Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 2:
Cont.
Vermicompost
earthworm
Names of bacteria
Beneficial traits
References
bacteria, Phosphate
solubilizers,
Fluorescent pseudo-
monads
E. foetida
Proteobacteria,
Bacteroidetes,
Antifungal activity against
Colletotrichum coccodes,
R. solani, P. ultimum, P.
capsici
and
F. moliniforme
Yasir et al. 2009a
Verrucomicrobia,
Actinobacteria,
Firmicutes
Unspecified
Eiseniicola com-
posti YC06271T
Antagonistic activity against
F. moniliforme
Yasir et al. 2009b
Enzymatic activity characterization and quantifi cation has a direct cor-
relation with type and population of microbes and refl ects the dynamics of
the composting process in terms of the decomposition of organic matter
and nitrogen transformations and provide information about the maturity
of the compost (Tiquia 2005). Wormcasts contain higher activities of cel-
lulase, amylase, invertase, protease, peroxidase, urease, phosphatase and
dehydrogenase (Sharpley and Syers 1976; Edwards and Bohlen 1996). De-
hydrogenase is an intracellular enzyme related to the oxidative phosphory-
lation process (Trevors 1984) and is an indicator of microbial activity in
soil and other biological ecosystems (Garcia et al. 1997). The maximum
enzyme activities (cellulase, amylase, invertase, protease and urease) were
observed during 21-35 days in vermicomposting and on 42-49 days in
conventional composting. Also, microbial numbers and their extracellu-
lar enzyme profi les were more abundant in vermicompost produced from
fruitpulp, vegetable waste, groundnut husk and cowdung compared to the
normal compost of the same parental origin (Haritha Devi et al. 2009).
Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, Azoarcus, Burkholderia, Spiroplasm, Aca-
ligenes
, and
Acidobacterium
, the potential degraders of several categories
of organics are seen associated with the earthworm's intestine and ver-
micasts (Singleton et al. 2003).
Firmicutes
viz.,
Bacillus benzoevorans
,
