• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2016

Earthworm cast is a harmful factor which reduces the uniformity of management of turfgrass and play quality in golf courses and playground. This research was conducted to carry out the efficacy of some pesticide (bifenthrin GR + clothianidin GR, ethoprophos GR, imidacloprid SC, picoxystrobin WG, thiophanate-methyl WP) and tee tree (Camellia oliefera) extracts against reducing earthworm cast in golf courses. All tested materials were acted reducing earthworm cast, thiophanate-methyl among them showed the highest effect reducing earthworm casts in golf courses. Tea tree extracts was occurred similar efficacy among tested chemical pesticides. However, pellet type byproduct of tea seed extract and liquid formulation of tea tree extract were better than granule formulation of them. Byproduct of tea seed and tea tree extract can be used for alternative biological management material for reducing earthworm cast in heavily casting occurrence area.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.368-375
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• 2015

Earthworm cast occurred in surface of turfgrass in golf courses which affect turfgrass maintenance and golf play. In this study several survey of seasonal fluctuation of earthworm cast in different golf courses (Anseong, Gapyeong, Gunpo and Yongin in Gyeonggi province, and Geumjeong in Busan) was done. A number of earthworm, soil temperature and moisture of detection site of earthworm cast in each golf course were also done. Cast occurred in different golf courses are found mostly from April to November on turf surface and the cast number varied in different month as well as in golf courses. In the same golf courses, a number of detected cast was difference from individual sites. A number of cast and earthworm was correlated. Also, in higher soil moisture showed the higher cast density in different golf courses. Soil temperature and moisture of detecting cast ranging from $2.1^{\circ}C$ to $33.1^{\circ}C$ and 4.9 to 44.1%, respectively. In case of cast, soil temperature level lies in between $10-15^{\circ}C$ where the highest soil moisture was 25%.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.237-258
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• 1993

Objectives in this study are to stabilize the organic sludges which were produced from papermill wastewater, nightsoil treatment facilities and utilized as foods for earthworm, to find the method for using the cast which was orginated by earthworm as fertilizer, and ultimately to develop the practical technique to solve the environmental problems by optimization of wastes treatment. The results of this study were summarized as follows. In the investigation for fertilizer effect of cast, germination rates of cucumber, tomato, and cabbage were investigated. The germination status of 3 types of plants was excellent as over 90% in the combination case of 30-45% cast. In the investigation for fertilizer effect of cast derived from nightsoil sludge, the growing status of cucumber, tomato, and cabbage was excellent in the combination case of 30-45% cast. In the experiment for fertilizer effect investigation of cast derived from papermill sludge, the growing status of cucumber, tomato, and cabbage was excellent in the combination case of 30-45% cast. Also, in the combination case of 60% cast, plants growth was not disturbed.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2015

BACKGROUND: Earthworms are essential detritus feeders that play a vital role in the process of decomposition of organic matter and soil metabolism. The complex process of partial breakdown of organic matter and mixing with mucous and gut microbial flora in the form of earthworm cast results in the reduction of the toxicity. This study focused on the change of cast amount and pollutant contents before and after the eating of the organic waste and upland soil with the two species of earthworm. METHODS AND RESULTS: The two species of earthworms were compared to the cast production. In the upland soil material, the daily amount of worm's cast was 1.42 g in E. andrei and 0.40 g in A. agrestis. In the organic waste material, the cast of E. andrei was 0.78~0.83 g and the cast of A. agrestis. have not been collected because all earthworms died after the treatment. The heavy metals treated in the upland soil were evaluated the impact of the worm excretion. With the E. andrei, the cast production was decreased 0.1~0.8 times in zinc, 0.2~0.5 times in copper, and 0.1~0.7 times in cadmium compared to the control treatment according to the levels of concentration. With A. agrestis, the cast amount was decreased 0.3~1.1 times in zinc, 0.2~0.3 times in copper, and 0.1~2.1 times in cadmium, respectively. The changes of pollutant contents before and after the eating of the organic wastes with E. andrei were studied. In the treatment of the Alcohol Fermentation Processing Sludge and the Fruit Juice Processing Sludge, heavy metal content of the cast was increased 0.7~53.3% compared to the sludge materials. PAHs contents were decreased 50.1% in the cast of the Alcohol Fermentation Processing Sludge and 36.6% in the cast of the Fruit Juice Processing Sludge, respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, although the A. agrestis was bigger than E. andrei in size and weight, the cast amount of A. agrestis was small. The two species of earthworm was less excretion with high concentration of heavy metals. While the heavy metals such as zinc, copper, and cadmium were considerably accumulated in the cast, the total compounds, PAHs were fairly decomposed. There results would provide us for restoring contaminated soil and cleaning organic wastes.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.71-78
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• 2005

