Illnois Research

  Professor Thomas J. Bicki, Department of Agronomy, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, performs a two-year Earthworm Tillage field research project at Kreitzer farm to determine crop yields due to earthworm presence. This project was also duplicated at the U of I Orr Research Center at Perry, IL.

 University of Illinois Grad Students under Dr. Bicki's supervision using Soil Tension Infiltrometers.

Tension infiltrometers are designed to measure the unsaturated hydraulic properties of soils. Water is allowed to infiltrate soil at a rate, which is slower than when water is ponded on the soil surface. This is accomplished by maintaining a small negative pressure on the water as it moves out of the infiltrometer disc into the soil.

This tool allows us to show the land owner the amount of macopores that they currently have.  We then plant VermiPods at that very spot.  Come back one year later and preform this experiment again in the same place. Since we all want to see what a product will do before we buy it, this is positive proof of why you should be buying VermiPods.  The results are always very impressive if the earthworms were not killed over the Winter. 

During one of the droughts we had, my field with million of earthworms produced 129 bushels of corn.  My neighbor that year only produced 89.  Soils with earthworm macopores will hold mosture where soils without do not.