EARTHWORMS UNDER PESTICIDE STRESS: ECOTOXICOLOGICAL RESPONSES, BIOMARKER ALTERATIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Abstract

Earthworms are crucial contributors to soil processes, supporting ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and soil structure enhancement. As bioindicators of chemical toxicity, they reflect soil health and contaminant effects. However, intensive agricultural practices, particularly pesticide usage, can negatively impact earthworm populations and their ecological functions. Pesticides interfere with enzymatic activity, increase mortality, reduce reproduction and growth, alter feeding behavior, and decrease population biomass and density. Among chemical classes, insecticides and fungicides are the most detrimental to survival and reproduction, respectively. Recent studies emphasize the importance of sensitive testing methods, such as reproduction assays, to evaluate sublethal effects, as acute mortality tests may underestimate ecological risk. This review synthesizes literature from 2020–2025 on pesticide impacts on earthworms, highlighting knowledge gaps, and emphasizing the role of earthworms and vermicomposting in sustainable soil management.