Earthworms eat seeds and seedlings, scientists have found. The discovery they eat live rather than just dead plants will change the way we think about earthworms, which had been thought to benefit plants by recycling soil nutrients. It may offer a way for gardeners and farmers to encourage more earthworms into their soil, for example. But it also means invasive earthworms could be reducing populations of plants in once pristine soils. Confirmation that earthworms feed on living plants is published in the journal Soil Biology and Biochemistry by Dr Nico Eisenhauer of the Georg-August-University Göttingen in Germany. Earthworms function as seedling predators. Dr Nico Eisenhauer with colleagues Dr Eisenhauer made the discovery studying the behaviour of Lumbricus terrestris, an anecic earthworm that inhabits soils around the world. Originating in Europe, the worm occurs in grasslands, agricultural fields and forests and is invading soils across the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Previous studies have shown that some earthworms will swallow plant seeds, while others appear to collect seeds, burying them in their burrows but it was not clear why, whether the earthworms were actually seeking rotting seeds or whether they derived any nutritional benefit from the habit so Dr Eisenhauer set up a series of experiments to find out, offering earthworms housed in the lab a selection of food, including seeds and seedlings from different plant species. Earthworms form herds and make “group decisions”, scientists have just discovered Watch video of a monster worm and sea star frenzy The results were startling. The earthworms selectively fed on slow-germinating, nitrogen-rich seeds and seedlings, actively ingesting the plant material, killing the young plant. Earthworms allowed to feed on live plants gained weight, and their performance would vary depending on what plants they were offered, such as legumes or grasses, suggesting they do derive nutritional benefits from such a diet. “However, the most convincing evidence is the change in the N15 signature in earthworm tissue,” Dr Eisenhauer told the BBC. Compared to grasses, legumes generally have lower levels of an isotope of nitrogen called N15, due to the way they fix nitrogen from the air. When the researchers examined the ratio of N15 within the tissue of earthworms offered legume seeds, it decreased significantly, demonstrating that earthworms feed upon, and prefer, legume seeds and seedlings. “It was somewhat surprising that we could detect the signature of legumes in plant tissue,” says Dr Eisenhauer. Earthworms’ taste for seeds and seedlings could alter the way we think about both the worms, and plant communities. Visit Soil Biology and Biochemistry to read more about earthworms’ taste for seeds and seedling. Earthworms play a fundamental role in nutrient cycling, and in most contexts cannot be regarded as pests of plants, says Dr Eisenhauer. In agricultural or horticultural settings, farmers or gardeners may even be able to use certain seeds to encourage more earthworms into their soil but in some parts of the world, they may pose a previously unrecognised problem. “They are invading several regions previously devoid of earthworms such as northern North America,” says Dr Eisenhauer. Studies have already shown this can cause the extinction of some plant species, and Dr Eisenhauer’s research provides one explanation why. “The finding that earthworms function as seedling predators highlights the necessity to prevent the further anthropogenic spread of exotic earthworms,” he says.
Woolley Leaf Sapote Tips
Visited one of our members and got to try this fruit for the first time – just delicious. Good size fruit and very small seed! Highly recommended to add to your collection.
