Journal of Environmental Biology

Diversity of microflora in the gut and casts of tropical composting earthworms reared on different substrates

K. Parthasarathi*¹, L.S. Ranganathan¹, V.Anandi²  and Josef Zeyer³

¹Division of Vermibiotechnology, Department of Zoology, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar - 608 002, India

²Department of Microbiology, Rajah Muthiah Medical College, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar – 608 002, India

³Institute für Terrestr. Ökologie, Eidg. Techn. Hochschule, Grabenstrasse 3, CH – 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland

(Received: May 2, 2005 ; Revised received: November 29, 2005 ; Accepted: December 17, 2005)

Abstract: The diversity of fungi, bacteria, yeast, actinomycetes and protozoa were analysed in the gut and casts of Eudrilus eugeniae, Lampito mauritii, Eisenia fetida and Perionyx excavatus, both qualitatively and quantitatively as influenced by different feed substrates like clay loam soil, cowdung and pressmud. While actinomycetes (Streptomyces albus, S.somaliensis, Nocardia asteroides, N.caviae and Saccharomonosporia) were not digested by any of these species of worms, protozoa (Amoeba proteus, A.terricola, Paramecium trichium, Euglena viridis, E. orientalis, Vorticella picta and Trichomonas hominis) and yeast (Candida tropicalis, C.krusei, C.albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans) were totally digested.  Certain species of fungi (Saksenae vasiformis, Mucor plumbeus, Cladosporium carrionii, C. herbacium, Alternaria sp., Cunninghamella echinulata, Mycetia sterila, Syncephalostrum racemosum, Curvalaria lunata, C. geniculata and Geotrichum candidum) and bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacterium antitratum, Mima polymorpha, Enterobacter aerogenes, E. cloacae, Proteus vulgaris, P. mirabilis, P.rettgeri, Escherichia coli, Staphylococus citreus, Bacillus subtilis, B.cereus, Enterococci and Micrococci) were completely digested.  Certain other species were not digested fungi like Aspergillus fumigatus, A.flavus, A.ochraceous, Trichoderma koningii  (except by E.eugeniae), Fusarium moniliforme (except by E. eugeniae) and Rhizopus sp., and bacteria like Klebsiella pneumoniae and Morganella morganii) and these were multiplied during the transit of the organic residues through the gut of worms. The microbial proliferation was more in the casts, due to the environment prevailing - rich in nutrient supply and large surface area available for growth and reproduction of the microbes that lead to enhanced microbial activity and humic acid contents in the casts.

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