Technologies

• Vermiculture: Process of Multiplying earthworms
• Vermicompost: Faecal matter appearing as dark-brownish granular material, which is odorless, excreted by earth worms, after consuming and digesting bio degradable wastes cow dung, agro waste, kitchen waste etc.
• Vermiwash: Liquid produced through the use of earthworms, which contains micronutrients and hormones, used as foliar spray.

Global Scerario

World wide area under organic farming is estimated to be 22 millions hectares and in India its 41,000 hectares. Global markets for orgnaic products were Rs.130,000 Crores in the year 2003 and it expected to increase to 145,000 - 155,000 crores. Size of US market was Rs.21,000 crores in the year 1999 and in Eurpoe it was around Rs.45,000 crores in 2001. It is estimated to grow to Rs.50,000 - 55,000 crores by 2005. India had produced 14,000 tonnes of organic food in 2002.

Application / Use

• Vermicompost is organic manure for all types of crops and plantations
• Vermiwash as foliar spray for all types of crops and plantations.
• Faster production of manure in a year (3-4 times more) than conventional methods of composting.
• Regular use improves soil health, fertility, structure (makes soil loose and aerable and facilitates better aeration and drainage even in heavy clay soils) and creates favourable conditions for healthy plant growth and development.
• Used as a carrier medium for bio fertilisers.
• Complete and balanced plant food. Improves crop yield and quality
• Meets increasing demand for naturally grown food products.

Comparison

Average Nutrient Content (% of dry matter)

Recommended Quantity and Time of Application

Salient Features

• Simple, low cost and well tested technology: Provides economic and livelihood support to farmers
• Classification: Over 3000 species of earthworms broadly classified into two groups: Non-burrowing and burrowing. In general, non-burrowing types are very efficient compost makers.
• Most favored species in India: Eisenia foetida and Eudrius eugeniae. Others are Pheritema elongata and Perionyx excavatus. They work round the year.
• Eco friendly and an economical way of waste disposal: Value addition for disposal of 600-700 million tones of animal and agro wastes burnt or dumped in land fills leading to pollution problems every year.
• Reduces dependency on synthetic / chemical inputs and promotes sustainable agriculture.

Chemical Composition

Raw Material

• Farm and Animal Wastes : Crop residues : All items discarded after harvesting and threshing of the produce, shredded straw and stalks, stubbles, cu weeds, orchard leaf litter, cattle dung, poltry droppings, dairy, goar and sheep wastes, etc.
• Forest Wastes : Leaf litter, wood shavings, saw dust and pulp.
• Agro processing Wastes: Wastes from sugar mill (press mud), biogas sludge, canning factory refuse, paper pulp sludge, wastes from distilleries.
• Household Wastes: Kitchen wastes, leaftovers of vegetables, fruits and other food items, tea leaves, coffee grounds are preferred by earth worms.
• Urban Wastes: Municipal sewage wastes and maketyard wastes.

Production Methods

Container Method

• Any type of container can be used provided it has good drainage
• Suitable for household purpose
• The height of the compost pile should not be more than 0.75 m
• Container of 1 m x 1 m x 0.75 m should contain about 1000 worms
• Under any roof to avoid direct sunlight and rain.

Heap (bed) Method

• Suitable for both commericial and small farm units. Recovery of vermi compost is easy.
• Good drainage is very important.
• Abandoned cattle shed or poultry shed or any other low cost thatched shed, which can protect worms from rain and sun is adequate
• Size of the shed varies depending upon the availability of raw material and production requirement
• Small unit - 8m x 4m x 4m (10 tons production)
• Big unit - 30m x 8m x 4m (2sheeds 100 tones production)
• Length of the bed may be varied as desired, but the width should not be more than 1 m wide
• Needs to be protected from rains, sunlight and from predators like birds, rodents, ants etc.

Production Process

Pretreatment of Composting Material

• Avoid fresh cow dung, green leaves or any part of living plant, which is hard. Shredding is recommended for hard matter. Avoid non-bio degradable material, such as polythene bags, plastics, glass, etc.
• Use only partly decaying or parly digested organic matter as feed substrate for worms
• Add cattle dung upto 50% to provide bacterial inoculation for enhancing decomposition
• Spread in alternate layers of dung and leaf litter or any organic waste.
• Partial decomposition in open area in a pit / heap is strongly recommended.
• Periodic watering quickens partial decomposition
• 4-5 weeks required for partial decomposition.

Farmation of Bed

• Spread a 10cms thick layer of decomposable organic matter such as grasses, coconut fiber, sugarcane waste etc as bedding material.
• Spread partially decomposed cattle dung and organic waste or dry biogas slurry on top of the bedding layer in an inverted 'U' shapes till a height or 0.75 m.
• Regular watering to keep it damp all the time.

Impregnating / Maintenance of the Bed

• Do not impregnate or thrust worms into active compst. They will be killed due to heating process.
• Wait for 2-3 weeks till the bid is cooled.
• Release worms on top of the bid in a shallow furrow @ 1000 per 1 sq.m of bed space and cover it throughly with compost
• Sprinkle water: Always keep the surface layer of the bed moist, but not soggy. Excess water flooding will be harmful.
• Spread on the top of layer of the bed, a long gunny cloth 4 ft wide to cover the heap.
• Always maintain favorable moisture and cool conditions. Moisture and coool conditions. Moisture level 40 to 50%. Temperature 25 to 40 degrees Celsius.
• One earth worm increases to 300 in one year.
• Earth worms prefer nitrogen rich diet - Azolla, an aquatic water fern. 100 to 200 gms for each cubic meter once in a month helps in rapid multiplication.
• Excess water flooding - will be harmful.

Harvesting Compost

• First lot may take 90 days.
• Subsequent cycle may take only 35 to 45 days depending on the density of worms.
• Stop watering before 2 days of harvesting. Allow earth worms to burrow into the bottom before taking out the compost.
• The finished compost then heaped in conical shapes piles on the surface of the bed.
• Collecet the top portion of the pile in stages using hands. Sieve before packing.

Vermiculture

It is a culture basket prepared to multiply the worms. Earthworms are maintained in a small tank or besket. These baskets should contain mixed old compost and soil.

Vermiwash

Vermiwash can be made in plastic or mud or cement container having attached tap system to remove water and this container should be approximatelyy ten to twenty liters capacity. It is filled as follows:-

• Layer One : Bricks and Pebbles
• Layer Two : Soil and old Compost
• Third Layer : Green leaves or kitchen waste
• Earth worms are later introduced into the container.

Water droplets are added at the top through a pot. Earth worms make top to down movements which created holes in the substances through which the water passes and get settled at bottom. The same could be collected as Vermiwash.

Vermicomposting Economics