Screening native earthworm species for vermicomposting efficiency and vermiremediation capabilities in coal mine soil of Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya / Thokcham Dorenchand Singh
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TextSeries: [Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, School of Natural Resource Management]Publication details: Umiam : CPGSAS, CAU(Imphal) , October 2023.Description: 126p.: ill. , some col.; 30cmSubject(s): Online resources: Summary: Meghalaya is one of the most fertile states in India with a huge scope for sustainable and organic production. But coal mining in Meghalaya is a major inhibitor that hinders maximum utilization of soil potential. Coal mining is often associated with heavy metal exposure, which is a major cause of soil pollution in the state. The present research centres on investigating heavy metal pollution in Meghalaya, with the intent to find remedial solutions to mitigate soil pollution. With this notion, the doctoral research was conceptualized with the following three objectives viz. vermicomposting efficiency of native identified earthworm species, vermiremediation capabilities of the earthworm species, and phytoremediation effect on vermiremediated soil. For vermicomposting efficiency, five different identified native earthworm species were used viz. Perionyx excavatus, Eudrilus eugeniae, Eisenia fetida, Drawida nepalensis, Lampito mauritii, and a no-earthworm treatment were replicated three times. Substrates for vermicomposting were rice straw and cow manure. Eisenia fetida showed the most efficient earthworm among the five different worm species. Its maturation days of vermicomposting is 88 days, with a bulk density of (648.60 kg m-3), pH (7.28), organic carbon (17.70 %), total nitrogen (1.66 %), total phosphorous (0.95%), total potassium (1.10%), total calcium and magnesium (0.45% and 0.30%), dehydrogenase activity (359.00 𝜇g TPF g-1 hr-1) and urease activity (436.67 𝜇g NH4+ g-1 hr-1). To investigate the vermiremediation capabilities, a bulk soil sample (0-15cm) was collected from heavy metals polluted soil of the coal mine area of Sutnga in East Jaintia Hills. The experimental soil had the following features – sand clay loam texture, 4.6 pH, 1.72 % organic carbon, 262.78 kg ha-1, 10.51 kg ha-1, 159.02 kg ha-1 available NPK respectively, 96.26 ppm Cr, 38.21 ppm Ni, 12.02 ppm Cd, and 25.40 ppm Pb. The same five earthworm species were used over the experimental soil with a no-earthworm treatment and replicated three times. The result indicated that Drawida nepalensis can accumulate more heavy metals in their tissues than other species. It can accumulate 24.66 ppm of Cr, 12.78 ppm of Ni, 3.70 ppm of Cd and 7.74 ppm of Pb within two months. But the vermiremediated soil was still contaminated with heavy metals, so, the vermiremediated soil was again phytoremediated with sunflower crop for another two months. At the end of the experiment, the soil treated with Drawida nepalensis and sunflower contains 24.54 ppm of Cr, 19.60 ppm of Ni, 1.45 ppm of Cd, and 8.63 ppm of Pb, the soil treated with Eudrilus eugenia and sunflower contains 26.46 ppm of Cr, 17.34 ppm of Ni, 1.80 ppm of Cd and 11.10 ppm of Pb, the soil treated with Eisenia fetida and sunflower contains 31.81 ppm of Cr, 21.19 ppm of Ni, 1.91 ppm of Cd and 12.07 ppm of Pb, the soil treated with Lampito mauritii and sunflower contains 37.53 ppm of Cr, 22.31 ppm of Ni, 3.38 ppm of Cd and 13.59 ppm of Pb, the soil treated with Perionyx excavatus and sunflower contains 37.77 ppm of Cr, 23.97 ppm of Ni, 3.43 ppm of Cd and 13.62 ppm of Pb and the soils treated with sunflower only contain 60.18 ppm of Cr, 30.78 ppm of Ni, 5.92 ppm of Cd and 14.91 ppm of Pb. The lowest heavy metals were recorded in soil treated with Drawida nepalensis and phytoremediated with sunflower.
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Meghalaya is one of the most fertile states in India with a huge scope for sustainable and organic production. But coal mining in Meghalaya is a major inhibitor that hinders maximum utilization of soil potential. Coal mining is often associated with heavy metal exposure, which is a major cause of soil pollution in the state. The present research centres on investigating heavy metal pollution in Meghalaya, with the intent to find remedial solutions to mitigate soil pollution. With this notion, the doctoral research was conceptualized with the following three objectives viz. vermicomposting efficiency of native identified earthworm species, vermiremediation capabilities of the earthworm species, and phytoremediation effect on vermiremediated soil. For vermicomposting efficiency, five different identified native earthworm species were used viz. Perionyx excavatus, Eudrilus eugeniae, Eisenia fetida, Drawida nepalensis, Lampito mauritii, and a no-earthworm treatment were replicated three times. Substrates for vermicomposting were rice straw and cow manure. Eisenia fetida showed the most efficient earthworm among the five different worm species. Its maturation days of vermicomposting is 88 days, with a bulk density of (648.60 kg m-3), pH (7.28), organic carbon (17.70 %), total nitrogen (1.66 %), total phosphorous (0.95%), total potassium (1.10%), total calcium and magnesium (0.45% and 0.30%), dehydrogenase activity (359.00 𝜇g TPF g-1 hr-1) and urease activity (436.67 𝜇g NH4+ g-1 hr-1). To investigate the vermiremediation capabilities, a bulk soil sample (0-15cm) was collected from heavy metals polluted soil of the coal mine area of Sutnga in East Jaintia Hills. The experimental soil had the following features – sand clay loam texture, 4.6 pH, 1.72 % organic carbon, 262.78 kg ha-1, 10.51 kg ha-1, 159.02 kg ha-1 available NPK respectively, 96.26 ppm Cr, 38.21 ppm Ni, 12.02 ppm Cd, and 25.40 ppm Pb. The same five earthworm species were used over the experimental soil with a no-earthworm treatment and replicated three times. The result indicated that Drawida nepalensis can accumulate more heavy metals in their tissues than other species. It can accumulate 24.66 ppm of Cr, 12.78 ppm of Ni, 3.70 ppm of Cd and 7.74 ppm of Pb within two months. But the vermiremediated soil was still contaminated with heavy metals, so, the vermiremediated soil was again phytoremediated with sunflower crop for another two months. At the end of the experiment, the soil treated with Drawida nepalensis and sunflower contains 24.54 ppm of Cr, 19.60 ppm of Ni, 1.45 ppm of Cd, and 8.63 ppm of Pb, the soil treated with Eudrilus eugenia and sunflower contains 26.46 ppm of Cr, 17.34 ppm of Ni, 1.80 ppm of Cd and 11.10 ppm of Pb, the soil treated with Eisenia fetida and sunflower contains 31.81 ppm of Cr, 21.19 ppm of Ni, 1.91 ppm of Cd and 12.07 ppm of Pb, the soil treated with Lampito mauritii and sunflower contains 37.53 ppm of Cr, 22.31 ppm of Ni, 3.38 ppm of Cd and 13.59 ppm of Pb, the soil treated with Perionyx excavatus and sunflower contains 37.77 ppm of Cr, 23.97 ppm of Ni, 3.43 ppm of Cd and 13.62 ppm of Pb and the soils treated with sunflower only contain 60.18 ppm of Cr, 30.78 ppm of Ni, 5.92 ppm of Cd and 14.91 ppm of Pb. The lowest heavy metals were recorded in soil treated with Drawida nepalensis and phytoremediated with sunflower.
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