RU2201675C2 - Express-method of collecting earthworms' cocoons - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: biotechnology. SUBSTANCE: method deals with collecting egg cocoons of oligochaetas. It includes earthworms' raising in their living medium, their removal out of living medium with the help of water pepper extract. As living medium one should use sand at particles' size being 1 mm, not more, supplemented with decoctions of vegetables, cereals or plant extracts. Collection of earthworms' cocoons should be carried out due to sieving substrate through a sieve at cell's diameter being about 2 mm, not more. The method enables to increase efficiency in collecting cocoons and decrease their mechanical damage. EFFECT: higher efficiency of collection. 1 ex, 2 tbl

Description

 The invention relates to the field of biotechnology, and in particular to methods for collecting egg cocoons of oligochaetes.

 A known method of collecting cocoons of earthworms manually [1]. To do this, take a small amount of substrate after vermicultivation and with the help of tweezers select cocoons of worms.

 The closest analogue is a method involving the cultivation of worms in a substrate, and extract of water pepper (Polygonum hydropiper) is used to remove worms from the substrate [2]. Water pepper, irritating the skin, makes the worms crawl out without harming them.

 The disadvantages of the known method of collecting cocoons of earthworms are: the duration and significant complexity of the process, incomplete sampling, the possibility of mechanical damage to cocoons.

 Earthworms, and in particular the California red hybrid, are one of the most important biodestructors of contaminated soils, including oil products. To populate contaminated sites with vermiculture, it is more convenient to use not the worms themselves, but their egg cocoons. The latter during transportation take up much less space. For example, the sizes of cocoons of red California worms range from 2 to 6 mm, and the adult worm from 6 to 10 cm. In this case, up to 20 worms can hatch from one cocoon. In addition, when using cocoons, there is no need to feed and, possibly, such a voluminous substrate as moist soil. When mass-collecting cocoons of worms by manual sampling, a large amount of time is required and this is an extremely time-consuming process, in addition, there is a risk of mechanical damage to the worms and cocoons.

 The task of the invention is to provide a method for collecting cocoons of earthworms, which improves the efficiency of the method.

 The problem is achieved in that in the known method, including breeding worms in the habitat, removing worms from the habitat using water pepper extract, sand with a particle size of not more than 1 mm is used as a habitat, to which decoctions of vegetables, cereals or plant extracts, and the collection of cocoons of worms is carried out by sifting the substrate through a sieve with a cell diameter of not more than 2 mm.

 This method is as follows.

Sand sifted through a sieve with a mesh diameter of 1 mm is used as a substrate. Run sexually mature worms, maintaining optimal conditions for their life (temperature 20-25 ^o C, humidity 80%, pH = 7). Food additives can be water decoctions or extracts from various vegetables, plants, etc. After about 10 days, cocoons can be collected by first removing worms from the substrate using water pepper extract. Using a sieve with a mesh diameter of 2 mm, sift the substrate, while the cocoons remain in the sieve, since their diameter is 3-5 mm. The worms can be used again in work, because water pepper, irritating the skin, makes the worms crawl out without harming them.

 Example. About 200 g of sand (with a particle diameter of not more than 1 mm) is poured into a cup (15 • 10 • 5 cm) and 20 sexually mature worms are launched.

 After 10 days, 20 ml of water pepper extract are added to the substrates. To prepare the extract, take 50 g of fresh water pepper mass per 1 liter of settled water, and filter. After 20-30 minutes after the addition of this extract, about 90% of the worms creep out onto the surface of the substrate, 60% of them fully, the rest partially. After this, the worms are harvested, and the substrates are left to dry for 48 hours. Then the substrates are sieved through a sieve with a mesh diameter of 2 mm and cocoons are collected (80.7 ± 2.6 cocoons were collected in 30 days). After a day, the substrates are used again.

 To determine food additives that positively affect the reproductive ability of worms, a square shaped cage with 9 compartments is used [3]. Sod-podzolic soil with various food additives is placed in 7 compartments, soil without additives in 8 compartments (control) and dry sand in the central compartment. In the cage they launch sexually mature worms at the rate of 5 individuals per one compartment. The preference for worms of a particular substrate is judged by the number of worms and cocoons deposited by them for 10 days.

 As can be seen from Table 1, the worms preferred buckwheat decoctions (13.3-20% of worms, 22 cocoons), carrots (10-19.5% of worms, 20.7 cocoons), rice (11.8-30% of worms , 19.7% of cocoons).

 Judging by the materials of Table 2, nettle extracts (13.3-19.3% of worms, 22.9 cocoons), clover (10.8-20% of worms, 20.9 cocoons), and dandelion (11, 8-17.5% of worms, 18.6 cocoons).

 Thus, of the additives used, the most effective were buckwheat decoction (207.5% of the cocoons compared to the control) and nettle extract (347% of the cocoons from the control).

 The proposed method allows to increase the efficiency of collection of cocoons, to reduce their mechanical damage during collection.

Sources of information
1. Gorodny N.M., Melnik I.A., Povkhan M.F. Bioconversion of organic waste in a biodynamic economy. - Kiev: Harvest, 1990 .-- 256 p.

 2. Chaudhuri P. S., Nanda D.K. The extraction earthworms Eutyphoeus gammiei with using water extract of Polygonum hydropiper and comparison with other chemical methods of estimation of eartfiworms population // Philipp.J. Sci., 1996, 125, 3, p. 227-234.

 3. RF application 98117992, C 05 F 3/06, 1998.

Claims (1)

 An express method for collecting cocoons of earthworms, including breeding worms in the habitat, removing worms from the habitat using water pepper extract, characterized in that sand is used as a habitat with a particle size of not more than 1 mm, to which decoctions of vegetables, cereals are added or plant extracts, and the collection of cocoons of worms is carried out by sifting the substrate through a sieve with a mesh diameter of not more than 2 mm.

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