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A three-year multi-location trial on the farmer's field was conducted in West Bengal, India to evaluate the impact of integrated nutrient management (INM) on the performance of kharif rice cv. Swarna Sub 1. The experiment employed a randomized block design (RBD) across eleven farmers' fields with similar soil properties, texture, topography, and historical fertilizer application patterns. Three treatments were tested: T1 – common practice of applying N:P:K @ 55:32:27 kg ha−1, T2 – soil test-based application (STA) of ∼75% recommended N dose through chemical fertilizer + ∼ 25% through Azolla, and T3 – soil test-based application of ∼ 75% recommended N dose through chemical fertilizer + 20% N from vermi-compost + 5% N through Azolla. The result of the experiment revealed that the T3 exhibited significant improvements in plant height, leaf area index (LAI), effective tillers meter−2, number of panicles plant−1, and 1000-grain weight compared to T2 and T1. Among the different nutrient management practices, the T3 recorded maximum rice grain productivity than the T1, and T2, Further, the benefit-cost ratio was noticed significantly higher under T3 (1.29) followed by T2 (1.27) and T1 (1.23). The soil organic carbon (SOC), available nutrient was enhanced by the soil test-based application of ∼75% recommended N dose through chemical fertilizer + 20% N from vermicompost + 5% N through Azolla. Thus, our study indicated that the balanced nutrient application through combined sources (T3) could improve crop growth; and sustain rice productivity, besides enhancing the farm income, and soil different soil properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined application of chemical fertilizers and organic material is a transitional approach toward more sustainable and productive farming. This study aimed to investigate the response of low chemical fertilizer rates and supplementing with organic materials on soil health and fruit quality. In plum orchard, combination of reduced chemical fertilizer rates (R80; R70; R60) with organic manures (F; V) at varying levels based the loss in nitrogen requirement and microbial inoculants (Bf; J) were studied over the conventional approach (R100) on soil health and fruit quality in a 2-year experiment. Soil analysis showed soil physico-chemical properties and enzymes activity with application of R70+V10+Bf. Compared to integrated treatments R100 saw highest availability of soil potassium and calcium. Application of R70+V10+J resulted in maximum improvement in fruit weight, TSS and soluble sugar content. Fruit set percentage was higher in treatment R70+V10+Bf. Fruit yield showed significant changes with treatments R70+V10+Bf and R70+V10+J having similar yield to R100. Our results suggest that by reducing the amount of chemical fertilizer by 30% and partially replacing it with organic materials had a positive effect on soil health without affecting the fruit production and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared guggul gum-based hydrogel (GgG-cl-poly(AA)) through a free radical graft copolymerization mechanism in this work. The preparation was carried out using ammonium persulfate as an initiator, acrylic acid as the monomer, and N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide as the crosslinker. The synthesized hydrogel's swelling capacity and equilibrium swelling ratio were thoroughly investigated by optimizing various reaction parameters: reaction time, solvent volume, microwave power, crosslinker amount, initiator concentration, and monomer concentration. The swelling results demonstrated that the synthesized hydrogel can attain a maximum percentage swelling of 980% within 3 h in an aqueous solution. The prepared hydrogel sample was characterized using Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and thermogravimetric analysis. The prepared hydrogel was studied for water retention behavior in the soil, water absorbance in the open air at room temperature, reswelling studies, and resistive swelling studies in various salt solutions at different temperatures and pH values. Notably, the crosslinked hydrogel exhibited a reduced swelling capacity across various salt solutions compared to the aqueous solutions. The biodegradation studies were examined in both soil burial and vermicomposting methods for two months, revealing a maximum biodegradation of 95.65% through the vermicomposting method and 87.7% through the soil burial method. The results indicate that the crosslinked hydrogel based on guggul gum is a potential candidate for various agricultural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Stocking density of Eisenia fetida could affect the green waste (GW) vermicomposting. • The optimum earthworm stocking density is 30 worms/kg (T3) for GW vermicomposting. • 30 worms/kg stocking increases the growth of earthworms and the NPK content. • T3 increased the OM degradation rate by 35 % relative to control (no earthworm). • PCA showed that earthworm growth was negatively correlated with lignocellulose. Appropriate stocking density plays an important role in ensuring the stability and improving the overall efficiency of the