Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Vermicompost: an efficacious alternative for reusing agricultural organic litter
*Article not assigned to an issue yet
Borthakur Madhusmita, Kumari Sony, Khan Tasqeen, Momin Peter G., Borah Abhilash, Debbarma Rahel
Research Articles | Published: 12 June, 2025
First Page: 0
Last Page: 0
Views: 769
Keywords: Compost, Earthworms, Epigeic, Humus, Red worm
Abstract
Vermicomposting has drawn interest as a sustainable substitute for conventional organic farming because of its low energy needs and ability to use renewable energy sources. The present study reveals the use of earthworm Perionyx excavates along with decomposed dry hay, red loamy soil, and cow manure in vermicomposting for enhancing the agricultural productivity. The pH was maintained from 7.7 ± 0.045 to 7.75 ± 0.105 over a period of three-week, moisture content from 523.5 ± 08.43 mg/g to 527.6 ± 08.30 mg/g, and humus content from 472.3 ± 12.05 mg/g to 478.5 ± 10.50 mg/g. The total nitrogen was found to be 2.1%, total phosphorus of 0.56%, and total potassium of 0.69 in the formulated vermicompost. Additionally, it measures the presence of 197 mg/kg manganese, 82 mg/kg zinc, and 278 mg/kg iron, alluring its worth as an organic fertilizer rich in nutrients for sustainable farming. This study also investigated the presence of glycerol, 1,3-propanediol, and dimethyl silane diol using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Glycerol, known to mount up the composting temperature, hence improving the soil moisture retention, and enhancing plant growth and stress tolerance whereas the presence of dimethyl silane diol was identified as a potential plant growth promoter. The plant grown in formulated vermicompost when compared with a control, and commercially available vermicompost, reveals potent growth in Brassica rapa showing 27 elongated, broadly open and leaves compared to just 21 in the control group. The current study suggest that Perionyx excavatus-based vermicomposting can effectively enhance plant growth, offering a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fertilizers.
References
Adamipour N, Khosh-Khui M, Salehi H, Rho H (2019) Effect of vermicompost on morphological and physiological performances of pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L) under salinity conditions. Adv Hortic Sci 33(3):345–358
Agrawal SB, Singh A, Dwivedi G (2003) Effect of vermicompost, farm yard manure and chemical fertilizers on growth and yield of wheat (Triticum Aestivum). Plant Arch 3(1):9–14
Al-Mussawii, Muna AY, Al-Sultan YA, Al-Hamdani MA, Ramadhan UH (2022) Antibacterial activity of alkaloid compound methoxy Phenyl-Oxime (C8H9N02) isolated and purified from leaf of Conocarpus lancifolius engl. Teikyo Med J 45(01):4971–4981
Appelhof M, Webster K, Buckerfield J (1996) Vermicomposting in Australia and new Zealand. BioCycle 37(6):63–6466
Atiyeh RM, Domínguez J, Subler S, Edwards CA (2000) Changes in biochemical properties of cow manure during processing by earthworms (Eisenia andrei, Bouché) and the effects on seedling growth. Pedobiologia 724:709–724
Bansal S, Kapoor KK (2000) Vermicomposting of crop residues and cattle Dung with Eisenia Foetida. Bioresour Technol 73(2):95–98
Baraskar MM, Choundary S, Wankhede A, Jain SK (2018) Impact of vermicompost production in terms of income and employment generation. Global J Appl Agricultural Res 8(2):111–116
Borthakur M, Gurung AB, Bhattacharjee A, Joshi SR (2020) Analysis of the bioactive metabolites of the endangered Mexican lost Fungi Campanophyllum–A report from India. Mycobiology 48(1):58–69
Chaskey S (2023) Soil and spirit: cultivation and kinship in the web of life. Milkweed Editions
Chaudhary DR, Bhandari SC, Shukla LM (2004) Role of vermicompost in sustainable Agriculture-a review. Agric Rev 25(1):29–39
Cook SM, Linden DR (1996) Effect of food type and placement on earthworm (Aporrectodea tuberculata) burrowing and soil turnover. Biol Fertil Soils 21:201–206
Edwards CA, Arancon NQ (2004) The use of earthworms in the breakdown of organic wastes to produce vermicomposts and animal feed protein. Earthworm ecology. CRC, 345–379
Ewemoje T, Oyewo AOI, Nigeria J (2016) Evaluating the effect of vermicompost and humus soil on green vegetable (Amaranthus retroflexus) production. J Environ Earth Sci 6(11):160–167
Guerrero III, Rafael D (2010) Vermicompost production and its use for crop production in the Philippines. Int J Global Environ Issues 10(3–4):378–383
Kamar Zaman A, Maisarah, Jamilah Syafawati Y (2022) Exploring the potential of vermicompost as a sustainable strategy in circular economy: improving plants’ bioactive properties and boosting agricultural yield and quality. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(9):12948–12964
Khan I, Awan SA, Rizwan M, Brestic M, Xie W (2023) Silicon: an essential element for plant nutrition and phytohormones signaling mechanism under stressful conditions. Plant Growth Regul 100(2):301–319
