Rubber leaf litters (Hevea brasiliensis, var RRIM 600) as vermiculture substrate for epigeic earthworms, Perionyx excavatus, Eudrilus eugeniae and Eisenia fetida.

A laboratory scale study was conducted to assess the suitability of rubber leaf litters as vermiculture substrates for Perionyx excavatus, Eudrilus eugeniae and Eisenia fetida. Earthworm mortality, their rate of body weight increase and reproduction were measured during the investigation. In E. eugeniae, E. fetida and P. excavatus, the rate of increase of body weight was 28.8, 6.2 and 5.04 mg worm-1 day-1, respectively, in rubber leaf litter. Mortality of the adults was very high (50%) in P. excavatus when compared with that (17%) of both Eisenia and Eudrilus. Rate of reproduction in rubber leaf litter diet for both E. eugeniae (1.4 young worm-1 week-1) and E. fetida (1.3 young worm-1 week-1) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that in P. excavatus (0.2 young worm-1 week-1) over a period of 62 days. From our present investigation, it appeared that the suitability of rubber leaf litters as a vermiculture substrate for the species studied was in the descending order: E. eugeniae > E. fetida > P. excavatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]