vermicomposting system. Although some studies have shown that earthworms can degrade lignocellulosic materials, relatively few studies have been conducted on the effect of earthworm stocking density on the degradation of a single green waste (GW) with high lignocellulosic content. Therefore, this study investigated the degradation effect of earthworms on GW at different stocking densities, and assessed the stability and maturity of the whole vermicomposting by comprehensively analysing the changes in physicochemical and biological properties of earthworms during vermicomposting, and by combining the growth of earthworms with a multi-dimensional assessment of the stability and maturity of the whole vermicomposting. In this study, six stocking densities (CK-T5) were set up, namely, no earthworms, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 worms/kg. The results showed that compared with the CK (without earthworms), when there were 30 earthworms per kg of GW (i.e. T3), the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, organic matter decomposition, bacterial and fungal numbers, and germination index of earthworm compost products increased by 14 %, 29 %, 32 %, 35 %, 42 %, 94 %, and 125 %, respectively. T3 also enhanced the activities of cellulase and alkaline phosphatase. The results were further supported by principal component analysis. Finally, we conclude that when the stocking density of earthworms is appropriate (T3), it not only favours the growth of earthworms, but also positively affects the physicochemical properties of the vermicomposting process, which in turn significantly improves the biodegradation efficiency of GW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainability of the primary sector is closely linked to meeting the demand for seeds using agro-industrial waste and bioresidues. Sustainability is a multidimensional concept focused on achieving environmental health, social justice, and economic viability. To this end, an experiment was designed based on a combination of biotechnological strategies accessible to many individuals. The first strategy involves the use of compost and vermicompost as cultivation substrates; the second is the in vitro acclimatization of potato plants to these substrates; and the third is the incorporation of Trichoderma asperellum into these substrates to determine the synergistic effect of both. The compost used in this work came from sewage sludge from an agri-food company (Cp); a dining room and pruning waste from a university campus (Cu); and vermicomposted coffee pulp waste (Cv). Each sample was mixed with coconut fiber (Fc) in proportions of 100, 75, 50, and 25%. In the resulting mixtures, María Bonita variety vitroplants were planted and placed in a greenhouse. The biometric response in the three cases indicated a dependence on the type of compost and the proportion of the coconut fiber mixture. The inoculation of Trichoderma asperellum with sewage sludge compost increased stem thickness (42.58%) and mini-tuber weight (6.74%). In contrast, uninoculated treatments showed the best performance in terms of the number of mini-tubers. A 50:50 mixture of sewage sludge compost with coconut fiber and without inoculation of Trichoderma asperellum was the best treatment for the production of pre-basic seeds of the María Bonita potato variety. The use of composted agricultural waste and bioresidues is shown as a valid and low-cost alternative for the sector, even independently of the incorporation of additional inoculants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vermicompost contains humic acids, nutrients, earthworm excretions, beneficial microbes, growth hormones, and enzymes, which help plants to tolerate a variety of abiotic stresses. Effective microorganisms (EM) include a wide range of microorganisms' e.g. photosynthetic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, actinomycetes, and fermenting fungi that can stimulate plant growth and improve soil fertility. To our knowledge, no study has yet investigated the possible role of vermicompost and EM dual application in enhancing plant tolerance to water scarcity. Methods: Consequently, the current study investigated the effectiveness of vermicompost and EM in mitigating drought-induced changes in wheat. The experiment followed a completely randomized design with twelve treatments. The treatments included control, as well as individual and combined applications of vermicompost and EM at three different irrigation levels (100%, 70%, and 30% of field capacity). Results: The findings demonstrated that the application of vermicompost and/or EM significantly improved wheat growth and productivity, as well as alleviated drought-induced oxidative damage with decreased the generation of superoxide anion radical and hydrogen peroxide. This was achieved by upregulating the activities of several antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase. Vermicompost and/or EM treatments also enhanced the antioxidant defense system by increasing the content of antioxidant molecules such as ascorbate, glutathione, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. Additionally, the overproduction of methylglyoxal in water-stressed