The selected chemical composition (dry matter, ash, total protein, and crude fat) of the integumentary muscles of Dendrobaena veneta were determined, plus the dry matter (DM) percentage content of 17 amino acids and the profile (%) of fatty acids. Results were compared with a more fully studied earthworm, Eisenia fetida. In addition, the composition of exogenous amino acids was compared to the WHO standard for pork, beef, and chicken eggs. Both earthworm species were grown on the same kitchen waste, and protein composition was analyzed using the same methods. Studies indicated that the muscle of D. veneta was characterized by a high level of protein (76.82% DM). A similar content of exogenous amino acids was observed in the protein of both earthworms, but for phenylalanine and isoleucine, slightly higher levels were recorded for E. fetida. More histidine, lysine, threonine, isoleucine, and arginine were found in earthworms compared with chicken egg white. Fatty acids play an essential role in balancing human or animal feed and their content determines the dietary and nutritional value of the food. Both earthworm species contained the appropriate content of saturated and unsaturated acids. In D. veneta, a higher content of arachidonic acid was found, and in E. fetida, lauric, tridecanoic, and palmitic acids were present. Future issues of food security may force us to seriously consider earthworm protein for indirect or even direct human consumption.

To achieve higher yields and maximum plant growth, excessive amounts of inorganic fertilisers are often applied to soils, affecting human and animal health and leading to the degradation of environmental resources. The use of organic fertilisers is proposed as an alternative to mineral fertilisation. One of the more frequently used organic fertilisers is vermicompost, which contains nutrients for plants in readily available forms and is characterised by the slow release of macronutrients and microelements into the soil environment. In a two-year field study, an attempt was made to use vermicompost produced from the waste mass of littoral plants as a soil amendment in the cultivation of garlic (Allium sativum). The experiment was conducted on raised beds with three treatments which were substitution of 10%, 25% and 50% vermicompost (V10, V25 and V50, respectively) to a heavy clay soil (SL), that with no addition acted as a control. Results showed that the 50% vermicompost addition had the most beneficial effect on selected (from a practical point of view) plant traits (e.g., diameter and mean bulb weight, mean number of cloves per bulb and mean clove weight, and mean yield), as well as on the content of macronutrients and microelements in garlic cloves. Lowest values of the analysed traits for A. sativum were found in the SL control group. No significant differences were found for the analysed parameters in the aboveground parts of plants in all the applied substrates.

The study was designed to determine selected components of chemical composition in the body of earthworms cultivated on organic kitchen waste. It was shown that their biomass can be classified as protein-rich, succulent fodder. Notably, this work also specified the contents of 17 essential amino...

Earthworms can be used in the vermicomposting process. The success of the process depends on many factors, including the choice of the appropriate earthworm species. Eisenia fetida and Dendrobaena veneta are treated as "compost earthworms". They are characterized by a relatively short...

Vermicomposting is a method that allows for the environmentally friendly management of plant organic waste through the activity of concentrated earthworm populations. As a result of an appropriately conducted process, it is possible to obtain a valuable organic fertilizer, abundant in nutrients for plants as well as the development of a favorable (qualitatively and quantitatively) earthworm population structure. This paper presents the results of the vermicomposting process of waste plant mass with the use of vermireactors with different designs. In conventional no protective substrate (NPS) vermireactors, plant waste was the only habitat for earthworms, whilst protective substrate (PS) vermireactors also had a medium to shield the earthworm population in the event of the accidental introduction of toxic waste to these invertebrates. A positive effect of the PS vermireactor construction in the protection of an earthworm population against the potential use of stressful waste was found, as populations of Eisenia fetida were monitored and the development was noted during the vermicomposting with both methods. The largest differences between the populations (PS vs. NPS vermireactors) were demonstrated after 40 and 50 days and related to the number of immature animals (PS > NPS by 30.7%; p < 0.05) and cocoons (PS > NPS by 34.8%; p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the PS and NPS in the biomass of immature E. fetida and cocoons. The vermicomposts obtained were not significantly different form each other but they were characterized by a higher content of C, N, P, K, Ca and Mg compared to the initial waste biomass. Contents of Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd and Pb in vermicomposts did not prevent their use as fertilizers.

A properly conducted vermicomposting process is an environmentally friendly technology used to transform selected organic waste into vermicompost. This organic fertilizer is increasingly used in agriculture and horticulture as an alternative to mineral fertilizers. Research has investigated the use of vermicompost made from the waste mass of sugar beet pulp as a soil additive in the cultivation of peas (Pisum sativum L.). Experimentally, five treatments consisted of: a heavy clay soil as control (SL); the same soil with 10, 25, and 50% substitution of vermicompost, (V10, V25, and V50, respectively); and a standard peat-based horticulture substrate (GS) for comparison. Analyzed pea characteristics and the content of macro and microelements in their biomass were most favorably influenced by 25 and 50% vermicompost addition, and the values obtained were similar to those in the GS treatment. The lowest values of analyzed traits for P. sativum were found in the SL group. Thus, appropriate addition of vermicompost in the construction of plant growing substrates can reduce the use of inorganic fertilizers and be an alternative to peat in the medium, contributing to reduced use of this valuable environmental resource.