WELCOME

VERMICOMPOSTING AND
ITS APPLICATION

SUSHREE SONAKSHI
BISWAL
PALB 5196
• Conclusion 6
• Role of microbes in vermicomposting 5
• Benefits and applications of vermicompost 4
• Process and methods of vermicomposting 3
• History and classification of earthworms 2
• Introduction 1
CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION
• The term “vermicompost” originated from a Latin word
vermes – worms
vermicomposting- the process of composting
using earthworms

 Vermicomposting 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.

 It is a mesophilic process utilizing microorganisms and earthworms.

Earthworms feeds the organic waste materials and passes it through
their digestive system and gives out in a granular form which is known
as vermicompost.

 Popularly known as BLACK GOLD

 Earthworms have been on the Earth for over
20 million years.
  Ancient civilizations, including Greece and
Egypt valued the role earthworms played in
soil.
 The Egyptian Pharaoh, Cleopatra said,
“Earthworms are sacred.”  She recognized the
important role the worms played in fertilizing
the Nile Valley croplands after annual floods.
 Charles Darwin was intrigued by the worms
and studied them for 39 years. Darwin said,
“It may be doubted whether there are many
other animals in the world which have played
so important a part in the history of the
world.”
 Popularly known as the farmer’s friend or
nature’s ploughman
• Vermicompost is highly fertile, finely divided peat-like material
with high porosity, aeration, water-holding capacity and low C:N
ratios.
• The pH of the castings is 7 (neutral) and the castings are odourless.
• The worm castings also contain bacteria, so the process is
continued in the soil, and microbiological activity is promoted.
• Castings contain 5 times the available nitrogen, 7 times the
available potash, and 1 ½ times more calcium than found in
good topsoil.
• The content of the earthworm castings, along with the natural
tillage by the worms burrowing action, enhances the permeability
of water in the soil. Worm castings can hold close to nine times
their weight in water.
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION
Eisenia fetida Eudrillus eugeniae Perionyx excavatus

• Kingdom : Animalia • Kingdom : Animalia • Kingdom : Animalia

• Phylum : Annelida • Phylum : Annelida • Phylum : Annelida
• Class : Clitellata • Class : Clitellata • Class : Clitellata
• • Subclass : Oligochaeta • Subclass : Oligochaeta
Subclass : Oligochaeta
• Order : Haplotaxida • Order : Haplotaxida
• Order : Haplotaxida
• Family : Eudrilidae • Family : Megascolecidae
• Family : Lumbricidae • Genus : Eudrilus • Genus : Perionyx
• Genus : Eisenia • Species : eugeniae • Species : excavatus
• Species : fetida
 TROPHIC CLASSIFICATION
Based on their feeding habits
1.DETRIVORES:
 Feed at or near surface of soil
 Feed mainly on litter or dead woods and plant debris or
even animal dung
 HUMUS FORMERS
2.GEOPHAGES:
 Feed beneath surface of soil
 Ingest large quantity of organically rich soil, even humus
 HUMUS FEEDERS
 ECOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION
• EPIGEICS: surface dwellers – efficient fragmenters; they are
phytophagous; they have no effect on soil structure; they cannot
dig into the soil
• ANECICS: Feed on leaf litter mixed with soil of upper layers
( upto 45-60 cm); they are gephytophagous; produce surface casts.
Burrow vertically
• ENDOGEIC: Feed in deeper layers( >60 cm); they derive their
nutrition based on organically rich soil.
Burrow horizontally
• Epigeics and anecics together associate with free living soil
bacteria and form DRILOSPHERE (earthworms+ bacteria+
fungi+ soil in upper regions)
 EXAMPLES OF EARTHWORMS
• Epigeic forms: Eisenia fetida, Eudrillus eugeniae
• Anecic forms: Perionyx excavatus, Polypheretima elongata,
Octochetonia serrata, Lampino marutii
• Endogeic forms: Octochetonia thurstoni, Metaphire posthuma
 WHAT WORMS NEED...?

The Five Essentials 

• An hospitable living environment, usually called “bedding”

• A food source

• Adequate moisture

• Adequate aeration

• Protection from temperature extremes

 WASTES USED FOR VERMICOMPOSTING

Any type of biodegradable waste-

• AGRICUTULRAL WASTES: stubble,
husk, straw, FYM, stem, haulm, leaf litter,
fruit rind, pulp,
• ANIMAL WASTES: dung, urine, bio gas
slurry
• URBAN SOLID WASTES:kitchen wastes,
market wastes, sludge , Sewage wastes
• AGRO-INDUSTRIES WASTES: Peel,
rind, unused pulps, fine begasse, press mud,
seed husk, leaves, oil extraction wastes
• OTHER INDUSTRY WASTES: sludge
from other industries( without heavy metals)
 PHASES OF VERMICOMPOSTING

• Phase 1 : Processing involving collection of wastes, shredding, mechanical separation of

the metal, glass and ceramics and storage of organic wastes.

