This document summarizes information about green manuring and vermicomposting. It discusses the objectives and types of green manuring, including green manuring crops grown in-situ and green leaf manuring. The benefits of incorporating green manuring crops into soil are outlined, along with some potential disadvantages. Vermicomposting is introduced as the practice of using earthworms to turn organic wastes into nutrient-rich material. The key differences between vermicomposting and conventional composting are summarized, including differences in temperature, pathogen destruction mechanisms, and the final product. The pros and cons of each method are also compared.

1. 10-11 Vermicomposting
Green manuring;
Types,
Advantages
Disadvantages
Nutrient availability.
5
Dr.AB. Jadhav
Assistant Professor,
Soil Science and Agril. Chemistry,
Agriculture College, Pune

2. Green Manuring
It can be defined as practice of ploughing or incorporation or turning into the soil un-decomposed
green plant tissues for the purpose of improvement in soil physical properties and fertility of soil.
Objectives To increase OM content in soil
To improve and maintain soil structure
To reduce the losses of nutrients
To provide source of nutrients
To reduce soil loss by erosion
To enhance soil availability of nutrients
To increase the overall fertility status of soil
To improve physical, biological and chemical properties of soil

3. Green Manuring in-situ
Green manuring crops grown
and buried or incorporated in
the same field either by pure
crops or intercrop with main
crop
Sunhemp (Crotolaria juncea)
Dhaincha (Susbania aculeatu)
Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba)
Green Leaf Manuring
Incorporation of green leaves and
green twigs collected from shrubs
and trees grown on
bunds/wastelands or nearby forest
Glyricidia (Glyricidia maculata)
Karanj (Pongamia pinnata)
Types of Green Manuring

6. Soil incorporation of green manuring crop

7. Soil incorporation of green manuring crop

8. Adds OM it stimulates
microbial activity
Improves physical,
chemical and
biological properties
of soil
Improves soil
structure/Helps in
reclamation of salt
affected soils
GM crops are incorporated in
upper layer….plants also
takes nutrients from this
layer
Decreases runoff and
erosion by facilitating
penetration of rainwater
GM crops chelates
nutrients otherwise
they would lost
Legume crop as gren
manure-adds N to soil
and used for
succeeding crop
Increases availability of
P,Ca,Mg and Fe
Reduces fixation of
nutrients in
soil/Enhances soil
WHC

9. FEAR in rainfed area: if
rainfall is less-proper
decomposition- which
may affect germination
of succeeding crop
One season may lost
GM-N may be costlier
than N-fertilizers
GM crops may
enhance disease,
pest and nematode
infestation
Risk: for satisfactory
growth and stand of the
GM crop

10. Should be legume, good
nodular growth, rapid
N-fixation even under
unfavorable condition
Should have little water
requirement for its own
growth and should be
capable of making a
good stand on poor and
exhausted soils
Should have deep root
system which can open
the subsoil and tap
lower regions for plant
nutrients
It should have dense
leafy growth habit and
produce tender growth
in early life cycle.
It should contain less
non-fibrous tissue
hence rapid
decomposition

11. Composition of vermicompost

41. Properties of end product from vermicomposting
 Very finely structured, uniform,
stable and aggregated particles of
humified organic material
 Excellent porosity, aeration and
water holding capacity
 Rich in available plant nutrients,
hormones, enzymes and (benign)
microbial populations
 Mostly pathogen-free:
 Plant and human pathogens
are killed during passage of the
earthworm gut
 Earth-like, soil building substance
that forms a beneficial growing
environment for plant roots
 Valuable and marketable product
Source: Google Images

42. Degree of organic matter degradation depends on:
1. Portion of the waste that is degradable
2. Maintenance of aerobic conditions
3. Absence of toxic compounds
Source: Google Images
Course 2 Unit 6

43. Vermicomposting is practically odour-free
 Earthworms release coelomic fluids into the decaying
waste biomass which have anti-bacterial properties and
kill pathogens
 By creating aerobic conditions, the release of foul-
smelling hydrogen sulphide from anaerobic
microorganisms is inhibited

44. So what’s the difference between conventional composting (also
called “hot composting”) and vermicomposting?
 See next slides
Source of the photo: http://www.compostguy.com/composting/hot-composting-vs-vermicomposting/ -- very informative website!
Hot composting Vermicomposting

45. Differences between vermicomposting and (hot) composting (slide 1 of 2)
Process variable Vermicomposting Hot composting
Conditions Aerobic
Process temperature 15 - 25ºC 50-70ºC
Type of temperature Ambient to mesophilic (<35ºC) –
otherwise worms will be killed
Thermophilic (at least for part
of the time)
Method of operation Apply waste frequently in thin layers
(continuous operation rather than
batch)
Stack waste material in large
piles so that heat produced is
retained in pile (usually batch
operation)

46. Differences between vermicomposting and (hot) composting
(slide 2 of 2)
Process variable Vermicomposting Hot composting
Earthworms Present in large quantities Only present at beginning (die off at
temperature in pile > 35°C)
Pathogen destruction
mechanism
Passage through worm gut
(biochemical digestion)
Elevated temperature over
extended period (> 1 week) and
action of microorganisms
Final product Vermicompost or vermicast;
microbiologically active (this is
good for the soil)
Compost; relatively little microbial
activity
Course 2 Unit 6

47. Vermicomposting: pros and cons compared to hot composting
Pros
1) Tends to be somewhat less labor-intensive - no
turning/aerating necessary (worm activity helps
to mix, fragment and aerate materials)
2) Cooler temperatures help to conserve nitrogen
3) Higher moisture contents not an issue (and
actually preferred)
4) Materials can be constantly added (no need to
stock pile in preparation for next ‘batch’)
5) Size of system unimportant - ideally suited for
both indoors and outdoors
6) Considerable evidence to indicate that
vermicomposts have beneficial properties not
found in hot composts
7) Under ideal conditions, wastes can be processed
very quickly
Cons
1) Won’t kill seeds (and although there is a fair
amount of evidence to indicate pathogen
destruction, more research is required)
2) More space required to process similar
amounts as hot composting - need to be
careful with amount added (since excess heat
will kill worms)
3) Outdoor systems much more limited by cold
weather
4) Worms need to be separated from compost
5) Worms (although quite resilient) do require
some attention and proper care.
Source: http://www.compostguy.com/composting/hot-composting-vs-
vermicomposting/

48. Ho composting: pros and cons compared to vermicomposting
Pros
1) Enables processing of larger quantities
of materials in a smaller area
2) Can proceed relatively quickly under
ideal conditions
3) Can kill weed seeds and pathogens
4) On a large scale can proceed easily in
cold weather
Cons
1) Can be labor-intensive (piling
wastes, turning pile etc) and
require more attention
2) Heat can kill off many beneficial
microbes
3) May require some stock-piling until
sufficient materials available for
‘batch’
4) Heating can lead to considerable
nitrogen loss
Source: http://www.compostguy.com/composting/hot-
composting-vs-vermicomposting/

49. THANK YOU