treated plants was controlled by the enhanced activity of the glyoxalase system enzymes; glyoxalase I and glyoxalase II. The treated plants maintained higher water content related to the higher content of osmotic regulatory substances like soluble sugars, free amino acids, glycinebetaine, and proline. Conclusions: Collectively, we offer the first report that identifies the underlying mechanism by which the dual application of vermicompost and EM confers drought tolerance in wheat by improving osmolyte accumulation and modulating antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut microbiome of worms from composting facilities potentially harbors organisms that are beneficial to plant growth and development. In this experiment, we sought to examine the potential impacts of rhizosphere microbiomes derived from Eisenia fetida worm castings (i.e. vermicompost) on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, L.) plant growth and physiology. Our experiment consisted of a greenhouse trial lasting 17 weeks total in which tomato plants were grown with one of three inoculant treatments: a microbial inoculant created from vermicompost (V), a microbial inoculant created from sterilized vermicompost (SV), and a no-compost control inoculant (C). We hypothesized that living microbiomes from the vermicompost inoculant treatment would enhance host plant growth and gene expression profiles compared to plants grown in sterile and control treatments. Our data showed that bacterial community composition was significantly altered in tomato rhizospheres, but fungal community composition was highly variable in each treatment. Plant phenotypes that were significantly enhanced in the vermicompost and sterile vermicompost treatments, compared to the control, included aboveground biomass and foliar δ15N nitrogen. RNA sequencing revealed distinct gene expression changes in the vermicompost treatment, including upregulation of nutrient transporter genes such as Solyc06g074995 (high affinity nitrate transporter), which exhibited a 250.2-fold increase in expression in the vermicompost treatment compared to both the sterile vermicompost and control treatments. The plant transcriptome data suggest that rhizosphere microbiomes derived from vermicompost can influence tomato gene expression and growth-related regulatory pathways, which highlights the value of RNA sequencing in uncovering molecular responses in plant microbiome studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bio-fertilizers may be used to maintain soil fertility and soil improvement. Methods: In this study involving 12 treatments and 3 replications was conducted in Tehran, Iran. The experiment was conducted in 2018-2019 as a randomized complete block design. The treatments were 1- vermicompost (10 t/ha), 2- nitroxin, 3- bio-superphosphate, 4- biosulfur, 5- vermicompost + nitroxin, 6- vermicompost + bio-superphosphate, 7- vermicompost + biosulfur, 8- nitroxin + biosuperphosphate, 9- nitroxin + biosulfur, 10- bio-superphosphate + biosulfur, 11- chemical fertilizer and 12- control (without fertilizer). Result: The results showed that the treatments had a significant impact on the characteristics examined such as the highest plant height (75.3 cm) in the treatment combining vermicompost and biological superphosphate and the highest number of shoots/plant. The highest concentration of N in seeds (2.92%) was obtained when plants were treated with nitroxin and biosulfur and the highest concentration of P in seeds (0.83%) when treated with biological superphosphate. In addition, the highest K content in seeds (4.06%) and grain yield (1297.5 kg.ha-1) were found in the treatment of nitroxin and bio-superphosphate, as well as the content of essential oil (0.32%) and the yield of essential oils (2.89 kg.ha-1) was obtained when treated with nitroxin. Consequently, Bio-organic fertilizers can be considered as an alternative to chemical fertilizers in organic coriander cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing production costs by replacing chemical nitrogen fertilizer (CNF) with natural nitrogen fertilizers from endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria is an optimally alternative solution to utilize natural nitrogen sources from biological nitrogen fixation to improve crop yields. Three levels of nitrogen (N) and vermicompost (VMC) application combined with Enterobacter cloacae strain Fg 5-2 (EC strain Fg 5-2) inoculation, which were carried out in 2 experiments, aimed to evaluate its impacts on the groundnut output. The 2 experiments consisted of 0, 20, 40 kg N ha-1 and 0, 5.0, 10 t VMC ha-1 application associated with EC strain Fg 5-2 inoculation and 4 replications. Results observed that 50 % CNF reduction, which increased up to 16.5 % of the groundnut yield compared to no CNF application, was no yield difference of the 100 % CNF application. Application of 10 t VMC ha-1 associated with EC strain Fg 5-2 inoculation increased up to 38.4 % compared to no VMC amendment. The groundnut yield of experiment 1 and 2 remarkably increased up to 19.6 and 12.9 %, respectively, with the EC strain Fg 5-2 inoculation compared to the non- EC strain Fg 5-2 inoculation. Application of VMC was