• Phase 2:Pre digestion of organic waste for twenty days by heaping the material along with
cattle dung slurry.  This process partially digests the material and fit for earthworm
consumption.  Cattle dung and biogas slurry may be used after drying.  Wet dung should not
be used for vermicompost production.

• Phase 3:Preparation of earthworm bed. A concrete base is required to put the waste for
vermicompost preparation.  Loose soil will allow the worms to go into soil and also while
watering, all the dissolvable nutrients go into the soil along with water.

• Phase 4 :Collection of earthworm after vermicompost collection.  Sieving the composted

material to separate fully composted material.  The partially composted material will be
again put into vermicompost bed.

• Phase 5:Storing the vermicompost in proper place to maintain moisture and allow the
beneficial microorganisms to grow.
 PREPARATION OF VERMIBED

• In the shed, walled enclosures of 2 feet height, 3 t 4 feet width

and required length are to be constructed using brick and
mortar.
• On the floor of the bed one layer of broken bricks are to be
spread and on top of these a 2-3 inch layer of soil and sand has
to be applied uniformly.
• To discourage ants and termites from entering the bed, a layer
of neem or pongamia leaves has to be applied
• A 3-4 inch layer of bedding material such as dry banana
leaves, straw or weeds has to be applied. A 3-4 inch layer of
dry cow dung has to be applied on top of the bedding material.
• On the layer of cow dung, earthworms have to be released at
the rate of 1 kg worms for square metre
• Finally, decomposable organic wastes mixed with cow dung
have to be stacked to a height of one foot and the beds have to
be covered with gunny bags.
• Water has to be sprinkled on the beds regularly to keep the
heap moist. Once every 15-20 days, the heap of organic wastes
has to be turned upside down and has to be covered with gunny
bags again.
 METHODS OF VERMICOMPOSTING
Pit method
 Four tank system: A tank of 4mX4mX1 m is
constructed and divided in four compartments
 Two tank system: Small tank of 1mX1mX1m is
divided in to two halves
OTHER PRACTICAL METHODS OF VERMICOMPOSTING

• WINDROW METHOD: Bio mass

collected in rows of 1-2ft wide rows- dung
slurry sprinkled and after 10-15 days, worms
area released and water level is maintained
• FYM PIT METHOD: Worms are
released in existing FYM pits ( aerobic);
moisture is maintained
• WOODEN BOX METHOD:
Wooden boxes (1,2,4) of 30-45 cm depth are
used and pre digested wastes are loaded and
worms are released
• CIRCULAR TANK METHOD:
Circular cement rings are used to prepare
circular pits ( depth around 2-3ft)
 HARVESTING OF VERMICOMPOST
• The compost is ready when the material is moderately loose and
crumbly and the colour of the compost is dark brown. It will be black,
granular, lightweight and humus-rich.
• In 60 to 90 days (depends up on the size of the pits) the compost should
be ready as indicated by the presence of earthworm castings
(vermicompost) on the top of the bed.
• To facilitate separating the worms from the compost, stop watering two
to three days before emptying the beds. This will force about 80 per cent
of the worms to the bottom of the bed.
• The worms can also be separated by using sieves/meshes..
• The harvested material should be placed in a heap in the sun so that
most of the worms move down to the cool base of the heap.
• In the two or four pit system, watering should be stopped in the first
chamber so that worms will automatically move to another chamber
where the required environment for the worms are maintained in a cyclic
manner and harvesting can be done continuously in cycles.
 PRECAUTIONS FOR VERMICOMPOST MAKING

• Moisture level in the bed should not exceed 40-50%.Water

logging in the bed leads to anaerobic condition and change in
pH of medium. This hampers normal activities of worms
leading to weight loss and decline in worm biomass and
population .
• Temperature of bed should be within the range of 20-45 degree
centigrade and d irect sunlight should be avoided.
• Worms should not be injured during handling .
• Bed should be protected from predators like red ants, white
ants, centipedes and others like rats, cats , poultry birds and
even dogs
• The organic wastes should be free from plastics, chemicals,
pesticides and metals etc.
 NUTRITIONAL PROFILE OF
VERMICOMPOST

• Organic carbon : 9.5 – 17.98 %

• Nitrogen   : 0.5 – 1.50 %
• Phosphorous : 0.1 – 0.30 %
• Potassium : 0.15 – 0.56 %
• Sodium : 0.06 – 0.30 %
• Calcium and Magnesium : 22.67 to 47.60 meq 100g-1
• Copper : 2 – 9.50 mg kg-1  
• Iron        : 2 – 9.30 mg kg-1
• Zinc : 5.70 – 11.50 mg kg-1
• Sulphur   : 128 – 548 mg kg-1
 BENEFITS AND APPLICATIONS OF
VERMICOMPOST
Soil
 Improves soil aeration
 Enriches soil with microorganisms(adding enzymes
such as phosphatase and cellulase)
 Microbial activity in worm castings is 10 to 20 times
higher than in the soil and organic matter that the worm
ingests
 Attracts deep burrowing earthworms already present in
the soil
 Improves water holding capacity
 Plant growth

