Roles of Eisenia foetida in decomposing different kinds pig dung and crop straw.
Fermented foodstuff- and feedstuff-derived pig dung, rice- and maize straw, and their 1; 1 and 3 ; 1 mixtures were added with Eisenia foetida, and the physical and chemical properties of the pig dung, straw, and their mixtures were analyzed at the commencement and after 90 days of E. foetida addition, taking no E. foetida addition as the control. After 90 days E. foetida ad-dition, all the test materials appeared mass loss, and the loss rate was significantly greater than that of the control (P<0.01) . Under E. foetida addition, the decomposed amount of pig dung-crop straw mixture was significantly higher than that of pig dung or crop straw alone (P<0.01), the mass loss of pig dung-maize straw mixture was significantly greater than that of pig dung-rice straw mixture (P<0. 05) , the 3;1 feedstuff-derived pig dung-crop straw mixture had a signifi-cantly greater mass loss than the 1; 1 feedstuff-derived pig dung-crop straw mixture ( P<0. 01) , while the 1; 1 and 3:1 mixtures of foodstuff-derived pig dung and crop straw had less difference in their mass loss (P>0. 05). E. foetida addition increased the total and available N, total and available P, and total and available K contents of test materials, but decreased the materials or-ganic matter content and pH value. The 1:1 foodstuff-derived pig dung-crop straw mixture had the largest variation range of organic matter and available N, P, and K contents, suggesting that E. foetida played the greatest role in the decomposition of this mixture. This study would provide theoretical basis for the resource utilization of pig dung and crop straw.