Microbial enrichment of vermicompost through earthworm for agricultural waste management and development of useful organic fertilizer

1. Microbial enrichment of vermicompost through
earthworm for agricultural waste management
and development of useful organic fertilizer
SHAKTI SWORUP MOHAPATRA
shaktisorup3@gmail.com
9348110349

2. CONTENTS
Introduction
Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting vs. Traditional compost
Earthworm (Eisenia Foetida)
Materials and Methods
Harvesting
Conclusion
Advantages of vermicomposting

3. INTRODUCTION
➢ Vermicomposting is a process where decomposition of biodegradable
waste is done by using earthworms.
➢ This is a type of composting in which certain species of earthworms
are used to enhance the process of organic waste conversion and
produce a better end-product.
➢ Simply it improve the biological, chemical, and physical properties
of the soil. The chemical secretions in the earthworm’s digestive tract
help break down soil and organic matter, so the castings contain more
nutrients that are immediately available to plants.

4. Vermicomposting vs. Traditional compost
➢ However I found vermicompost to be the best between both for these specific reasons-
▪ Vermicomposting Creates Compost Faster but Traditional composting takes up to eight weeks;
however, it needs an extra four weeks to finish curing.
▪ Vermicomposting Can Be Done Outdoors and Indoors
▪ Vermicompost has excellent biological and chemical properties and is enriched with plant growth
regulators that are lacking in traditional composts.
➢ Traditional composting is simply the method of breaking down
organic materials like kitchen and garden waste in a large
container or heap. The decomposition occurs because of the
action of naturally occurring bacteria and fungi.

5. Earthworm (Eisenia Foetida)
➢An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. These are long,
cylindrical, narrow, segmented and symmetrically bilateral soil inhabiting invertebrates having a glittering
brownish body encased with smooth cuticular layer. .
➢ Eisenia foetida is a type of surface-born waste-born and fertilizer-maker, and its inhabitants are mass manure,
horticultural land with large quantities of organic material, forest and areas with a lot of wood and leaves waste,
and it can serve as a suitable degrading in soil.
➢ It can live in a wide range of environment types and is active in all seasons. The intake and reproduction rate of
food in these worms is high and they are rich in organic matter and have life, nutrition and reproduction potential
in environments so that these worms use the daily equivalent of half their weight of organic waste.

6. Systematic position of Eisenia foetida
Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Annelida
Class - Oligochaeta
Order - Haplotaxia
Family - Lumbricidae
Genus - Eisenia
Species – Foetida

7. Materials and Methods
Steps Involved In Vermiculture
▪ Site selection
▪ Species selection
▪ Feedstock
▪ Inoculation of earthworms
▪ Feeding
▪ Harvesting
Materials Required
▪ Feeding tray
▪ Bedding
▪ Water
▪ Worms
▪ Food Scraps
▪ Temperature- 12`c to 25`c, ideally

8. Process
Selected site for the process should be-
▪ Slope area
▪ Drainage facility
▪ Transport facility
▪ Shady areas of trees
FEEDING
▪ Materials like Animal waste , biogas waste , straw, grass clippings , kitchen wastes are used for feeding earthworm.
▪ Feed is loaded on the top of the bed
▪ Entire feed - Thrice in a week
▪ Watering is daily or alternate days
▪ Bed is covered by broad leaves
▪ Earthworms breed and multiply
Suitable conditions required for earthworms
▪ Moisture 75 – 90%
▪ Adequate aeration
▪ Optimum temperature 25 – 30oC
▪ Neutral pH
▪ Salinity of the soil is less than 0.5%

9. Methods of vermicomposting
Bin or Tray method
▪ Conversion of organic waste into valuable compost in a tray.
▪ Worms in a bin with biodegradable bedding.
▪ Keep bin upon bricks or wooden blocks or sheet.
▪ Bin kept at shady ranges 250-300 C.
▪ Bed made up of leaves, husk etc.
▪ Bed made wet by sprinkling water.
▪ If bin is 2x2 inch we can use one pound or 1000 worms.
▪ Mark the bin into four sections, bury Scarps few inches in first section,
after 4 or 5 days the bury scarp on second like wise.
▪ • This makes worms to move.

10. Harvesting
▪ When vermicompost is prepared then stop sprinkling and
watering about one week ago and collect in a heap like of
the compost for better earthworm performance.
▪ Now, earthworm starts moving downward and gathered
at the bottom of the heap. Further process remove
material from heap and kept in shadow for sieving and
packing. Vermicompost is ready in two months.
▪ The entire content piled as pyramid shape in a bright
light, the worms drive down.
▪ After 10-15 minutes gently collect the vermicompost.

11. Advantages of Vermicompost
▪ NPK level is high
▪ Contains Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.
▪ Humic acid – helpful for balancing the pH level in the soil
▪ Protect ecosystem.
▪ Reduce biological magnification.
▪ Waste into wealth.
▪ Micronutrients is high.
▪ Auxin and Gibberlin – Plant growth hormones.
▪ Physico chemical modulators.
▪ Good secondary decomposer – Stability, Water infiltration and water retention

12. Used For Benefits
▪ Gardening: Vegetable, Roof top, herbal
▪ Organic Landscaping
▪ Agricultural Farms
▪ Fruit trees (Horticulture)
▪ Flowering Plants (Floriculture)
▪ Natural Lawn and Garden care
▪ Tissue culture Plants
▪ Sericulture
▪ Aquaculture
▪ Enables efficient growth
▪ Increases moisture retention
▪ Promotes microbial activity
▪ Controls pest & diseases

13. Conclusion
➢ It can be concluded from this study that Eisenia foetida is the most appropriate decomposer for agricultural
wastes.
➢ It’s application in soil not only improves structure and aggregation but also enhance the amount of organic
matter, nutrient status, potential for cation exchange, microbial activities, and carbon microbial biomass and
enzyme activities.
➢ This kind of research also established a view that it help in promoting plant growth and sustain soil health.
Hence, this input is proven as boon to the farmers. To take full advantage of vermicompost, plough it well in
the soil at the time of sowing. The expenditure on costly chemical fertilizer input may be reduced to some
extent by applying vermicompost in crops.

14. Reference
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