Ecotoxicological Assessment of Pesticides Using Eisenia fetida as a Bioindicator Species

Kamali M; Razia Muthusamy

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.80605

Ecotoxicological Assessment of Pesticides Using Eisenia fetida as a Bioindicator Species

Author(s)	Ms. Kamali M, Dr. Razia Muthusamy
Country	India
Abstract	Non-target soil species, especially earthworms, which are essential to preserving soil health and ecosystem functioning, are seriously threatened by the extensive use of pesticides in agriculture. The current work used filter paper contact, solution toxicity, and soil toxicity assays to examine the harmful effects of a pesticide mixture on Eisenia fetida. In a lab setting, earthworms were exposed to varying amounts of the pesticide mixture, and their survival, mortality, behavioural reactions, and morphological changes were assessed. In comparison to the control group, earthworms exposed to pesticides showed lower mobility, irregular crawling, decreased digging activity, body coiling, contraction, and excessive mucus secretion, according to behavioural observations. Higher concentrations (20 and 40 mg/L) caused mortality within 48 hours in the filter paper contact toxicity test, but all treatment groups demonstrated mortality after 72 hours. Similarly, in the solution toxicity test, all treatment groups showed death after 48 hours of exposure, while the highest concentration (40 mg/L) showed mortality after 24 hours. Significant morphological abnormalities, such as body contraction, swelling, darkening, and loss of normal body form, were observed in dead earthworms. On the other hand, following 7, 14, and 24 days of exposure, no death was noted in the soil toxicity test. However, pesticide-treated earthworms showed sub-lethal consequences as decreased movement, slight body constriction, and decreased body weight. The results showed that even in the absence of death under soil exposure, the pesticide mixture causes physiological stress and morphological changes, as well as severe acute toxic effects under direct exposure circumstances. In order to quantify the ecological risks of pesticide contamination in soil ecosystems, the study underlines the sensitivity of E. fetida as a bioindicator species and stresses the significance of examining both lethal and sub-lethal reactions.
Keywords	Earthworm, Eisenia fetida, Pesticide toxicity, Soil toxicity, Behavioural responses, Bioindicator
Field	Biology
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-06-06
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.80605

View / Download PDF File

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Ecotoxicological Assessment of Pesticides Using Eisenia fetida as a Bioindicator Species

Share this