the high efficiency on the nodulous number and weight of groundnut. Application of 20 kg N or 10 t VMC ha-1 combined with EC strain Fg 5-2 inoculation adequately reached highest groundnut yield. These selected results are the best associated rate to reduce CNF by applying EC strain Fg 5-2 inoculation to improve farmland nutrients and increase the groundnut yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water spinach (Ipomoea reptans Poir.) is a short-lived plant that is highly nutritious, containing vitamins A, B, and C, protein, calcium, phosphorus, sitosterol, and minerals, especially iron, which are beneficial for body growth and health. The objectives of this study are to determine the significant interaction between organic (vermicompost) and inorganic (NPK) fertilizers on the growth and yield of water spinach and to identify the optimal dosages of vermi-compost and NPK fertilizers that have the best effect on its growth. The study was conducted in Tegalsari Village, Plered District, Cirebon Regency, West Java Province. The research was conducted using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with a factorial pattern consisting of two factors: the dose of VermiCompost (K) and the dosage of NPK (N) Mutiara 16:16:16 (N). The results showed that a combination of rice straw compost at 14 tons/ha and 200 kg/ha of the NPK was found to be the best dose for achieving the highest values for plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, and fresh weight of the plants at 24 days after planting (DAP). The best results were achieved with the combination of K3 and N3 treatments, which provided the best results in terms of plant height and leaf area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to determine the effect of combining vermicompost and NPK Nitrophonska 15:15:15 fertilizer on the growth and yield of mung beans (Vigna radiata L.). The research was carried out in May - July 2024 in Pancalang Village, Pancalan District, Kuningan Regency, West Java Province. The research method used was an experimental method using a Randomized Group Design (RAK). The main observations included plant height, number of trifoliate leaves (three leaflets), root length, root volume, root nodules, numbers of pods per plant, and seed weight per plot. The results showed that the combination of VermiCompost fertilizer (K1N2) and Nitrophonka NPK (K2N2) had a significant effect on plant height at 21.28 DAP and 32 DAP, respectively. The K2N2 treatment produced the best plant height (45.87 cm). The number of plant leaves was positively correlated with the number of leaflets on green bean plants (r = 0.466, p 0.05). The K1N2 treatments had the best results from several observation parameters, especially in the weight of seeds per plot in the treatment (4 kg vermisp. and 40 gr NPK). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger is used as a medicinal plant in traditional medicine to treat many diseases. In the research greenhouse of Damghan University, a factorial experiment with three replications and a completely randomized design was carried out to determine the impact of organic and mineral fertilizers on the biochemical characteristics of ginger. The experimental treatments included: 1) livestock manure factor at 5 levels: control, poultry manure (5 t ha-1), 50% poultry manure (2.5 t ha-1), vermicompost (10 t ha-1), 50% vermicompost (5 t ha-1). 2) Chemical fertilizer factor at 3 levels: control, NPK (100 kg ha-1) and 50% NPK (50 kg ha-1). The outcomes demonstrated that the application of 50% chicken manure produced the maximum level of ginger protein. After treatment with vermicompost, the guaiacol peroxidase enzyme exhibited its maximum activity. The highest catalase enzyme activity was observed in the presence of poultry manure treatment with a 77% increase in comparison to the control. Additionally, the content of soluble sugars of ginger in the treatments of 50% organic and inorganic fertilizers decreased significantly. The highest amounts of proline and H2O2 were obtained in 50% vermicompost and NPK treatments. The free radical scavenging power (DPPH) decreased in the presence of different fertilizer treatments (organic and inorganic). All fertilizer treatments were able to increase the total phenol content of ginger. The results showed that the biochemical characteristics of ginger plants showed different reactions to different fertilizer treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focuses on the effects of vermicomposting on various soil properties, particularly emphasizing the dielectric characteristics of soil. Vermicomposting is known to significantly enhance soil fertility and improve its physical aspects such as aeration, porosity and water retention. In this analysis, a modified probe arrangement has been employed to determine how varying levels of vermicompost influence the soil's dielectric properties within the radio and microwave spectrum (10 MHz-14 GHz). A modified Dak-12 open-ended coaxial probe, paired with a vector network analyzer, was utilized for this purpose to overcome the drawbacks of standard arrangement. The results show that vermicompost strongly affects the soil's physical attributes (pH, bulk