Enumeration of Gut Bacterial Population in Eisenia fetida Exposed to Chlorpyrifos

Earthworms being the most efficient soil organism to improve soil fertility by burrowing deeply into subsoil surfaces and then releasing it out in the form of nutrient enriched cast (Lavelle, 2011). As they are abundant in number and highly productive species, so they are keystone species in the food web of soil environment (Thakuria et al., 2010). Earthworm burrows and drilosphere act as microhabitats for soil invertebrates like nematodes (Andriuzzi et al., 2016), arthropods (Boivin et al., 2006). Drilosphere and burrows are also the microbial hotspots of soil (Schrader et al., 2007), which improves the soil ecology. The role of earthworms to degrade organic waste, mixing of subsoil, stabilizes the aggregates of soil and improving the porosity of soil, has led their increased use in vermicomposting (Yadav et al., 2017a). Vermicomposting being ecofriendly, economical and self-regulated technique offers better option to reduce the waste into organic manure (Yadav et al., 2017b). Unlike composting, vermicomposting establishes suitable environment for microbes and worms to flourish. During the initial phase of vermicomposting, earthworms rely on friendly microbes to rot and decay the waste, thereby making it suitable for ingestion. Once the food is ingested, the endosymbiotic gut microbial community helps in digestion of organic waste (Yadav International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 8 (2017) pp. 824-830 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com