September 29, 2023, 17:09
Earthworms are involved in the production of 6.5% of the world’s grain © depositphotos/dusanpetkovic
Scientists have stated that earthworms are involved in the production of such quantities of grain that can be compared with the contribution of Russia. According to researchers, if earthworms were their own country, they would become the world’s fourth-largest grain producer, The Guardian reports.
Scientists have calculated that earthworms take part in the production of 140 million tons of grain. That is, they account for 6.5% of world grain production. In 2022, Russia produced 150 million tons (it is estimated that at least six million tons were collected by the aggressor country in the parts of Ukraine it temporarily occupied).
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Among the crops that “help” grow rice are corn, wheat and barley. Earthworms help grow 2.3% of legumes, including soybeans, peas, chickpeas and lentils. They likely contribute less because legumes can fix their own nitrogen, making them less dependent on worms, the researchers say.
By burrowing and feeding underground, worms break down organic matter and aerate the soil, increasing fertility and making nutrients available to smaller organisms. They also help soils capture and retain water.
To identify the impact of earthworms on legume and grain production, scientists overlaid maps of soil properties and crop yields with a global atlas of earthworm abundance.
They made a proportionately larger contribution in areas of the global south: 10% of grain harvests in sub-Saharan Africa and 8% in Latin America and the Caribbean come from the worms, the researchers said. This is likely because farmers here tend to use less fertilizer and pesticides, relying instead on manure and rotting organic matter to help boost earthworm populations.
Topsoil contains 95% of the planet’s food. Soil also contains more than half of all species. The impact of earthworms is clearly visible, but it is likely that other soil organisms may be “equally important.” However, additional research is needed to establish their role.
Let us remind you that unprecedented harvests in a number of countries in the Northern Hemisphere fully compensated for the crisis that arose due to the Russian Federation’s refusal of the grain deal. As a result, wheat is becoming cheaper – the price drop is the worst in terms of quarterly losses in the last 14 years.
Ukraine is having difficulties exporting grain through Poland and a number of other neighboring countries. On September 28, at the meeting of the coordination platform planned by the European Commission, the search for a real and mutually beneficial compromise between Ukraine and Poland on the export of agricultural products, in particular grains, began. Nikolai Gavris, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Director of the Positive AF, writes about this in the article “Grain crisis” in relations between Poland and Ukraine: analysis without emotions.”
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