Journal
PEDOBIOLOGIA
Volume 44, Issue 1, Pages 24-32Publisher
ELSEVIER GMBH
DOI: 10.1078/S0031-4056(04)70025-6
Keywords
Eisenia andrei; earthworms; sewage sludge; bulking agents; growth rate; reproduction
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The effect of different residual bulking agents (paper, cardboard, grass clippings, pine needles, sawdust and food wastes) in mixtures with sewage sludge (1:1 dry weight) on the growth and reproduction of Eisenia andrei, Bouche 1972 was studied in small-scale laboratory experiments with batches of sixty earthworms. The maximum weight achieved and the highest growth rate were attained in the mixture with food waste (755+/-18 mg and 18.6+/-0.6 mg day(-1) respectively) whereas the smallest size and the lowest growth rate was achieved in the mixture of sewage sludge with sawdust (572+/-18 mg and 11+/-0.7 mg day(-1) respectively). The earthworms showed much higher reproductive rates in the paper and cardboard mixtures (2.82+/-0.39 and 3.19+/-0.30 cocoons earthworm(-1) week(-1) respectively) compared to the control with sewage sludge alone (0.05+/-0.01 cocoons earthworm(-1) week(-1)).
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