VERMICOMPOST

ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

PREPARED BY- NUR ALAM (201002021001)

PRIYANKA CHOWDHURY(201002021010)
MOUMITA MUKHERJEE(201002021021)
CHIRABRATA DEBNATH(201002021031)
SUBHABRATA DEY(201002021034)

STREAM- B.SC.(H.) BIOTECHNOLOGY , 2ND YEAR , SEMESTER-4TH , SESSION-(2021-2022)

INSTRUCTED BY – SUSHMITA BAG MA’AM

 WHAT IS VERMICOMPOSTING ?

 Vermicomposting is a process in which earthworms are used to convert organic materials into humus-like material known as
vermicompost. A number of researchers throughout the world have found that the nutrient profile in vermicompost is generally
higher than traditional compost. In fact, vermicompost can enhance soil fertility physically, chemically and biologically.
Physically, vermicompost-treated soil has better aeration, porosity, bulk density and water retention. Chemical properties such as
pH, electrical conductivity and organic matter content are also improved for better crop yield.
 Nevertheless, enhanced plant growth could not be satisfactorily explained by improvements in the nutrient content of the soil,
which means that other plant growth-influencing materials are available in vermicomposts.
 Although vermicomposts have been shown to improve plant growth significantly, the application of vermicomposts at high
concentrations could impede growth due to the high concentrations of soluble salts available in vermicomposts.
 Therefore, vermicomposts should be applied at moderate concentrations in order to obtain maximum plant yield.
 Simply speaking, vermicompost is earthworm excrement, called castings, which can improve biological, chemical, and physical
properties of the soil.The chemical secretions in the earthworm’s digestive tract help break down soil and organic matter, so the
castings contain more nutrients that are immediately available to plants.
VERMICOMPOST IS ALSO CALLED
 Wormicompost.
 Gold from garbage.
 Queen of compost.

HOW TO USE VERMICOMPOST ?

 Sprinkle into a seed row when planting.
 When transplanting, add a handful of vermi-compost to the hole.
 Use as a top-dressing or much around the base of plants.
 Mix half with potting soil for your houseplants.

APPLICATION RATE OF VERMICOMPOST:

 Field crops : 5-6 ton/ha.
 Vegetables : 10-12 ton/ha.
 Flower plants : 100-200 g/sq ft .
 Fruit trees : 5-10 Kg/tree .

FAVORABLE CONDITIONS OF EARTHWORMS IN THE COMPOSTING

MATERIAL :
 pH : Range between 6.5 and 7.5 .
 Moisture : 60-70% .
( Below and above this range, mortality of worms take place)
 Aeration : 50% aeration.
 Temperature : Range between 18 °C to 35 °C .
 NUTRIENT CONTENT OF VERMICOMPOST :

NUTRIENT CONTENT  COMPARISION BETWEEN

ORGANIC CARBON 9.8-13.4 VERMICOMPOST, FYM AND
BACTERIAL COMPOST :
TOTAL NITROGEN 0.51-1.61
ELEME VERMICOMPOS FYM BACTERIAL
TOTAL 0.19-1.02 NT T COMPOST
PHOSPHORUS
N (%) 2.1-2.6 1.1-1.5 1.2-1.5
TOTAL POTASSIUM 0.15-0.73
CALCIUM 1.18-7.61
P (%) 1.5-1.7 0.7-0.8 0.7-0.9
MAGNESIUM 0.093-0.568
SODIUM 0.058-0.158 K (%) 1.4-1.6 0.6-0.7 0.6-0.7
COPPER 0.0026-0.0048
IRON 0.2050-1.3313
ZINC 0.0042-0.110
 ABOUT EARTHWORMS :

 Normally, the average life span of earthworms varies with species ranging from 1 to 10
years.
 At the time of egg laying, the clitellum is transformed into hard, girdle like capsule
called cocoon.
 Earthworms belong to phyllum Annelida of Animal Kingdom.
 They are long and cylindrical in shape and size having a large number of grooves.
 There are about 3000 species of earthworms in the world which are adapted to a range
of environment.
 Although earthworms are hermaphrodite in nature, two mature earthworms are
required to propagate.
 Shedding of cocoon ranges from 1 to 5, only a few of them survive and hatch.
 The juveniles and again formation of cocoons takes a period of50-60 days.
TYPES OF EARTHWORM FOR VERMICOMPOSTING

1. Epigeics :
 Surface feeders.
 Example: Eisenia foetida (Red earthworm),
Eudrilus eugeniae (Night crawler) .

2. Epianecic :
 Feeds on leaf litter and soil at upper layers of soil
 Example; Campito mauritii .

 Both epigeics and epianecics groups of earthworms are slender, shorter in length and red to dark brown
in colour.
 They have high reproduction activity and efficient in recycling of organic materials .
 Increased attention has been paid to Eisenia foetida and Eudrilus eugeniae which have been found to be
potential agent in vermicomposting of wide range of agricultural wastes.
 They can grow at a wide range of temperature varying from 0-40 C. However, the optimum temperature
ranges from 20-30 °C.
 MECHANISM OF VERMICOMPOSTING :

