SOIL HEALTH IS HUMAN HEALTH - AN INDIAN EARTHWORM’S EYEVIEW Sultan Ahmed Ismail Head, Department of Biotechnology, The New College, Chennai 600014, India email:
[email protected] Key words: soil health, earthworms, vermicompost, vermiwash, organic foliars Abstract Vermicompost is an excellent organic fertiliser in which bacteria are the major colonizers, which include high population of nitrogen fixers, phosphate solubilizers, and sulphur bacteria. Fungi are established to be active degraders of organic matter in soils. Many substrates are first colonized by what are known as sugar fungi such as the Mucorales. Blue green algae (BGA) have been recorded by us in vermicompost and are the Anabaena sp, Oscillatoria, Tolypothrix, Chlorella and Westiellopsis. All these when incorporated into the soil through vermicompost contribute to soil health and provide nutritious food contributing to human health. Several simple organic foliar sprays have several components similar to plant growth promoter substances in them. Vermiwash is one such excellent liquid fertiliser. Studies by our team have revealed the presence of growth promoting substances which invariably are associated with plant growth. There are about 3 isomers of indole compounds separated in Vermiwash; the 2-(4-methylphenyl) indolizine is an alkaloid which has a significant role in plant growth promotion, Maleic acid is a well established plant growth promoter, and Methyl 2-4(-tert-butylphenoxy) acetate belongs to the ring-substituted phenoxy aliphatic acids generally exhibiting a strong retarding effect on abscission and in turn promotes plant growth. Vermiwash by its instinctive quality might probably promote humification, increase microbial activity to produce plant growth promoting compounds and enzyme production.