Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
been developed. This system is ecofriendly, ecologically sustainable and
economically viable and is based on the concept of production, cultivation
and use of biofertilizers, organic manure, green manure and biopesticides.
Organic matter has a property of binding mineral particles like cal-
cium, magnesium and potassium in the form of colloids of humus and
clay, facilitating stable aggregates of soil particles for desire porosity to
sustain plant growth. Soil microbial biomass and enzyme activity are im-
portant indicators of soil improvement as a result of addition of organic
matter (9).
Use of manures is generally seen as a key practice for maintaining soil
fertility and agricultural sustainability in the wheat maize rotation and rice
based cropping system (2, 4, 10-14).
Combined application of inorganic fertilizers with manure may not
result in an increase of soil organic carbon because organic matter ac-
cumulation depends on the net incorporation of organic matter in the soil,
which in turn depends on the cropping and management system employed
(15-17).
In recent years vermicompost an organic amendment has been selec-
tively and effectively used in soil conditioning and in varying degrees to
infl uence the soil properties. It promote humifi cation, increased microbial
activity and enzyme production, which in turn, increases the aggregate
stability of soil particles, resulting in better aeration (9, 18-20).
Vermicompost is prepared using earthworms. Earthworms are “The in-
testine of earth” and are considered as agents to restore the soil fertility.
Earth worm is physically an aerator, crusher and mixer, chemically a de-
grader and biologically a stimulator for decomposition of various organic
wastes.
Vermicompost is usually a fi nely divided peat-like material with excel-
lent structure, porosity, aeration, damage and moisture holding capacity
(21). It usually contains higher levels of most of the mineral elements,
which are in available forms than the parent material (22,23). Vermicom-
post improves the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil (24).
There is a good evidence that vermicompost promotes growth of plants
(25-27) and it has been found it has a favorable infl uence on all yield pa-
rameters of crops like wheat, paddy and sugarcane (28,29). The objective
of the present study was to investigate the comparative growth perfor-