 Materials consumed by worms undergo physical breakdown in the gizzard resulting in particles
<2 µ, giving thereby an enhanced surface area for microbial processing.
 This finally ground material is exposed to various enzymes such as protease, lipase, amylase,
cellulase and chitinase secreted into lumen by the gut wall and associated microbes.
 These enzymes breakdown complex biomolecules into simple compounds.
 Only 5-10% of the ingested material is absorbed into the tissues of worms for their growth and
rest is excreted as cast. Mucus secretions of gut wall add to the structural stability of
vermicompost.
 MATERIALS NEEDED FOR VERMICOMPOSTNG :

1. Pit
 Wooden and plastic pit both work but should have holes drilled in the sides and bottom for aeration
and drainage.
2. Worms
 Red earthworm is preferred because of its high multiplication rate.
 It converts the organic matter into vermicompost within 45-50 days.
3. Bedding
The following materials make ideal bedding:
 Shredded newspaper.
 Shredded cardboard.
 Shredded fall leaves.
 Chopped straw.
 Dried grass clippings.
 Peat moss.
 Add a couple of handfuls of sand or soil
to provide your worms with grit for their
digestive system.
4.Care and Maintenance of Beds
 Water the bed regularly to maintain the moisture content of the pile (at least 60 %).
 Clean the surrounding area regularly and check the presence of natural enemies of worms
like chickens, rats, birds, lizards, toads, ants, beetles, centipedes, etc.
 Nets may be used to enclose the area.
 Preventive measure include treating of the site with 4% neem based insecticide before
filling the heap.

5. Food waste
 Finely chopped food will be broken down more quickly.
 Do not add meat, fish, dairy products, or fats.
 Citrus fruit peels take a long time to break down so add them sparingly.
 PROCEDURE

 Vermicomposting should be done in a cool , moist and shady site.

 Cow dung and chopped dried leafy materials are mixed in the proportion of 3:1 and are kept for partial
decomposition for 15 -20 days.
 A layer of 15-20cm of chopped dried leaves/grasses should be kept as bedding material at the bottom of
the bed.
 Beds of partially decomposed material of size 6x2x2 feet should be made .
 Each bed should contain 1.5-2.0sq of raw material. Red earthworm (1500-2000)should be released on the
upper layer of bed .
 Water should be sprinkled with cane immediately after the release of worm.
 Beds should be kept moist by sprinkling of water daily and by covering with gunny bags/polythene.
 Beds should be turned once after 30days for maintaining aeration and for proper decomposition .
 Compost gets ready in 45-50 days.
 The finished products is 3/4th of the raw materials used.
 HARVESTING OF THE VERMICOMPOST FROM THE PIT:

 Stop watering before one week of harvest.

 Sometimes the worms spread across the pit come in close and
penetrate each other in the form of ball in 2 or 3 locations.
 Heap the compost by removing the balls and place them in a
bucket.
 However, under most instances, top layer has to be disturbed
manually.
 Earthworms move downward and compost is separated.
 After collection of compost from top layers, feed material is again
replenished and composting process is rescheduled.
 The material is sieved in 2 mm sieve, the material passed through
the sieve is called as vermicompost which is stored in a polythene
bags.
 [Note: Vermicomposting is done under thatched roof to protect
worms against rain and sun].
 PRECAUTIONS:

 Do not cover vermicompost beds/heaps with plastic sheets because it may trap heat and gases.
 Do not overload the vermicompost heap to avoid high temperature that adversely affect their
population.
 Dry conditions kill the worms and waterlogging drive them away.
 Watering should be done daily in summer and every third day in rainy and winter season.
 Addition of higher quantities of acid rich substances such as tomatoes and citrus wastes should be
avoided.
 Make a drainage channel around the heap to avoid stagnation of water particularly in high rainfall
areas in rainy season.
 Organic materials used for composting should be free from non-degradable materials such as stones,
glass pieces, plastics, ceramic tubes/bulbs etc.
 ADVANTAGES OF VERMICOMPOSTING DISADVANTAGES OF
VERMICOMPOSTING
 Vermicompost helps improve soil structure, texture,
porosity, water holding capacity, drainage, and aeration
and reduce erosion.  Odor- If not done properly, it releases a bad odor.
Filling the compost bin with green plants forms
 It improves plant growth by enabling the growth of new ammonia and produces the smell. Adding carbon sources
shoots and leaves, thereby increasing productivity. like paper helps to neutralize the smell.
 It helps to neutralize the pH of the soil.  Time- It is a time-consuming process and usually takes
 Vermicompost enhances the soil’s microbial activity and 2-3 months for completing the process
adds beneficial microbes, lowers the pest and disease
 Maintenance- Temperature needs to be maintained
incidence.
for better action by earthworms. The bad odor attracts
 It is easy to apply and handle, economical and does not rodents and flies. So, the bin should be covered properly.
have a foul odor.
 It is free from any pathogens or harmful materials.
 It contains several micro and macronutrients, vitamins,
enzymes and hormones like auxins and gibberellins.
 REFERENCES

 https://www.ecomena.org/vermicomposting/
 https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/farm-based-enterprises/vermicomposting

 https://www.welcomewildlife.com/all-about-earthworms/
 https://worms.as.ucsb.edu/2015/11/05/vermicomposting-materials-and-setup/
 https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/org_farm/orgfarm_vermicompost.html
 https://greenactioncentre.ca/reduce-your-waste/harvestingusing-
vermicompost/
 https://www.farmpractices.com/vermicomposting-methods-advantages
THANK YOU