SynthesisScientific reports2014
Earthworms increase plant production: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 76 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
76 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The impact of multiple agricultural land uses in sustaining earthworm communities in agroecosystems - A global meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Dung beetles increase plant growth: a meta-analysis.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Holistic evaluation of long-term earthworm field studies with a fungicide.Integrated environmental assessment and management · 2022Pooled it
- Soil chemistry turned upside down: a meta-analysis of invasive earthworm effects on soil chemical properties.Ecology · 2020Pooled it
- Soil mulching significantly enhances yields and water and nitrogen use efficiencies of maize and wheat: a meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2015Pooled it
- Article
- Integrated Analyses of mRNA and microRNA Regulatory Networks at Different Soil Moisture in Tropical EarthwormBiology · 2026Article
- Temperate Forest Floors: Ecosystem Hubs in Transition?Global change biology · 2026Review
- Earthworm Coelomocytes and Coelomic Fluid: Innate Immunity, Toxicological Responses, and Research Applications.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Review
- Charge reversible-natural light responsive nanoparticles enable targeted herbicide delivery and reduction of mammalian toxicity.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- Intestinal microplastic debris, flora dysbiosis, and insidious combined hazards across diverse aquatic and terrestrial organisms.Journal of advanced research · 2026Review
- Earthworms Enhance Global Soil Carbon Storage Through Microbial-Mineral Stabilization.Global change biology · 2026Article
- LumbriCyc: towards metabolic modelling of earthworms.NPJ systems biology and applications · 2026Article
- Bio-Based Fertilizers from Waste: Nutrient Recovery, Soil Health, and Circular Economy Impacts.Toxics · 2026Review
- Deciphering the nitrogen-promoting effect of vermicompost: from a complex organic matrix to synthetic microbial communities.Frontiers in plant science · 2026Review
- Macroinvertebrates, a forgotten player in the nutrient dynamics of riparian buffer zones.Oecologia · 2025Review
- Plant-Earthworm Interaction Favors Invasive Alien Plants Over Natives in Cd-Contaminated Environments.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Soil health contributes to variations in crop production and nitrogen use efficiency.Nature food · 2025Article
- Subtropical maize production and soil microbial communities show minimal response to earthworm bio-tillage.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Combined application of vermicompost and mineral K fertilizer improves root yield of sweet potato [Heliyon · 2025Article
16 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To meet the challenge of feeding a growing world population with minimal environmental impact, we need comprehensive and quantitative knowledge of ecological factors affecting crop production. Earthworms are among the most important soil dwelling invertebrates. Their activity affects both biotic and abiotic soil properties, in turn affecting plant growth. Yet, studies on the effect of earthworm presence on crop yields have not been quantitatively synthesized. Here we show, using meta-analysis, that on average earthworm presence in agroecosystems leads to a 25% increase in crop yield and a 23% increase in aboveground biomass. The magnitude of these effects depends on presence of crop residue, earthworm density and type and rate of fertilization. The positive effects of earthworms become larger when more residue is returned to the soil, but disappear when soil nitrogen availability is high. This suggests that earthworms stimulate plant growth predominantly through releasing nitrogen locked away in residue and soil organic matter. Our results therefore imply that earthworms are of crucial importance to decrease the yield gap of farmers who can't -or won't- use nitrogen fertilizer.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.