Worm Collection and Characterization of Vermicompost produced using different worm species and waste feeds materials at Sinana on – Station of Bale highland southeastern Ethiopia
Abstract
Soil fertility decline and high prices of inorganic fertilizers are among the major bottlenecks for sustainable crop production and agricultural productivity particularly for smallholder farmers. Considering these issues this study was conducted at Sinana Agricultural Research Centre, on-station to evaluate worm collected from different sites and characterizations of vermicompost nutrient content made from different feed sources. Trials house or vermiculture was constructed on 15 m x 13 mland size having six worm bins in the house in which single worm bin 9 m2 area. Inside worm bin were covered using plastic geo-membranes to make safe for earthworms while on the top and partially, the body of house coverd by corrugated iron sheet in order protect from rain, flying predators and mesh wire for aeration purpose was used. The earthworm collection conducted contains two parts. The first part was locally collected from Sinana and Dinsho Districts from moist cool, around dead leaves (straw), moist bark dead trees leaves and farmyard manure stored for along period of time at home garden. The second part was the red worm (Eisenia fetida) taken from Ambo Agricultural Research Center. Crop residue of field pea, faba bean, wheat and barley after chopped both using grinding machine and manually mixed with farmyard manure were used both for vermicompost and conventional compost. The major chemical properties such as pH, EC, OC, TN, available P, CEC, exchangeable bases (Ca, Mg, K and Na) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) were conducted using standard laboratory procedures. Results for nutrient content characterizations indicated that 6.93 to7.83; 0.003 to 0.007 ds/m ; 12.97 to 28.82%; 1.42 to 4.68%; 6.16 to 9.76%; 25.31 to 89.89 mg/kg and 33.23 to 65.43 cmol /kg for pH; Ec; OC; TN; C:N; Av.P and CEC; respectively were obtained. Both exchangeable bases and + micronutrients also follows similar trend for major essential plant nutrients in which relatively highest value obtained from vermicompost made using Eisenia Fetida while the lowest values obtained from conventional compost. It can be concluded that high vermicompost quality in terms of nutrient containing such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, exchangeable bases and micro nutrients was produced from the mixture of field pea, faba bean, wheat and barley straw or residue using red earthworms (Eisenia foetida) than locally collected worm species and conventional compost. It should be recommended that multiplication, demonstration of Vermiculture and vermicompost produced using Eisenia fetid and integrated use with inorganic fertilizer is need in Sinana and similar agro-ecology.
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Introduction
Indifferent parts of the world currently agriculture parcties characterized by excessive inputs of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, while the insufficient application of organic fertilizers (Gill and Garg, 2014). These excess uses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have resulted in numerous negative effects on the environment, including water, degradation of soil quality and losses of agricultural biodiversity. Vermicomposting is an eco biotechnological process that transforms energy rich and complex organic substances into stabilized humus like product vermicompost having an environmentally sound and economically viable technology particularly for the farming community (ThiruneelaKandan and Subbulakshmi, 2015). Vermicompost one of the enriched with critical nutrients such as Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as well as high concentrations of highly decomposed organic matter that serve as resource for improving soil fertility and crop productivity.
Vermicompost has many advantages over traditional compost in terms of its physical structure, nutritional content and biochemical value due to the higher mineralization and humification rate through the vermicompost process (Lim et al., 2014). Earthworms play important roles in soil formation and fertility, functioning as an element of a food web and also responsible for altering dynamics of the ecosystem through the maintenance and modification. The study of earthworms was started by Charles Darwin who made the first report on the role of earthworms in the breakdown of organic matter in the ecosystem (Lowe et al., 2014). Preparations of vermicompost technology utilizing earthworms, most frequently from the genus Eisenia fetida is plays an essential role in decomposing of organic matter and agro-wastes which supports as improving soil fertility, efficient natural recycling and enhanced plants’ growth particularly economically, affordable for smallholder farmers (Tajbakhsh et al.,2011; Bhat et al.,2017 and Kovacik et al.,2018).
The earthworms have different effects on the decomposition of organic matter, surface area and its quality. The mature and quality of vermicompost is important to predict its potential impact on soil fertility which depends on knowledge of the microbial structure and functions. Vermicompost is one excellent product technology used as plant growth hormones, higher level of enzymes, greater microbial population and tend to hold more nutrients over a longer period without adversely impacting the environment (Mustafa et al., 2019 and Moustafa et al., 2020).
Indifferent areas of the world commonly traditional management practice of post harvest residues rather than incorporation into the soil or uses as sources organic inputs subjected to elimination by open air burning leads to release of greenhouse gases (ThiruneelaKandan and Subbulakshmi, 2015). According to Sartaj et al (2016) mixing cow dung crop residues helping to improve their acceptability by Eisenia fetida and improved physicochemical characteristics of produced vermicompost. In this study in addition to worm collection and evaluate the adaptability determining vermicompost quality produced from mixed farmyard manure with crop residues such as wheat, barley, faba bean and field pea straw or residue curtail role. The decomposition rate of vermicompost decomposition rate than conventional compost due to transformation of organic materials takes place through earthworm gut where the end materials contain high microbial activities, rich in nutrient contents, plant growth regulator (Fabio, 2012) In Bale Zone particularly on the highland crop residues such as wheat, barley, faba bean, field pea are the major easily accessible residues mostly the farmers were burn on the field. However, soil fertility declines as results of nutrient leaching, loss through soil erosion, due to limited inputs of both organic and inorganic fertilizer sources major problems for sustainable crop productions and agricultural productivity.
Therefore, mixed use of these locally available resources with farmyard manure have curtail role to improve crop productions and agricultural productivity in sustainable ways. Among this vermicompost is environmentally sound full and economically, affordable particularly for smallholder farmers. Based on this, the study was initiated with the specific objectives to collect the earthworm from different agro ecology; to evaluate the adaptation of earthworm collected from different agro ecology and to characterize the nutrient contents vermicompost produced by earthworms using different mixed feed sources.
Conclusion
The quantity and characteristics of most chemical properties such CEC, NT, Av. P, K, Zn and the like depends on the types of earth warms spices (locally collected or the worldwide adapted Eisenia fetid) and types of compost ( vermicompost or conventional compost). High vermicompost quality in terms of nutrient containing such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, exchangeable bases and micro nutrients was produced from the mixture of field pea, faba bean, wheat and barley straw or residue using red earthworms (Eisenia foetida) than locally collected worm species and conventional compost. It should be recommended further multiplication of Eisenia fetid and demonstration of Vermiculture in Sinana and similar agro-ecology. Farther study should be recommended on vermicompost equivalence with inorganic fertilizers to use this technology in integrated ways for crop productions.
