INFLUENCE OF PONGAMIA LEAF LITTER ON GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF EARTHWORMS, Eisenia fetida (SAVIGNY) AND Lampito mauritii (KINBERG)

Experiment on rate of cocoon and hatchling production, hatching success, incubation time and the body weight of Eisenia fetida and Lampito mauritii exposed to different doses of partly decomposed Pongamia leaf litter admixed with soil (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75 and 100) for 30 days of vermicomposting process has been carried out. The results revealed that maximum rate of cocoon (218 and 197 cocoons with cocoon production rate of 0.100 and 0.091 cocoon/ worm/ day), hatching production (85.3 and 81.2% with hatchling production rate of 0.89 and 0.85 hatchling/ cocoon), longer incubation time (13 – 18 days and 23 – 26 days in 100 PSR) and growth (92.0 and 42.6%) of both earthworms are found in the 50 and 40 doses substrate. The presence of higher amount of cellulose (54%), nitrogen (0.9%), phosphorous (0.4%) and moisture content (70%) in the 50 and 40 doses respectively than other doses of substrate that make more palatability to worms and thereby more earthworm’s activity and act as good rearing promoters.