Kumar A, Kumar M, Panday N, Kamboj N, Saini H (2024) Nutrient recovery and reproductive potential of Eisenia fetida during the vermicomposting of organic waste with cow Dung. Environ Conserv J 25(4):1092–1102
Kumar MS, Rajiv P, Rajeshwari S, Venckatesh R (2015) Spectroscopic analysis of vermicompost for determination of nutritional quality. Spectrochim Acta Mol Biomol Spectrosc 135:252–255
Manyuchi MM, Phiri A, Muredzi, Chitambwe T (2013) Comparison of vermicompost and vermiwash. World Academy of Science and technology, pp 365–368
Masciandaro G, Ceccanti B (1999) Assessing soil quality in different Agro-Ecosystems through biochemical and Chemico-Structural properties of humic substances. Soil Tillage Res 51(1):129–137
Mohite DD, Chavan SS, Jadhav VS, Kanase T, Kadam MA, Singh AS (2024) Vermicomposting: a holistic approach for sustainable crop production, nutrient-rich bio fertilizer, and environmental restoration. Discover Sustainabilit 5(1):60
Mousavi SA, Sader SR, Farhadi F, Faraji M, Falahi F (2020) Vermicomposting of grass and newspaper waste mixed with cow Dung using Eisenia fetida: physicochemical changes. Anal Methods 13(40):10
Mulla AI, Pathade GR (2020) Optimization of incubation period, PH and moisture content for vermicomposting of biomethanation sludge admixed with fruits and vegetable waste collected from Gultekadi market yard, Pune using Eudrilus Eugeniae. Nat Environ Pollut Technol 19(2):873–880
Mupambwa HA, Mnkeni PNS (2023) Experiences on methods of vermicompost analysis for plant and soil nutrition. Vermicomposting for sustainable food systems in Africa. Springer Nature, Singapore, pp 45–58
Myers R (2013) Vermicomposting: The Basics: 1–12
Ordoñez-Arévalo B, Huerta-Lwanga E, de los Ángeles Calixto-Romo M, Dunn MF, Guillén-Navarro K (2022) Hemicellulolytic bacteria in the anterior intestine of the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Sav). Sci Total Environ 806:151221
Palsania J, Sharma R, Srivastava JK, Sharma D (2008) Effect of moisture content variation over kinetic reaction rate during vermicomposting process. Appl Ecol Environ Res 6(2):49–61
Przemieniecki SW, Zapałowska A, Skwiercz A et al (2021) An evaluation of selected chemical, biochemical, and biological parameters of soil enriched with vermicompost. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28:8117–8127
Radwan SS, Dashti N, El-Nemr IM (2005) Enhancing the growth of Vicia faba plants by microbial inoculation to improve their phytoremediation potential for oily desert areas. Int J Phytorem 7(1):19–32
Rekha GS, Kaleena PK, Elumalai D, Srikumaran MP, Maheswari VN (2018) Efects of vermicompost and plant growth enhancers on the exo morphological features of Capsicum annum (Linn.) Hepper. Int J Recycl Org Waste Agric 7(1):83–88
Mupambwa HA & Mnkeni PNS (2023) Experiences on methods of vermicompost analysis for plant and soil nutrition. In: Mupambwa HA, Horn LN, & Mnkeni PNS (Eds.) Vermicomposting for sustainable food systems in Africa. Springer Nature, Singapore, pp. 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8080-0_3
Sahab S, Suhani I, Srivastava V, Chauhan PS, Singh RP, Prasad V (2021) Potential risk assessment of soil salinity to agroecosystem sustainability: current status and management strategies. Sci Total Environ 764:144164
Singh G, Singh J, Bakshi M, & Anmol. (2023). Biofortification of vermicompost with beneficial microorganisms and its field performance in horticultural crops. J Adv Zool 44(S-5), 1770–1780. https://doi.org/10.53555/jaz.v44iS5.960
Tahir HA, Gu Q et al (2017) Plant growth promotion by volatile organic compounds produced by Bacillus subtilis SYST2. Front Microbiol 8:171
Tisserat B, Amy S (2011) Stimulation of Short-Term plant growth by glycerol applied as foliar sprays and drenches under greenhouse conditions. HortScience 46(12):1650–1654
Venkatachalam S, Christyraj JRSS, Christyraj JDS et al (2025) Exploring the fluorescence bioactive compounds in the coelomic fluid of earthworms: insights into their structural, spectroscopic, and functional properties for biomedical applications. J Oleo Sci 74(2):203–220
Walia SS, Kaur T (2024) Preparation of vermicompost. Earthworms and vermicomposting: species, procedures and crop application. Springer Nature Singapore, Singapore, pp 73–87
Yadav J, Gupta RK (2017) Dynamics of nutrient profile during vermicomposting. Ecol Environ Conserv 23(1):515–520
Zhang K, Zhang L (2025) Enhancing green waste compost quality for stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) cultivation through the addition of vermicompost and pond sediment. J Plant Nutr 48(8):1364–1382
Zhou Y, Xiao R, Klammsteiner T, Kong X, Yan B et al (2022) Recent trends and advances in composting and vermicomposting technologies: A review. Bioresour Technol 360:127591
Author Information
Department of Applied Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, India