Vermicompost:- vermicomopost is nothing but the excreta of earthworm which are rich in humus and plant nutrients i.e micro and macro nutrients.
simply, it is the compost which is made from kitchen waste,agricultural by-products and livestock by-products with the aid of special species of earthworms.
simply, it is the compost which is made from kitchen waste,agricultural by-products and livestock by-products with the aid of special species of earthworms.
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vermicompost are highly important to maintain fertility of soil as it is very rich in humus content,nitrogen,potassium,phosphorus,calcium and magnesium. It contains 5 times more the available nitrogen,7 times the available potash and 1.5 times more calcium than that of top fertile soil.It has excellent aeration,porosity,water holding capacity.It is also rich in bacteria;thus promotes bacterial activity in the soil.
Materials requried for vermicompost preparation:-
- Composting bed:- Generally pucca bed of 1.5-2 m length,1 m breadth and 0.5-1 m height is constructed for vermicompost preparation.A suitable place with shadow is to be selected for bed preparation.
Vermicompost bed - Base materials:- Base materials like kitchen waste,agricultural by-products and livestock by-products are kept in the composting bed for vermicompost preparation.
- Earthworm:- For the preparation of vermicompost;earthworms like African earthworm (Eudrillus engenial),red worm (Eisenia foetida) and composting worm (Peronyx excavatus) are used. Among these;African earthworm is preferred because it produces higher quantity of vermicompost in short duration and produces more young ones during composting period.
90-120 days is required for vermicompost preparation.
Nutritive value of vermicompost:- It varies depending upon the type of base materials used for compost preparation.The common available nutrients in vermicompost is as follows:-
- Organic carbon:- 9.5-18%
- Nitrogen :- 0.5-1.5%
- Phosphorus :- 0.1-0.35%
- Sodiun :-0.06-0.30%
Advantages of vermicompost:-
- It is rich in all essential plant nutrients.
- It helps to improve soil structure,texture,aeration.
- It is free from pathogens and toxic elements as well as weed seeds.
- Being rich in humus content,it improves the water retention capacity of the soil.
- To some extent it acts as mulch;thus prevents erosion of top fertile soil.
- It contains large population of micro-organisms,that help to improve the soil fertility.Along this ;it also contains beneficial micro flora such as fixers and phosphorus solublizers.
- It contains earthworm cocoons;thus increases the population of earthworm in soil.These earthworms makes the soil more porous.
- It enhances the decomposition of organic matter in the soil.
- It contains valuable vitamins,enzymes and hormones like auxin,gibberellins,etc
