Mr. Hoang Van Phuc in Loc Dien commune (Phu Loc) shared that many farmers said that, at one time, due to the lack of nutritious food sources for poultry breeds, many farmers exploited earthworms as food. For many years now, when there are many types of nutritional supplements for poultry breeds and some livestock on the market, with reasonable prices, people no longer exploit earthworms. Some households produce earthworms themselves to serve their livestock, completely independent of natural sources of worms.
Chairman of Loc Dien Commune People's Committee (Phu Loc), Mr. Hoang Sa, said that there is no shortage of nutritious feed for livestock and poultry on the market today. Livestock farmers absolutely do not use earthworms as feed for livestock and poultry as before. Moreover, through propaganda campaigns on the harmful effects of exploiting earthworms as well as the role of earthworms in the environment, people's awareness of protecting earthworms is increasing.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Duc, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, informed and disseminated information about the harmful effects and measures to protect earthworms to people, which is a regular and periodic activity for the agricultural sector. Recently, in some provinces, there has been a situation of electric shock destroying earthworms. The provincial agricultural sector, together with localities, organized inspections and supervision. As of August 15, no destructive exploitation of earthworms has been detected.
According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Duc, research and analysis by environmental experts show that earthworms contribute greatly to the protection and improvement of agricultural soil environment. The density of earthworms also shows the activity of organisms and microorganisms that are beneficial to plants, such as bacteria and antagonistic fungi, in the soil. Where earthworms live in large numbers, the quality of the soil is clean, healthy and fertile.
For fertile soil, the number of worms ranges from 300-500/m2. The more worms there are, the better the soil quality in that area. In addition, a high density of worms in the soil also implicitly displays the natural life activities of organisms such as bacteria and fungi, making the soil loose and airy, thus directly affecting the growth of crops, soil structure and carbon cycle.
Earthworms help build soil layers, improving the ability to provide nutrients. Worm castings provide humus, calcium and potassium salts that are easily absorbed by plants. At the same time, they contribute to converting acidic, alkaline or salty soil environments to neutral environments, balancing the pH in the soil suitable for plant growth and development.
When worms move and dig holes, they create gaps in the soil, making the soil loose, airy, not waterlogged, and the air in the soil circulates, helping plants receive oxygen and the respiratory process to take place smoothly. When worms die, their bodies decompose and create nitrogen for the soil to absorb.
Earthworms also have the ability to help destroy bacteria and fungi that are harmful to the soil and cause diseases in plants. Because when they eat dry, rotten leaves, they also digest mold and harmful bacteria, and their feces are the best environment for beneficial microorganisms to grow.
Recognizing the important role of earthworms in agricultural production, in recent times, the provincial agricultural sector has implemented many synchronous measures to maintain and protect the development of earthworms in the best way. Earthworms are very afraid of pesticides, when these chemicals seep into the soil, they will poison and kill the worms. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the use of pesticides in agricultural production, and can be replaced with biological drugs that do not harm worms, soil ecosystems and ensure human health.
What earthworms need is to provide them with enough biomass, moderate temperature and enough moisture. So it is necessary to have a layer of soil cover with organic mulch materials, or plant cover crops to create a layer of vegetation, combined with providing food sources for earthworms through trimming grass and dead plants.
Earthworms use up to 20% of their body weight each day to produce mucus in their feces, so they need a certain amount of water to survive. Decomposed organic waste (humus) helps retain moisture in the soil, which is very good for earthworms. During dry periods, some earthworm species move deep into the soil and “hibernate” until the rainy season “activates” them.
Earthworms need a relatively well-ventilated soil environment, so it is necessary to ensure that the soil has good drainage, or is located in a high position to avoid waterlogging which will kill the worms, or cause them to move to another place... In addition to the above conservation and protection measures, according to Mr. Duc, it is necessary to strictly prohibit the exploitation of earthworms in any form.
| Earthworms do not like acidic soils with a pH below 4.5. Using a soil conditioner called SEA (a biological product) helps to adjust the pH to neutral, creating favorable conditions for earthworms to thrive. Research in South Australia showed that earthworm numbers doubled when the pH was maintained at 4.1 to 6.7... |
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