density, porosity) and also its chemical properties, along with its dielectric behavior. The study further explored the role of different factors such as the concentration of vermicompost, frequency and temperature on soil's dielectric response. To accurately and swiftly gauge these effects, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) has been employed to predict the dielectric properties (ε' and ε") of the soil. The high precision of these models, with R2 values of 0.9729 for ε' and 0.9487 for ε", underscores their effectiveness in evaluating the impact of vermicompost on various soil properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining nutrient-release patterns of organic manures can give an estimate of the potential amount of nutrients that a given material can contribute to crops along with chemical fertiliser. Nutrients released from organic manure depend on several factors, and temperature is one of them. To evaluate how different types of conventional organic manures release nitrogen (N) under varying temperature conditions, an incubation study was conducted at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. Six organic manures—poultry manure (PM), vermicompost (VC), bio-slurry (BS), cowdung (CD), water-hyacinth compost (WHC), and rice straw compost (RSC)—were evaluated at three temperature regimes (15, 25, and 35 °C) to study the dynamics of N incubated for 330 days. The N release was significantly influenced by the interaction of organic manures and temperature regimes. Poultry manure-treated soil incubated at 35 °C had the highest mineralisation of all parameters than other manures. The mineralisation of N followed the order: PM > VC > BS > CD > WHC > RSC > control and 35 °C > 25 °C > 15 °C. Across different temperatures, the mineralisation rate of PM was 15–55% higher than that of other manures. At 35 °C, the mineralisation rate was 10% and 20% higher compared to 25 °C and 15 °C, respectively. The first-order kinetic models predicted the organic N release from manures satisfactorily. The findings of the present study enrich the understanding of N-release patterns under different temperature regimes that prevail in different crop growing seasons in Indo-Gangetic Plains, providing valuable data for researchers and policymakers interested in sustainable integrated nutrient management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cow dung and oyster shells are not fully utilized in China and result in severe pollution and damage to the environment. A field study was conducted to determine the effect of additives produced from oyster shells, oyster shell powder (OSP), and modified oyster shell powder (MOSP), on the properties of a vermicompost obtained from a vermireactor with a cow dung and shell powder mixture. The results showed that both MOSP and OSP, particularly MOSP, increased pH, total nitrogen (TN) content, and surface area while decreasing EC and organic matter content in the derived vermicompost, the final vermicompost had a much higher degree of maturity based on the increased germination index (GI) and decreased NH4+/NO3−(NI), and their properties were in line with the Chinese standard for organic fertilizers (NY/T525-2021). Moreover, MOSP addition in particular enhanced the richness and diversity of bacterial communities, improving the growth of specific bacteria, such as Proteobacteria, Actinomycetes, and Planctomycetaceae, which are correlated with organic matter biodegradation at the phylum and genus levels, and inhibiting the growth of some anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, such as Planctomycetes, at the phylum level or some denitrifying bacteria, such as Xanthomonadales and Pseudomonas, at the genus level. Overall, MOSP is more effective as an additive to produce vermicompost from cow dung vermireactors and aid in recycling organic wastes for agricultural use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vermicomposting offers an eco-friendly solution to managing the sewage sludge generated in wastewater treatment plants. The objective of this study was to investigate the microbial community composition, structure and functionality during the vermicomposting of sewage sludge. We analyzed samples of sewage sludge, earthworm casts and vermicompost by applying high-throughput sequencing 16S and ITS rRNA. Most of the bacterial (95%) and fungal taxa (99%) were eliminated and subsequently replaced by other microbial taxa originating from earthworms. Further changes resulted in a vermicompost with a more diverse bacterial (but not fungal) community. In addition, the earthworm activity led to an increase in bacterial and a decrease in fungal alpha diversity, resulting in greater differences in beta diversity between sewage sludge, casts and vermicompost. We also found that bacterial pathways associated with amino acid and plant hormone biosynthesis and antibiotic synthesis were enriched. Vermicomposting successfully eliminated most of the 10 human bacterial pathogens found in the sewage sludge. Simultaneously, parasitic and pathogenic fungal taxa were removed. Overall, vermicompost derived from sewage sludge is safer for disposal on land than raw sludge, particularly regarding