Agricultural waste materials for earthworm propagation and vermicompost production

Abstract

Agricultural waste materials such as ruminant manure, i.e. milk cow manure, are widely used as earthworm feed for vermicompost production as they contain more nutrients than manure of field cows and fattening cows. The objective of this research is to propagate AF earthworms (African Night Crawler, Eudrilus eugeniae) and produce vermicompost using agricultural waste materials. The ripe fruits and tree parts collected from fruit shops and agricultural plots such as ripe bananas, ripe mangoes, ripe guavas, sesbania, and banana leaf sheath were mixed with cow manure for feeding AF earthworms by using a completely randomized design (CRD). The preliminary study found that ripe guava was suitable for earthworms following by banana leaf sheath, respectively, while ripe bananas and ripe mangoes were unsuitable for feeding of earthworms. Study in the amount of vermicompost yield, cocoon, number, and body weight of earthworms by CRD for 30 days showed the ratio of banana leaf sheath: cow manure as 500:2,500 g and 1,000:2,000 g were the highest vermicompost yield as 2,313.33 ± 37.24 and 1,896.67 ± 149.76 g, respectively. The highest number of cocoons as 738.50 ± 56.00 following by 426.00 ± 43.88 sacs from the ratio of ripe guavas: cow manure as 500:2,500 g and the ration of banana leaf sheath: cow manure as 500:2,500 g, respectively. The study of number of earthworms showed ripe guavas: cow manure as 1,000:2,000 g, were the highest number of earthworms as 898.00. ± 60.04 followed by ratio of banana leaf sheath: ripe guavas: cow manure as 500:500:2,000 and 333:333:2,333 g showed the number of earthworms as 584.33 ± 86.83 and 533.00 ± 17.32 respectively.