ABSTRACT
I Introduction .................................................................................................. 410 II Evaluation of Organic Wastes for Vermicomposting ................................... 410 III Biology of Earthworms Suitable for Vermiculture ....................................... 411
A Eisenia andrei and Eisenia fetida are Two Different Earthworm Species ................................................................................................... 411
IV In¯uence of Environmental Factors on the Survival, Growth, and Reproduction of Vermicomposting Earthworms .......................................... 412
V Ecology of Vermicomposting ....................................................................... 412 A Earthworms and Microorganisms: Disentangling the Black Box of
Vermicomposting ................................................................................... 412 B Stimulation and Acceleration of Microbial Decomposition by
Earthworms during Vermicomposting .................................................. 414 VI Vermicomposting and Human Pathogen Destruction .................................. 415 VII Effects of Vermicomposts on Plant Growth ................................................. 415 VIII Effects of Vermicomposts on Pesticide Degradation in Soils ...................... 415 IX Sixth International Symposium on Earthworm Ecology .............................. 416 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 417 References .............................................................................................................. 417
I INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, the technologies of vermiculture and vermicomposting are well established, and there are many commercial enterprises in Spain. However, there are only two vermicompost research groups, the Soil Ecology Laboratory at the University of Vigo and the Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín (EEZ), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientifícas (CSIC), in Granada, both working on a range of scienti¤c aspects of this discipline. Both of these groups have been developing a comprehensive research program in vermicomposting over the past 20 years, including many different aspects of the process and the effects of the application of vermicomposts on crop protection and pest management. This Chapter summarizes the research on vermicomposting conducted in these two laboratories in Spain. The extent of vermiculture research in Spain makes the country a leader in this new technology.
