Evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis
Earthworms are soil dwellers that have profound effects on soil ecosystem. Their feeding and burrowing activities help to incorporate soil particles with organic matter and redistribute them back into the soil via casts. The casts produced enhance microbial activities in soil that promote nutrient c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Academic Journals
2012
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/22426/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/22426/1/Evaluation%20on%20physical%2C%20chemical%20and%20biological.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848844481358462976 |
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| author | Teng, Suk Kuan Abd Aziz, Nor Azwady Mustafa, Muskhazli Abd. Aziz, Suraini Yan, Yi Wei |
| author_facet | Teng, Suk Kuan Abd Aziz, Nor Azwady Mustafa, Muskhazli Abd. Aziz, Suraini Yan, Yi Wei |
| author_sort | Teng, Suk Kuan |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Earthworms are soil dwellers that have profound effects on soil ecosystem. Their feeding and burrowing activities help to incorporate soil particles with organic matter and redistribute them back into the soil via casts. The casts produced enhance microbial activities in soil that promote nutrient cycling. The present study was carried out to examine the physical, chemical and biological properties of casts produced by soil dwelling earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis. Prior to inoculation of earthworms, the soil was incubated for two weeks at room temperature with moisture content of 20%. Worm worked soil and earthworm casts produced were collected for analysis after one month. Our results demonstrated that earthworm casts contained higher organic matter (9.84 ± 0.60%) and humic acid (1.33 ± 0.25%) compared to bulk soil. Total N, Ca, S, Al and Zn contents were also found to be higher in earthworm casts. Besides that, earthworm casts exhibited higher colony forming units (CFU), indicating the presence of higher microbial population. The study suggested that cast produced by M. tschiliensis tschiliensis could improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil. It also contained higher microbial population compared to soil without earthworm. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T08:31:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-22426 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T08:31:36Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | Academic Journals |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-224262018-10-18T01:47:45Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/22426/ Evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis Teng, Suk Kuan Abd Aziz, Nor Azwady Mustafa, Muskhazli Abd. Aziz, Suraini Yan, Yi Wei Earthworms are soil dwellers that have profound effects on soil ecosystem. Their feeding and burrowing activities help to incorporate soil particles with organic matter and redistribute them back into the soil via casts. The casts produced enhance microbial activities in soil that promote nutrient cycling. The present study was carried out to examine the physical, chemical and biological properties of casts produced by soil dwelling earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis. Prior to inoculation of earthworms, the soil was incubated for two weeks at room temperature with moisture content of 20%. Worm worked soil and earthworm casts produced were collected for analysis after one month. Our results demonstrated that earthworm casts contained higher organic matter (9.84 ± 0.60%) and humic acid (1.33 ± 0.25%) compared to bulk soil. Total N, Ca, S, Al and Zn contents were also found to be higher in earthworm casts. Besides that, earthworm casts exhibited higher colony forming units (CFU), indicating the presence of higher microbial population. The study suggested that cast produced by M. tschiliensis tschiliensis could improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil. It also contained higher microbial population compared to soil without earthworm. Academic Journals 2012-03 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/22426/1/Evaluation%20on%20physical%2C%20chemical%20and%20biological.pdf Teng, Suk Kuan and Abd Aziz, Nor Azwady and Mustafa, Muskhazli and Abd. Aziz, Suraini and Yan, Yi Wei (2012) Evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis. Scientific Research and Essays, 7 (10). art. no. E98932938275. pp. 1169-1174. ISSN 1992-2248 http://www.academicjournals.org/journal/SRE/article-abstract/E98932938275 10.5897/SRE11.2233 |
| spellingShingle | Teng, Suk Kuan Abd Aziz, Nor Azwady Mustafa, Muskhazli Abd. Aziz, Suraini Yan, Yi Wei Evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis |
| title | Evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis |
| title_full | Evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis |
| title_short | Evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, Metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis |
| title_sort | evaluation on physical, chemical and biological properties of casts of geophagous earthworm, metaphire tschiliensis tschiliensis |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/22426/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/22426/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/22426/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/22426/1/Evaluation%20on%20physical%2C%20chemical%20and%20biological.pdf |