Vermiwash is a liquid extract produced from vermicompost in a medium where earthworms are richly populated. It comprises a massive decomposer bacteria count, mucus, vitamins, different bioavailable minerals, hormones, enzymes, different antimicrobial peptides, etc. This paper aimed to assess how these natural products in vermiwash suppressed the pathogen and pests. Thus, we have reviewed the importance of vermiwash/vermicompost in disease control, the mechanism of disease suppression, the components of vermiwash applied in disease suppression, and pest control to use the scientific facts in agriculture to enhance the productivity of the crops. The bioactive macromolecules from the skin secretion of earthworm, coelomic fluid, and mucus directly able to defend pathogenic soil microbes against the worm and thereby freed the environment from the disease. Earthworms establish symbiotic relations with microbes, produce an essential product that supports the growth of plants, and suppress plant's root disease. It is recomended that earthworm should be inoculated in an agricultural field, or prepare and apply its vermiwash/vermicompost as a spray or as additive bio-fertilizer in the soil to enhance the productivities of the crops.
A checklist of earthworm species hitherto known from Kerala, a constituent of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India, is presented. In total, 88 species and subspecies are recorded, of which 55 are Kerala endemics, 9 near endemics, 14 exotics and 10 native peregrines. These belong to 26 genera and 9 families. The checklist includes the literature citation to the original description, type locality, any significant subsequent generic placements, and the district distributional pattern for each species/ subspecies.
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