What are the conditions required for earthworm farming?
Question: What are the conditions required for earthworm farming?
Answer from Jindi Agricultural Earthworm Farming Base:
The normal growth, development, and reproduction of earthworms require suitable ecological conditions. The conditions needed by different types of earthworms also vary. Here we will focus on introducing the living habits and ecological conditions of the Da Ping No. 3 and our base's new generation of hybrid earthworms.
For high-yield earthworm farming, it is necessary to study and familiarize oneself with the living habits of the farmed earthworms and their required ecological conditions, as well as understand their impact on earthworms.
1. Food
Food is a long-term, critical ecological factor affecting earthworms. Insufficient food can lead to intense competition among earthworms, especially in cases of higher farming density. The increased competition for food among individuals often leads to decreased reproductive capacity, the spread of pests and diseases, increased mortality, and some earthworms escaping. The impact of food on earthworms is not only reflected in the quantity but also in the quality of the food. For example, earthworms that feed on livestock manure produce many more cocoons than those of the same species feeding on coarse fodder (such as wild grass), sometimes even dozens or hundreds of times more. Feeding on decayed or fermented animal-based organic matter results in better feeding effects compared to plant-based organic matter. Furthermore, feeding nitrogen-rich food (such as livestock manure) promotes better growth and reproduction of earthworms compared to nitrogen-poor food (such as straw).
The soil-free farming technique referred to here actually provides all the food for the earthworms, replacing part of the soil that isn't necessary, thus reducing much of the material replacement management. The entire farm is filled with food, which reduces competition and allows for increased farming density.
2. Temperature
Earthworms are poikilothermic animals, meaning their body temperature changes with the external environmental temperature. Therefore, earthworms generally depend more significantly on the environment than homeothermic animals. Environmental temperature not only affects the body temperature and activity of earthworms but also influences their metabolism, growth and development, and reproduction. Moreover, temperature has a significant impact on other living conditions, indirectly affecting earthworms. Thus, temperature is one of the most important living conditions for earthworms.
Generally speaking, the active temperature range for earthworms is between 5-30℃. They enter hibernation at 0-5℃ and die below 0℃. The optimal temperature is around 20-27℃, during which they can grow, develop, and reproduce well. At 28-30℃, they can maintain a certain level of growth; above 32℃, growth stops; below 10℃, their activities become sluggish; and above 40℃, they die. The optimal temperature for cocoon hatching is 18-27℃. It is evident that the lethal temperature for earthworms is lower than for other invertebrates. Farms are preferably indoors. In southern regions, ventilation and humidity maintenance in summer and window-closing insulation in winter allow for year-round normal production (the temperature here refers to the base material temperature, as air temperature differs from base material temperature. For example, when the air temperature is 0℃, the base material temperature is about 12℃; when the air temperature is 38℃, the base material temperature is only about 28℃ due to the high water content in fecal material).
3. Humidity
Earthworms do not have specialized respiratory organs; they breathe through their skin. Therefore, the earthworm's body must remain moist. If placed in a dry environment, the earthworm's skin cannot maintain moisture after a period of time, preventing normal respiration, causing the earthworm to experience spasms and eventually die. Water constitutes a large portion of the earthworm's body, over 75% of its weight, so preventing water loss is key to the survival of earthworms. Of course, overly damp soil is also detrimental to the growth and development of earthworms.
Earthworms have a temporary tolerance to unfavorable humidity conditions. To survive, they sometimes move to a suitable environment, or sometimes go into hibernation, dormancy, or reduce metabolic intensity to minimize water loss.
4. Ventilation
Earthworms breathe through oxygen diffused from the atmosphere into the soil. Better soil ventilation means more vigorous metabolism. Not only does it result in more egg cocoons, but it also shortens the maturity period, hence box-type farming yields the highest production because the box allows ventilation on all eight sides. Earthworms cannot inhabit environments with high levels of carbon dioxide, methane, fluorine, or hydrogen sulfide. Excessive amounts of hydrogen sulfide or methane in the habitat can cause earthworms to escape or even die in large numbers. For instance, in some places in the north, fireplaces are used inside earthworm farms to keep warm, but leaks in the pipes release smoke containing harmful gases like sulfur dioxide, sulfur trioxide, and carbon monoxide, resulting in mass deaths of earthworms. During the fermentation of feed, harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and methane are produced. When these gases reach a certain concentration, they can poison the earthworms. Tests have shown that when ammonia exceeds 20 parts per million, it increases mucus secretion in earthworms, leading to mass deaths. When hydrogen sulfide exceeds 15 parts per million, it causes neurological diseases in earthworms leading to death. Methane exceeding 15 parts per million causes blood leakage in earthworms leading to death. Therefore, feed should be fully fermented before feeding. Fermented feed should ideally be turned and left for some time before feeding.
5. Acidity and Alkalinity (pH value)
Earthworms are very sensitive to acidity and alkalinity because their bodies are covered with chemical receptors capable of sensing acids and bases. Earthworms cannot survive in strongly acidic or strongly alkaline environments, but they have a certain adaptability to weakly acidic and strongly alkaline conditions. Da Ping No. 2 earthworms grow best within a pH range of 6-8, and produce the most cocoons within a pH range of 7-7.5.
It should be noted that strong acids such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid, as well as strong bases such as sodium hydroxide and quicklime, should not be used to adjust the pH of earthworm feed. Only the following weak bases and acids can be used as neutralizers:
Alkaline neutralizer: calcium carbonate, etc.;
Acidic neutralizer: organic acids (acetic acid, citric acid, etc.).
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