Bioremediation and Soil Fertility Study: Effects of Vermiremediation on Soil Contaminated by Chlorpyrifos

first_page settings Order Article Reprints Open AccessArticle A Bioremediation and Soil Fertility Study: Effects of Vermiremediation on Soil Contaminated by Chlorpyrifos by Francesca Tagliabue 1,†, Enrica Marini 1,†, Arianna De Bernardi 1,* [ORCID] , Costantino Vischetti 1,* [ORCID] , Gianluca Brunetti 1,2 [ORCID] and Cristiano Casucci 1 [ORCID] 1 Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy 2 Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia * Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed. † These authors contributed equally to this work. Environments 2025, 12(5), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12050136 Submission received: 27 February 2025 / Revised: 28 March 2025 / Accepted: 20 April 2025 / Published: 24 April 2025 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: Soil Contamination and Remediation) Download keyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract Although the broad-spectrum pesticide chlorpyrifos (CP) was banned in many developed countries, it is still widely used in developing countries. Its residues persist in the environment for unpredictable times. CP is toxic to various non-target organisms and humans and inhibits soil enzyme activity and bacterial and fungal abundance. This paper aimed to evaluate the effect of vermiremediation on soil chlorpyrifos content and soil fertility. The application of Eisenia fetida or vermicompost was studied in terms of soil chlorpyrifos concentration, microbial biomass content, and enzymatic activities in a 120-day trial. Pesticide application rates were 0, 25, and 50 ppm. The CP did not affect the earthworm survival rate at the tested doses. The earthworms markedly increased microbial biomass carbon and the activity of β-glucosamminidase, while the vermicompost had a noticeably positive effect mainly on alkaline phosphatase activity. Finally, although the vermiremediation techniques studied did not perform a bioremediation activity, they proved effective in improving the biological fertility of the soil in the presence of high concentrations of chlorpyrifos.