Comparative studies on the digestive enzymes in the gut of earthworms, Eudrilus eugeniae and Eisenia fetida

Abstract

Solid waste and resource recycling are the only sensible ways to tackle the problem of municipal solid waste (MSW). The digestive enzymes and the intestinal microflora of earthworms seem to play an important role in the digestion of soil organic matter. The present investigation was aimed to study the levels of various enzymes viz. amylase, cellulase, xylanase, cellbiase, endonuclease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and nitrate reductase and their activities in the gut of the two selected earthworms, Eudrilus eugeniae and Eisenia fetida. Overall, amylase, cellobiase, endoglucanase, acid phosphatase and nitrate reductase showed higher enzymatic activity.