White Sapote Tips
- Paul Recher says that the vast majority of cultivars are pollen sterile so you must plant a cultivar that has pollen. I spoke to the President of the South Australian Rarefruit Association about the problem and he confirmed the same prognosis so I emailed Peter Young from Birdwood Nursery and here is his reply. “Pollination in White Sapote is critical and is the main reason for many good eating cultivars not being sold to retail as stand alone trees fail to crop. This is why we chose ‘Dade’ as it has good quality fruit and we have found it to be highly self fertile. It is also a compact grower. Varieties such as Reinike, Golden Globe, Candy, McDill and Denzler to name a few all need pollinating. Varieties that are recognised as good pollinators for such varieties are Dade, Vista, Ortego and Vernon. Lemon Gold that is also very self fertile does everything later than most cultivars. It is a big tree, small fruit and although it’s good eating, doesn’t make a good pollinator or backyard tree.” Ref: Sheryl Backhouse
- White Sapote is a member of the same family as citrus (Rutaceae), which can have problems of sourness and bitterness improved by applications of Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate). It is easy to broadcast the little crystals under the trees. Sheryl’s favourite remedy of boron + urea (see the checklist on the calendar) might help with fruit-setting. Having soil tested is a good idea. Ref: Pat Scott
- Denzler and Blumenthal are by far the best here in northern NSW. Also I remember one year Vista had delicious creamy fruits but the memory could be faulty. Regardless Blumenthal and Denzler I imported from Kona, Hawaii and do well in the wet subtropics. Ref: Paul Recher
- White Sapote by Richard Frost: Though the flowers are hermaphrodite, for fruit production it is important to obtain a known, grafted cultivar because seedlings can have partial to total pollen sterility within the flower. Further, some cultivars are known to have all or nearly all dysfunctional pollen: Dade is among them.
Several varieties are reported to have regular production. These include: Cuccio, McDill, and Suebelle. The taste of the fruit is also reported to vary significantly with soil, quantity of water, nutrients, and climate.Woolley Leaf White Sapote Casimiroa tetrameria The woolley-leaved white sapote usually has 5 leaflets, larger and thicker than those of C. edulis and velvety-white on the underside (Fruits of Warm Climates, Julia F Morton)
- Pike White Sapote bears every year now that I got an Ortego pollinator for it – it use to flower but never set any fruit until I got a pollinator.
Weed Management Tips
- March 2006 edition of Small Farms Magazine has an interesting article on using household sugar to manage weed problems. Researchers from the CSIRO have found that amounts of sugar up to 500g per square metre inhibited the growth of most annual weeds. It has to be applied every three months.
- Jason Spotswood showed a great tip. To stop grass growing where you don’t want it to run and you don’t want to spray with a herbicide, pile up dead grass and it won’t cross over.
- I’ve been asked a number of times over many years for an alternative to Glyphosate and other herbicides. I’ve been testing and using vinegar for quite a while as a means for killing weeds. It is easy to use and will not harm the environment. Usually within 6 to 48 hours the plant growth will wither and die. Young seedlings less than two weeks old will be killed entirely; older weeds will have their top-growth killed but may still report from the roots. It will affect the leaves on trees when you accidentally spray them. We use Acetic acid (often called ethanoic acid) which is created by the fermentation of alcohol with a dilution rate from 15 to 20 : 1 depending on the application. Common household vinegar has about a 5% acetic acid concentration. Will the acetic acid in vinegar harm my soil? It can temporarily reduce the pH of soil but this effect typically lasts only a couple of days. Acetic acid rapidly breaks down in water and so for the best results do not spray weeds just before a storm. The rains will dilute the vinegar and greatly reduce its effectiveness. Young weeds will be killed by spraying with plain household vinegar (5%); older weeds may require some additional spraying for effective control. Wear protective clothing and eye shields while using high concentration vinegars and clean out spray tools after use. We now have 90% Acetic Acid on sale. Dilute 20lt into 160lt of water and you have 180lt of ready to use vinegar. Just contact us if you are interested in some vinegar.
Angela & Heinz Gugger, Mary Valley Orchards, 255 Amamoor Creek Road , Amamoor QLD 4570 e-mail: info@maryvalleyorchards.com.au http:/www.persimmons.com.au Tel: 61+ (07) 5488 4315 - Weed Killer Mix in a container 1 gallon white vinegar (3.78 ltr), 1 cup table salt, and 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid together and spray on weeds. To mix, remove approximately 2 cups of vinegar from the container, pour in the salt and dishwashing liquid, then return the 2 cups of vinegar to the container. Close the lid and shake to mix. Transfer to a spray bottle (after shaking to mix the ingredients) as needed. It works as well, if not better, than chemicals, but is much cheaper. Be careful, it will kill whatever you spray it on! If you purchase vinegar, 10% acidity is ok, 20% acid would be better, and spraying it on the weeds in the heat of the full sun, you will have an effective weed killer.