This study was performed to obtain the basic data on current situations and challengeable aspects of vermicomposting industries in Korea and to develope foodwaste treatment technology using earthworm. Pre-treatment process of food waste consists of cleaning, grinding, mixing and others, and salinity of food waste was 0.7% on average, thus not suitable for feed of worms. When applying wash water and going through the cleaning process, however, salinity was dropped to 0.38%, indicating that cleaning process applying wash water is necessary to control the proper salinity for growth of worms. In the food waste processing experiment applying worms, it has been presented that smaller particles induce higher processing efficiency. As a result, food waste processing by worms is possible through maintaining the suitable environment for survival of worms from input process to generation of cast. Cast generated after processing food waste was proved to be most suitable for product standard of compost thus cast is presented to be recycled after processing the food waste applying the worms.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.72-81
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• 2004

For disposal food wastes which is about 30% portion of tatal organic wastes, vermicomposting is more environmental-friendly treatment than lanfill, incineration, etc. Recently, the interest has been increasing but there are many problems on management of vermicopmposting in field especially. This study was conducted to investigate an optimal factors, which are limit NaCl conc., the mixing rate of food wastes and casting for growth of an earthworm related to efficient vermicomposting. The limit conc. of NaCl was 0.5% and in case of feeding food wastes to earthworms as a prey only, most earthworms were dead in a few hours due to excessive degradation of organic materials and high NaCl conc. However as feeding with the casting of proper mixing rate(3:7), most earthworms were survived until finishing composting. It was investigated the increaser degree of matureness of food wastes, the higher conc. of NaCl, therefore for efficient vermicomposting, it seemed proper mixing rate of food wastes and the casting is better than matureness of food wastes. and the most suitable mixing rate was 3:7 food wastes and the casting.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.51-62
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• 2005

The effects of the processing mixture of food wastes and various organic wastes when vermicomposted on earthworm(Eisenia foefida) growth, the cast production amounts and the chemical properties of casts were evaluated. The substrates used in this experiments were cow manure, pig manure sludge, fermented pig manure with sawdust, nightsoil sludge, and sewage sludge and were respectively mixed with food wastes at a ratios of 50:50(v/v). The control consisted of food wastes alone without other wastes. All of earthworm died in the food wastes 100%, therefore the process of food wastes alone by vermicomposting was impossible in this experiment. Worm cast produced sufficiently contained quantities of available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, exchangeable magnesium, and cation exchange capacity. The increase of earthworm's biomass occured on the mixtures of food wastes and cow manure, fermented pig manure with sawdust. Dry weight of worm cast was the highest on the mixtures of food wastes and fermented pig manure with sawdust and the proportion of cast weight after vermicomposting was significantly the highest on the mixtures of food wastes and cow manure($p{\leq}0.05$). Also, the mixtures of food wastes and cow manure, and fermented pig manure with sawdust showed a positive values of conversion rate and conversion efficiency rate of organic matter to earthworm tissue than that of other treatments. These results suggested that cow manure and fermented pig manure with sawdust are adequate to process with food wastes by vermicomposting.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.52-57
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• 2001

ln this study, the questionnaire survey was performed to obtain the basic data on current situations and challengeable aspects of vermicomposting industries. The questionnaire contained the four main categories such as vermicomposting facilities, feeling marerials, earthworm breeding and cast handling. The results was summarized as followings: 1. Vermicomposting facilities area was becoming larger, and earthworm feed was also expending to various organic sludges. These trends showed that Vermicomposting is being enlightened to treat and recycle the organic wastes in Korea. 2. Present Vermicomposting technology needs the broad land. Because of the high cost of land in Korea, the land saving technology such as multistage must be needed. And present operation practices are mostly based on human power, mechanization and automation is needed. Also, present control practices are based on individual experience need the scientific base control system. 3. Considering situations of organic wastes management in Korea, the technical development and the practical improvement of Vermicomposting as the waste recycling will be needed.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.140-145
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• 2000

This study was performed to investigate whether the earthworm cast could be reused as bulking agent in the whole processing of the food wastes using the earthworm. In addition, the growth conditions of microorganism lived upon earthworm lasts was investigated. Because the raw food wastes used in this experiment had low pH, and high moisture and organic matter contents, it was unsuitable to use as direct feeds to earthworm. However, when the food wastes were mixed with some earthworm cast, the mixtures were suitable to the feed condition and the growth environment of the earthworm. Therefore, it shows the possibility that the earthworm cast be reused as bulking agent for food wastes. In the microbiological investigation on earthworm cast, the bacteria showed most high density among the microbial species. And the microbial density showed higher under the mid-temperature than under high-temperature, and higher under the anaerobic than the aerobic condition. The drying methods of earthworm cast for the moisture adjusting, has no effect on microorganism growth whether natural or artificial drying. And the activity of enzyme presented more highly before the drying than after the drying.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.35-41
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• 2003

The on-site sewage sludge vermicomposting equipment was designed and evaluated on the batch and continuous tests. The vermicomposting equipment was designed to consider the mechanization as well as automation. Especially, the automatic controls of water content and temperature and the mechanization of the sludge feeding and cast separating were the important factors. In terms of changes in chemical characteristics when the equipments for experiments are operated continuously, the ORP, EC, $NH_3-N$ and $NO_3-N$ were found to be higher before and after treatment. In addition, it was found that changes in properties were low. Furthermore, the $NO_3-N$ concentration of the humus produced after treatment was found to be higher than the $NH_3-N$ concentration showing that it was appropriate based on the recycling criteria.