Effect of feeding materials on productivity and quality of vermicompost produced by two earthworms species
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Abstract
Vermicompost is a nutrient-enriched organic fertilizer that is promising for crops’ vigorous growth and soil environment maintenance. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the vermicompost productivity and efficiency of two earthworm species (Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae) to produce quality vermicomposts from different organic feeding substrates. The experiment was carried out using a 2 × 4 factorial in a completely randomized design where factor A comprised of two earthworm species viz., E. fetida and E. eugeniae, and factor B consisted of four feeding materials viz., cowdung, cowdung + water lettuce (3:1), cowdung + poultry litter (3:1), and cowdung + rice straw (3:1). Each treatment replicated thrice. Earthworms were inoculated on chari (cement-made jars), having cowdung as feeding materials. Each chari was monitored regularly, and moisture was maintained within the range of 60–80%. Data were recorded on the number and biomass of earthworms and vermicompost productivity. Initial feeding materials and produced vermicompost were chemically analyzed following standard methods. Results showed that E. fetida performed significantly better than E. eugeniae in terms of the number of earthworms (215.08 ± 6.34 chari-1), vermicompost productivity (1.41 ± 0.11 kg chari-1), and production efficiency (47.66 ± 3.09%). The biomass of earthworms was found to be higher in E. eugeniae (58.01 ± 2.80 g chari-1). Cowdung was the best feeding material in the case of vermicelli as well as vermicompost productivity (1.52 ± 0.10 kg chari-1). Chemical analyses confirmed that N, P, K, and S increased, whereas pH values were reduced in produced vermicompost. The vermicompost productivity and number of earthworms were higher in E. fetida, whereas biomass was higher in E. eugeniae. Cowdung showed as the best feeding material with nutrient enrichment in produced vermicompost.
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References
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