Watermelon Tips
I planted the two seeds Sheryl gave me a couple of years back (seed from Cambodia), mid September 2009 – only one seed germinated. After three weeks the vine had grown about 1 metre and produced three flowers – one of these flowers was pollinated naturally and developed into a small melon the size of a marble. The melon developed very slowly and by the end of October the vine had not grown any further so I decided to nip the end off the vine to produce more growth – this produced two more leaders and about twenty flowers by the end of November. I cross pollinated each flower the morning after it opened – this did not produce any more fruit. Mid December the melon had grown to the size of an orange and the vine had only grown to about two metres in length. I had no idea of the growing habits of this type of melon so I decided to let nature take its course. By mid January 2010 the melon had developed in size and weight – at the end of January the shin had change to a lighter colour and looked thin and shiny. I left it for another week – by this time the vine had started to wither and the shin could be easily scratched off. I picked the melon on the 2nd of February – it was the size of a large rock melon, round in shape, it had a thin rind, about sixty seeds, orange in colour, crunchy watermelon texture, heavy water content and delicious sweet flavour. Ref: John & Ray Capps
Watering Tips
A member of the rarefruit yahoo group has suspected for quite sometime that water and soil quality is extremely important for some plants, particularly with Miracle Fruit. His experience with Miracle Fruit proved to him that soil alone will not be able to offset improper water. His Miracle Fruits were planted in soil for acid loving plants and still they declined. Only when he began watering them with acidic water did they turn around and start to thrive. It is quite possible that other plants, such as E. stipitata, will have other ways of showing their discomfort. For this reason, he has been toying with the idea of getting a reverse osmosis unit to water his plants.
VegiForms Tips
- VegiForms is a patented clear plastic two-part mould for growing a variety of ordinary vegetables in the form of a Garden Elf, an Ear of Corn, comical little Pickle Puss faces, or perfectly shaped Hearts and Diamonds
- EPCOT/Disney in Orlando does pumpkins in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears in their “The Land” pavilion. Looks great to see them hanging in the forms and others that have already had their forms removed hanging on the living vines. www.vegiforms.com
- Ariel from Israel says that we can bottle Buddha fruits and add liqueur at the end of the May. After anthesis, strip the leaves and leave 1 fruit of 1 cm diameter on the stripped branch 40 cms long then clean and wash the fruit and place it into a bottle made out of glass and attach to a strong branch and wait. It is essential to spray against ants and pests. After 6-7 months you’ll have a large Buddha fruit in the bottle. Cut the branch, wash the fruit and bottle, add a clear liqueur with various herbs, then hold for 30 days. You can make it with clear Tequila also.
Underground Water Tips
If you are using a well or have a source of underground water, have it tested for Ecoli.
Truffle Tips
Heard a chap from Tasmania being interviewed on radio about the new methods they have implemented in achieving a successful outcome. The tree has to be absolutely sterile when it leaves the nursery ie so fungi in the potting mix as the inoculant they introduce won’t take if there is other fungi there. They train their dogs on Truffle Oil and reward them for a find with a treat of some kind (not a truffle!) and when the truffle is ready, you usually see a huge bulge in the soil. If the bulge is not there and the dog lets you know there is, you have to get down on your hands and knees and check the aroma. The larger the truffle, the higher the aroma. Then it has to be dug out by hand! No tools – as the truffle could easily be damaged. Ref: Sheryl
Trellising Tips
- Mulberry trees can be trellised very successfully.
- I was also reading of someone who had trellised a Carambola and Guava with great success as they only produce fruit on new wood. Loquat makes a nice espalier too but is a lot of work to maintain. http://www.rarefruit-sa.org.au/Espalier/Espalier.htm