Enhancement or Enrichment of the Vermicompost by Microbial Inoculation

Abstract

The aim of this research experiment was enrichment of vermicompost by microbial inoculation for sustainable agriculture. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of different types of microbial species in various vermicompost treatments, along with varying quantities of microbes. Subsequently, 25 ml of each inoculant was applied per kg of wet-base vermicompost (VC) according to Busato et al. [1]. Vermicompost samples, each weighing one kg per treatment, were incubated in a well-aerated chamber at temperatures of 28 and 41ºC for a duration of 80 days. Throughout the incubation period, the moisture content of the VC samples was maintained at approximately 60 percent using water. Enriched VC treatments were subjected to chemical and biological analyses at intervals of 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 days. An incubation study was conducted in the laboratory, involving the incubation of prepared enriched vermicompost (T1 to T7 treatments) with biofertilizers (T8 to T14 treatments) over an 80-day period. The content of N, P, K, and Zn was assessed at 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 days after incubation (DAI). Among the various enriched vermicompost treatments, the highest total nitrogen content of 4.5% was observed in enriched vermicompost T11 after 80 DAI, followed by T9 (4.4%) and T14 (4.3%). The highest total phosphorus content of 4.9%, 4.7%, and 4.2% was respectively found in T11, T9, and T14 after 80 DAI. In terms of enriched vermicompost treatments, the highest potassium (K) and zinc (Zn) content (4.8% and 97.5 ppm, respectively) were observed.