Assessment of Phosphorus Enriched Vermicompost from Organic Wastes for Use in Agriculture

Abstract

In recent years, vermicomposting is emerging as a simple but efficient technology for recycling wide ranges of organic wastes into good quality organic manure for sustaining soil environment under various agricultural systems. Such compost contains appreciable concentrations of all the plant nutrients. However, the nutrient status of vermicompost needs to be improved further in order to meet the increased nutrient removal from soils under present day agriculture. Under this context, the possibility of preparing a phosphorus (P) enriched vermicompost through recycling of organic wastes was examined. The results of P enrichment on such recycling and the effect of the enriched vermicompost on soil properties were examined in this investigation. The study revealed that P enrichment may be considered as an effective proposition for increasing the quality of the vermicompost. Such enrichment of P not only increased the availability of P in the vermicompost but also helped to improve the availability of N and K due to enhanced microbial activity. When applied to soil, this fortified vermicompost appeared to be more effective in improving the nutrient status of the soil environment than the conventional vermicompost.