 Enhances germination, plant growth, and crop yield

 Improves root growth and structure
 Enriches soil with microorganisms (adding plant hormones
such as auxins and gibberellic acid)
Economic
• Biowastes conversion reduces waste flow to landfills
• Elimination of biowastes from the waste stream reduces
contamination of other recyclables collected in a single bin
• Creates low skill jobs at local level
• Low capital investment and relatively simple technologies
make vermicomposting practical for less developed
agricultural regions
Environmental
• Production reduces greenhouse gas emissions such
as methane and nitric oxide (produced in landfills
or incinerators when not composted or through
methane harvest)

As fertilizer
• Vermicompost can be mixed directly into the soil,
or steeped in water and made into a worm tea by
mixing some vermicompost in water.
• The microbial activity of the compost is greater if
it is aerated during this period. The resulting liquid
is used as a fertilizer or sprayed on the plants.
• Nutrient rich fertilizer
• Garbage disposal
• Paper and cardboard reuse
• Soil amendment
• Vermicompost is rich in beneficial micro flora such as a fixers,
Psolubilizers, cellulose decomposing microflora etc in addition
to improve soil environment.
• Vermicompost contains earthworm cocoons and increases the
population and activity of earthworm in the soil.
• It neutralizes the soil protection.
• It prevents nutrient losses and increases the use efficiency of
chemical fertilizers.
• Vermicompost is free from pathogens, toxic elements,
weed seeds etc.
• Vermicompost minimizes the incidence of pest and
diseases.
• It enhances the decomposition of organic matter in soil.
• It contains valuable vitamins, enzymes and hormones
like auxins, gibberellins etc.
• Its use enhances colour, smell, taste, flavour and
keeping quality of flowers, fruits, vegetables and
foodgrains.
• The making of vermicompost provides livelihood
support to the unemployed in rural areas.
 ROLE OF MICROBES IN VERMICOMPOSTING

• The relationship between earthworms and the aerobic microbes or bacteria that
accompany them is one of nature’s most perfect examples of symbiosis.
• The worms have millions of beneficial bacteria associated with them, both
externally, on their skin, in the mucus secretions that keep them moist and also
swarming internally inside their gut.
• Worms have no teeth, bills or jaws, nor a true stomach and rely on the bacteria
swarming around them to actually break down the foodstuff that we put in our
bins.
• Food material goes directly into their gizzard and passed onward through a very
rudimentary digestive tract, together with the masses of bacteria that are
swarming within the slime.
• Inside the worm’s gut the breakdown process continues and the worms’
digestive tract, provides a perfect environment for the ingested bacteria, who
multiply further and continue to convert the complex cell structure of the
original foodstuff into its basic elements and compounds
• It is altered into a simpler form that can be used directly by both the worms and
the bacteria for nourishment.
• Large numbers of these bacteria are released back into the worm bin, together
with the waste products in the feces or casting. The microbes will have
multiplied in the ideal environment of the worm’s gut and now, greatly
increased in numbers, are once again ready to attack new food sources and
start the process all over.

• Of great importance, these waste products, or vermicompost, excreted by the

worms have been thoroughly processed by the microbes and are now in the
form of simple elements and compounds, that are readily taken up by our
plants, providing a highly nutritious food for them.

• Any dangerous toxins and infected material would have been simultaneously
neutralized by the bacteria within the worms gut, as complex forms of
pathogenic material are also broken down into simpler, more basic (harmless)
components by the microbes.

• One of the advantages to use worm cast as a fertilizer is natural nitrogen

fixation. Naturally occurring bacteria can do it, they are called diazotrophs and
Vermicast has them in high concentrations.
 CONCLUSION
• Vermicomposting is the process of turning organic debris into worm
castings.
• Earthworms are nature’s way of recycling organic nutrients from dead
tissues back to living organisms.
• Vermicompost is rich in all essential plant nutrients. Provides excellent
effect on overall plant growth, encourages the growth of new shoots /
leaves and improves the quality and shelf life of the produce.
• Vermicomposting is a simple, cost effective practice that has great potential
for many environmental benefits
• Vermicompost can be used for any crop. However, its use is most
profitable in case of commercial crops like flowers, fruits and vegetables.
• If the world will make use of earthworms for vermicomposting then paper,
biodegradable wastes, and food waste would not remain as a part of our
landfills.
THANK
YOU