their respective microbial compositions. This indicates that it could potentially be used as a soil organic amendment and fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic wastes (LCW) have enormous potential to be recycled for bioethanol production. Although yeasts (Saccharomyces sp.) are commonly used bio-agents for fermentation, their efficiency is inhibited in cellulosic feedstocks. This study isolated novel ethanologenic bacteria from vermicomposting systems for bioenergy generation from fruit waste without pre-treatment. Initially, six strains out of 22, showing remarkable ethanol production ability, were characterized via 16S rRNA sequencing. Specifically, two strains (Bacillus alcalophilus C5 and Rhizobium spp. S10) produced more ethanol (5.5 and 15.7 g L−1) than the yeast (5 g L−1) from banana epicarps. These strains' dramatically high sedimentation rate and ethanol tolerance strongly justified their industrial applicability. Significant upregulation of alcohol dehydrogenase and acetyl CoA synthase endowed greater ethanol-producing capacity in C5 and S10 than in S. cerevisiae. The flow cytometry and confocal microscopy evidenced that ethanologenic bacteria uniquely defend the reactor-induced sugar and ethanol stresses through reverse/delayed apoptosis and robust membrane integrity. The waste-to-wealth conversion efficiency and cost–benefit analyses estimated that bacteria-mediated LCW-to-bioethanol conversion was a more profitable venture than vermicomposting or composting. Overall, this research demonstrated that the C5 and S10 isolates were more effective than widely used commercial yeast strains for bioethanol generation from LCW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-designed tree-based culture provides multiple benefits, aiding in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially SDG1 (no poverty), SDG2 (zero hunger), SDG13 (climate action), and SDG15 (life on land). A split-plot field experiment near Solan, Himachal Pradesh, tested the following Grewia optiva tree spacings as main plots: S1 10 m × 1 m, S2 10 m × 2 m, S3 10 m × 3 m, and sole cropping (S0—Open) of pea (Pisum sativum L.). Pea cultivation included the following six fertilizer treatments as subplots: control (no application), farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost (VC), Jeevamrut, FYM + VC, and the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDFs), each replicated three times. The results indicated that the leaves, branches, total biomass, carbon density, and carbon sequestration rate of G. optiva alleys at 10 m × 1 m were greater than those at the other spacings. However, peas intercropped at 10 m × 3 m produced the highest yield (5.72 t ha−1). Compared with monocropping, G. optiva-based agroforestry significantly improved soil properties. Among fertilizers, FYM had the highest yield (6.04 t ha−1) and improved soil health. The most lucrative practice was the use of peas under a 10 m × 1 m spacing with FYM, with economic gains of 2046.1 USD ha−1. This study suggests integrating pea intercropping with G. optiva at broader spacing (10 m × 3 m) and using FYM for optimal carbon sequestration, soil health, and economic returns, and this approach is recommended for the region's agroecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) plays an important role in immobilizing heavy metals (HMs), thereby preventing their accumulation, especially in edible parts of crops. In this study, vermicompost (VM) and chemical fertilizers (CFs) were used as soil amendments to increase the available P concentration in soil contaminated with cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni), with the aim of reducing their bioavailability, uptake, and bioaccessibility. Using CF and VM as soil amendments substantially increased the available P and exchangeable potassium concentrations in the soil. Furthermore, VM addition led to an increase in OM content and in exchangeable calcium and magnesium, resulting in the improved growth of lettuce. It also reduced the uptake of Cd and Ni in the two lettuce cultivars tested in the study. However, CF addition boosted the accumulation of Cd and Ni by increasing the soil acidity. CF addition, and especially VM addition, altered the chemical forms of Cd and Ni from active to inactive. Overall, the results of this study underscore the positive impact of using VM as a soil amendment on lettuce growth and the prevention of HM accumulation in edible parts of lettuce. VM addition led to decreased bioavailability, uptake, and bioaccessibility of HMs in soil, which could improve food safety and reduce potential risks associated with HM contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the vineyard to the bottle, the winemaking process generates a variety of by-products, such as vinasses, spent filter cakes, grape pomace, grape lees, and vine shoots. To avoid damaging the environment and to reduce economic impacts, the by-products and wastes must be handled, disposed of, or recycled properly. This review focuses on an environmentally friendly approach to the management and added value of winemaking by-products, such as grape pomace or grape marc, by using vermicomposting. Vermicompost is a