why do farmers like to have earthworms in their soil?

Answer 1

Earthworms essentially help fertilize the soil. Their waste products are known as "castings" and their waste is a great natural fertilizer. Also, worms burrowing in and out of soil helps aerate the soil as well.

Answer 2

Earthworms eat organic matter, breaking down into forms the plants can use as nutrients. Earthworm poop is called "castings." Also as they move through the soil they leave tunnels that allow water and oxygen to enter the soil for use by plant roots and other aerobic decomposers while reducing soil compaction. The signs of a healthy soil is one rich in earthworms.

Answer 3

Earthworms are the farmers best friends,when the farmer spots castings around his field ,he knows his is a living,working unit.Hard working earthworms breaking down organic matter & adding valuable humus & nitrients to his soil,Air,water with dissolved nutrients reaching the root system by way of the tunnels made by the worms.Some may even detroy harmful organisms.

Answer 4

Farmers & gardeners like to have healthy soil. However it is not just the worms. Good soil consists of 93% mineral and 7% bio-organic substances. The bio-organic parts are 85% humus, 10% roots, and 5% edaphon.
The Edaphon consists of:
fungi/algae 40%
bacteria/actinomycetes 40%
Earthworms 12%
Macrofauna 5%
micro/mesofauna 3%

Each creature shares a part of the creation of humus in the soil however the earthworms, with over 160 species, play a very visible part. Some species hunt nematodes. It has been found that nematode population may decrease by as much as 60% when earthworms are added to soil. Some dine out on bacteria. Earthworms even prefer organic matter with high concentrations of microbial life like E. coli.

School of Agriculture in Ebenrain-Sissach (Switzerland)
Ebenrain showed that "worm castings had, on average, twice as much potassium as normal soil, with a maximum of 4.5 times as much. Soil that passed through the earthworm contains approximately seven times as much nitrogen." However they are susceptible creatures and will not survive the application of poisons and aggressive use of chemical fertilizers.

During the growing season plants fix carbon dioxide by photosynthesis into carbohydrates and oxygen. Some 10-25% of this fixed carbon finds its way back to the soil through the roots, as carbohydrate exudates. This exudate feeds the soil’s edaphon that in turn digests detritus, supplying essential nutrients the plants cannot make for themselves. Soil macro & microorganisms are the essential link between plants and the soil’s mineral reserves. The edaphon creates humus that structures the soil to support plant populations. This is a symbiosis where plants capture energy from the sun to feed themselves and exchange this food for select nutrients and water retentive, humus rich soil supplied by the edaphon.

Answer 5

When earthworms penetrating through the soil, they create voids that allow water and dissolved nutrients to flow through the soil. So, it is like friend to the soil.

Answer 6

Earthworms help breakup hardened soil with there tunneling and helps air-ate it as well. Another added value is there casting's (droppings) they provide additional nutrients to the soil as well.

Answer 7

Waste products from the worms is fertilizer for plants and they aerate the soil.

Answer 8

Earth worms bring oxygen to the roots of the plants.

Answer 9

indicates soil has enough oxygen to support plant life.