Resumo

CASTRO, Alexander Rafael; COVA, Luis José; GARCIA, Danny Eugenio  e  MEDINA, María Gabriela. Effect of egg shell in capsule production of the red worm (Eisenia andrei). Zootecnia Trop. [online]. 2007, vol.25, n.2, pp.135-142. ISSN 0798-7269.

An experiment was carried out in order to determine the influence of addition of egg shell in the reproduction of the red worm (Eisenia andrei Bouché) in bovine manure substrate in Trujillo state, Venezuela, using a totally randomized design with measurement repeated in time and 20 replicates. Different egg shell proportion constituted the treatments (C0=0, C1=1, C2=2, and C3= 3%). In the initial stage four groups of eighty worms at the same time were formed. During growth, worms were fed with the above proportions of shell in the diet. At three months of age, the individuals in each treatment were divided in 20 flasks. Every 10 days and during one month they were changed to new flasks maintaining the composition of the respective initial substrate. The deposited capsules in the flasks were counted. A significant effect in the capsules production was observed (P<0.05) at 20 and 30 days of measuring (110 and 120 days of age). The equations with the biggest adjustments according to the capsules production in time were quadratic functions. The inclusion of egg shell in 2 and 3% rate in bovine manure, favored the capsules deposition of E. andrei at 20 and 30 days.

Palavras-chave : worm; Eisenia andrei; calcium; egg shell; capsules.