Powdered Rock Lime Controls Giant Earthworms
Since powdered rock lime is used in Brazil as a source of phosphate fertilizer when mixed with manure to revitalize the soil, this author and Dr. Nancy Ann P. Gonzales thought of testing if it could be used as a control agent for giant earthworms. They also thought of testing powdered shell lime because it is also good for the soil as it is used to neutralize soil acidity.
To test the effectiveness of the materials, the researchers conducted ‘a laboratory study in the Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry. They collected moist soil “and giant earthworms from an infested paddy in Banaue. And since giant earthworms are aerobic and stay favorably in moist soil approximately 1-3 feet below the paddy, during their experiment, they placed five worms in each of the 1.4 feet high plastic pails filled with moist soil.
To know how long it would take for the giant earthworms to be affected by the powdered rock lime and shell lime, they prepared the following dilutions for each material:
10 grams: 1,000 ml tap water
15 grams: 1,000 ml tap water
20 grams: 1,000 ml tap water
25 grams: 1,000 ml tap water
1,000 ml tap water (control)
The researchers let the worms establish themselves for 30 minutes before they poured the dilutions in its respective pails. After conducting three trials for each dosage of each material, they found out that powdered rock kills giant earthworms faster than powdered shell lime, and that the dilution of 25 grams powdered rock lime and 1,000 ml tap water is the most effective dosage; the worms died in 7.60 minutes.
Based on the result of the study, the researchers recommend to test the effectiveness of powdered rock lime in the field for it not only has potential, it is also cheaper than powdered shell lime, easy to prepare, and available in the market.
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