The Effects of CuO and ZnO Nanoparticles on Survival, Reproduction, Absorption, Overweight, and Accumulation in Eisenia fetida Earthworm Tissues in Two Substrates

This study aimed to investigate the effects of tow nanoparticles (NPs) on the absorption, accumulation, reproduction of the Eisenia fetida. A 4×2×2 factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted. The factors included in the experiment are the content of NPs at four levels (0, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2gr/kg weight of substrate), the type of NPs at two levels (CuO and ZnO) and the type of substrates at two levels (cow manure and spent mushroom compost (SMC)). After preparing the substrates, adult worms were added to each pot that has 6kg of each type of substrates. The aqua solution of NPs was added to the cultures. The NPs effects on the overweight, mortality, accumulation and reproduction were measured at the end of sevenand fourteen-day two periods after exposure to NPs. The earthworm tissues were enhanced with increasing the NPs concentration. The increases were more in cow manure than SMC, and the accumulation of ZnO were more than CuO. The number of the earthworm egg decreased in both 7th&4th days through increasing the NPs concentration. The ZnO were more effective in reducing the reproduction than the CuO in the seventh day after the substrates treatment. Overweight decreased in both seventh and fourteenth days through increasing the NPs concentration. Nano CuO was more effective in reducing the overweight than nano ZnO, The decrease of the worm tissues in the SMC substrate was more than the cow manure substrate in the fourteenth day after the treatment