We are no longer updating the Research Digest. All content remains.
The Permaculture Research Digest has summaries of newly published permaculture-related research. All items are hyper-linked to the original publication.
The 'January 2013' archive contains 60 items published in 2012.
Items marked with a # have restricted public access, although abstracts are freely available.
This article reviews the
benefits of earthworms for crops, and presents techniques to increase
earthworm abundance. The major points are: (1) Earthworms improve soil structural stability. (2) Earthworms modify soil organic matter and nutrient
cycling. (3) Earthworms induce the
production of hormone-like substances that improve plant growth and
health. (4) Direct drilling increases earthworm abundance and species
diversity, but the beneficial effect of reduced tillage depends upon the
species present. (5) Organic amendments enhance
earthworm abundance. (6) Earthworms feeding at the soilsurface are the most
exposed to pesticides and other agrochemicals.Finally, the authors discuss how to combine management practices, including inoculation, to increase earthworm services.
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