Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 19.5
Effect of Vermicompost on Crop Growth and Yield of the Tested Varieties
Serial
No.
Station
Crop Variety
Parameters
Inferences
Ref.
1 etland at
Bangalore
North
Summer variety paddy
(4- to 5-mo crop)
(1) Nutrient uptake in
plants; (2) nutrient levels
in soil after harvest; (3)
microbial load in soil
before and after harvest;
(4) Mycorrhizal
association with roots
Improved uptake of
nutrients; increased level of
N, P, and microbial load;
higher level of symbiotic
association
Kale et al.
(1992)
2 egetable garden
with irrigation
facility in
Bangalore
North
Solanum melongena
,
Yield
Yield unaffected on reducing
the chemical dosage by
50% of recommended dose
when applied with
vermicompost
Bano et al.
(1994)
Lycopersicon
esculentum,
Raphanus sativus,
and
Daucus carota
3Botanical garden,
GKVK,
Bangalore
Different ornamental
plants
Vegetative growth and
flower yield
Some flowering plants
needed minimum fertilizers
along with vermicompost;
no need for additional
fertilizers when
vermicompost was used in
some cases
Bano et al.
(1994)
4
Botanical garden,
GKVK,
Bangalore
Two varieties of
Ve getative growth and seed
yield
No change in vegetative
characters with different
combinations of fertilizers;
vermicompost with half the
recommended dose of
chemicals increased the
yield
Kale et al.
(1991)
Helianthus annuus
:
EC 68415 and
Morden
5 armland at
Bangalore
South
Arachis hypogaea
and
Same as above
Same as above
Glycine max
Note
: To study treatment effects on various crops, the recommended dosages of fertilizers given in the package of practices
of
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, were taken as a control to compare the treatments using vermicompost.
Table 19.5 provides information on the yield data of different crops for which vermicomposts
had been used as source of organic matter. These results authenticate that when earthworms work
on organic matter, they improve the quality of the humus produced by their activities.
The production of degradable organic wastes and the problems of its disposal are global issues.
To protect the topsoil, to restore the sustainability of productive soils, and to rejuvenate the degraded
soils are major concerns at the international level (Blussee 1994). Provision of a suitable environ-
ment in the soil by amending it with good-quality organic soil additives enhances the development
of resistance in plants to pests and diseases. Minimizing the use of fertilizers and pesticides or
herbicides brings down the level of air, water, and soil pollution. When farmers are asked to use
more manure or soil additives to revive the productivity status of their soils, where do they get the
required quantity of materials needed to feed the soil? No doubt, the crop varieties used require
heavy energy subsidies to give the expected yields. By minimizing the time of humification for
organic materials, by optimizing their production, and by evolving the methods to minimize the
loss of nutrients during the course of decomposition, the fantasy becomes fact. Earthworms can
 
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