Why Earthworms are Called a Farmer’s Friend?

Answer: Earthworms improve the health of the soil and plant, too; that’s why earthworms are called farmer’s friends. Earthworms are usually found in the soil. The body structure of an earthworm is like a tube, and its length depends on the digestive system.

They respire through the skin. They eat organic matter like plant matter, living protozoa, fungi, bacteria and other organisms. Earthworms increase the fertility of the soil by converting large pieces of organic matter into humus. Earthworms perform the function of pumping the air inside and outside the soil. Earthworms create the passage for water and air to the soil. They modify the vital organic component, which makes the soil healthy. Earthworms are functional contributors as they can break down organic materials and excrete concentrated nutrients. Earthworms are used on some sites to prepare the soil for the return of native flora. 

The earthworm population depends on physical and chemical properties like pH, temperature, salts, aeration, texture, and food availability. Earthworms have three different categories: leaf litter, which live in the soil litter and eat decomposing organic matter. The second category is topsoil or subsoil dwelling worms that feed burrows and create horizontal caves in the upper layer of the soil. The third category is worms that construct permanent deep vertical burrows, which are used to visit the surface obtained by plant material. The soil structure is maintained by earthworms burrowing which creates many channels through the soil. Earthworms accelerate in the soil through fragmentation and mixing of plant debris.