Vermicompost Soil Fertilizer

Vermicompost soil fertilizer enhances soil biodiversity by promoting the beneficial microbes which in-turn enhances plant growth directly by production of plant growth-regulating hormones and enzymes and indirectly by controlling plant pathogens, nematodes and other pests, enhancing plant health and minimizing the crop yield loss. Due to its innate biological, biochemical and physiochemical properties, vermicompost is used to promote sustainable agriculture systems.

Vermicomposting is a non-thermophilic process that involves earthworms and associated microbes. This biological organic waste decomposition process yields the biofertilizer namely the vermicompost. Vermicompost is a finely divided, peat like material with high porosity, good aeration, drainage, water holding capacity, microbial activity, excellent nutrient status and buffering capacity.

As an efficient nutrient recycling process vermicomposting involves harnessing earthworms as natural bioreactors for organic matter decomposition. Due to richness in nutrient availability and microbial activity vermicomposts increase soil fertility, enhance plant growth and suppress the population of plant pathogens.

Earthworms play an essential role in carbon turnover, soil formation, cellulose degradation and humus accumulation. Earthworm activity profoundly affects the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Earthworms are voracious feeders of organic wastes and they utilize only a small portion of these wastes for their growth and excrete a large proportion of wastes consumed in a half-digested form. The Earthworms intestine contains a wide range of microorganisms, enzymes and hormones which aid in rapid decomposition of half-digested material transforming them into vermicompost in a short time, nearly 4 – 8 weeks compared to traditional composting which takes advantage of microbes alone and thereby requires a lengthier period (nearly 20 weeks) for compost production.

As the organic matter passes through the gizzard of the earthworm it is grounded into a fine powder after which the digestive enzymes, microorganisms and other fermenting substances act on them further aiding their breakdown within the gut, and finally passes out in the form of “casts” which are later acted upon by earthworm gut associated microbes converting them into mature product, the vermicomposts. Earthworm’s ability to increase plant nutrient availability is likely to be dependent on the activity of earthworm gut microflora where microbes mineralize the organic matter and also facilitate the chelation of metal ions.

Earthworms harbor ‘nitrogen-fixing’ and ‘decomposer microbes’ in their gut and excrete them along with nutrients in their castings.

Vermicompost can significantly influence the growth and productivity of plants due to their micro and macro elements, vitamins, enzymes and hormones. Vermicompost contains nutrients such as nitrates, exchangeable phosphorus, soluble potassium, calcium, and magnesium in plant available forms