A. VERMICULTURE AND VERMICOMPOSTING

• Effects of vermicomposts on the growth of greenhouse and field crops
• Production of plant growth regulators during vermicomposting
• Suppression of plant diseases, plant parasitic nematodes, and arthropod pests by vermicomposts
• Effects of vermicompost aqueous extracts ('teas') on pest and disease suppression
• Fate of human pathogens during vermicomposting
• Use of earthworm protein as animal feed
• Use of earthworm extracts as pharmaceuticals

B. SOIL ECOTOXICOLOGY

• Use of vermicomposts in the bioremediation of pollutants
• Effects of earthworms on groundwater pollution by nitrates and pesticides
• Use of soil microcosms to predict the effects of pollutants on soil systems
• Effects of chemicals on soil ecosystems and soil dynamic processes
• Effects of molluscicides on earthworms
• Modes of action of biological soil additives

C. SOIL ECOLOGY

• Breakdown of organic matter by soil invertebrates
• Interactions between earthworms and weed seeds
• Role of soil-inhabiting invertebrates in maintenance of soil fertility
• Biology and ecology of earthworms