）. In practice, the BTT effluent is discharged via sub-surface infiltration. The focus of the research was to determine possible contaminant removal within the first 1.5 m depth of soil column. To achieve this objective, laboratory scale soil columns were designed and constructed for the treatment of secondary domestic wastewater from the BTT. Four different soil columns, each with 1.5 m depth of soil （sandy soil--SS, loamy soil--LS, clayey soil----CS, and red laterite soil--RLS） and fifth column with 0.45 m multi-layer sand filter were constructed and characterized. The columns were fed with the BTT effluent and sampled at ports spaced at 0.3 m, 0.8 m, and 1.5 m depths. Using the samples, parameters like COD, BODs, TSS, T-N, NO3-N, NO2-N, PO4-P, and pathogenic indicator microbes were monitored. RLS and SS columns efficiently removed COD, BODs, and TSS from the BTT effluent below the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency （GH EPA） guideline values. Up to 99% COD removal were observed in RLS column. A two to five log pathogen removal was recorded for the soil columns. The RLS and SS were found to have a high efficacy for contaminant removal with up to 80% of all contaminants being removed at a depth of 0.3 m along the soil columns. Thus the subsurface infiltration system can serve as a promising technology for the BTT effluent treatment. The study recommends the incorporation of infiltration systems to the BTT especially for areas with high water table or clayey soils.
基金This work is based on the research supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa(Grant No.110858)a SANBI-FBIP South Africa grant to P.Voua Otomo(FBIP Small Grant FBIS160602167227).
文摘The ingestion of organic and mineral materials by earthworms is a prominent functional role that has profound consequences for the decomposition and stabilization of soil organic matter.To investigate the litter consumption of the African nightcrawler earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae under different tropical conditions,we used DNA barcoding to identify specimens of E.eugeniae collected from sites across the Adamawa region in Cameroon,and studied the influence of habitat suitability(soil properties),soil moisture,litter type,and population density on litter consumption.A total of four litter consumption experiments were carried out using soils collected from refuse disposal sites,agricultural lands,and savannahs dominated by the Mexican sunflower Tithonia diversifolia.The results revealed that litter consumption significantly increased in the refuse disposal and agricultural soils as opposed to the Mexican sunflower(T.diversifolia)soil,a cow dung enriched substrate,and a sterile soil horizon from the savannah(P<0.05).The optimum moistures for litter consumption were between 24%and 50%.Litter type did not affect the consumption rate of the earthworms(P>0.05).We observed a general positive density-dependent consumption with litter mass loss increasing with increasing density.Our results suggest that E.eugeniae has a strong direct effect on the decomposition of plant materials than expected from previous estimations,and that litter consumption rates are determined by several habitat components and population density.