well-known organic fertilizer with potential uses in soil bioremediation and the conservation of soil health. To achieve environmental neutral agriculture practices, vermicomposting is a promising tool for resilient and sustainable viticulture and winemaking. Vermicomposting is a simple, highly beneficial, and waste-free method of converting organic waste into compost with high agronomic value and a sustainable strategy in line with the principles of the circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Brewers' spent grain (BSG) is the most important by-product of breweries. Currently, the primary method of recycling BSG is through its use in livestock feed production, due to its high fiber content, non-degradable protein, and water-soluble vitamins. Nonetheless, composting, vermicomposting, and biochar production pathways offer promising alternatives for managing this organic byproduct. Methods: BSG-based substrates were evaluated as bio-fertilizers for use during the transplantation of Lactuca sativa L. and without additional fertilization at the end of the crop cycle. Biochar (B), vermicompost (V), compost (CP), and compost enriched with a microbial consortium (CPE), each mixed at 2 and 4% with peat, were compared with two control treatments: 100% peat (C1) and peat with ternary chemical fertilizer (C2). The experiment was designed with six replicates, half of which were inoculated with Sclerotinia sclerotiorummycelium during transplantation to assess the contribution of different substrates to pathogen resistance. Results: Overall, it was found that the control treatment C2 was the most effective, yielding the greatest plant height at the seedbed stage and the best results across all parameters at harvest. The V 4%, CP 4%, and CPE 4% treatments showed similar results without significant differences compared to the control. At the end of the seedbed phase, plants treated with CP 4% and CPE 4% exhibited the most substantial root development, with statistically significant differences from all other treatments. Moreover, the CPE 4% treatment demonstrated superior performance, resulting in statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the chlorophyll content (a and b) and carotenoid parameters when compared to the control treatment C2. The interaction between the treatment and the pathogen was statistically significant only for the carotenoid content in the CPE 4% treatment and for the flavonoid content in most of the treatments. Discussion: The most promising results were obtained at the nursery phase, highlighting the potential use of processed BSG-based substrates as bio- fertilizers. These products provided plants with both a growth substrate and nutrients, effectively contributing to waste recycling and aligning with the principles of a circular economy. Additional studies are required to investigate the potential use of brewer's spent grain as bio-fertilizers in other vegetable crop species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractKalmegh is an important medicinal crop because of the most important biologically active phyto-chemical called andrographolide. Production of higher herbage yields with appropriate quality in terms of andrographolide is largely dependent upon efficient nutrient management. This study aimed to assess the effect of organic manures application and variable nitrogen rates on growth, yield, andrographolide content and total antioxidant activity of Kalmegh. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three levels of organic manures [M1- Control, M2- vermicompost @ 5 t ha−1 and M3- poultry manure @ 5 t ha−1] and four fertility levels [F1- 0: 50: 50, F2- 50: 50: 50, F3- 75 (37.5 + 37.5): 50: 50 and F4- 75: 50: 50 kg ha−1 N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively] replicated thrice. The highest dry herbage yields and andrographolide content of kalmegh were recorded with vermicompost @ 5 t ha−1 + 75 (37.5 + 37.5): 50: 50 N, P2O5 and K2O kg ha−1 followed by poultry manure @ 5 t ha−1 + 75 (37.5 + 37.5): 50: 50 N, P2O5 and K2O kg ha−1 during both the years while, lower yields due to control. Dry herbage and andrographolide yield were found to be highest in M2×F3 compared with M1×F1. Our study concluded that the application of vermicompost @ 5 t ha−1 along with 75 kg ha−1 N in two splits and 50 kg ha−1of each P2O5 and K2O resulted higher yield and andrographolide content which, would provide better soil nutrient status in sustainable manner without affecting ecological balances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in agricultural soils and its accumulation in plant organs have become a global issue due to its harmful effects on human health. The in-situ stabilizing technique, which involves using organic amendments, is commonly employed for removing Cd from agricultural soils. Thus, the current study investigated the effect of vermicompost (VC) on soil properties and plant physio-biochemical attributes, leaf ultrastructure analysis, antioxidant defense mechanisms, and grain yields of two different fragrant rice cultivars, Xiangyaxiangzhan (XGZ) and Meixiangzhan-2 (MXZ-2), under Cdstress conditions. The results showed that Cd toxicity deteriorates soil quality, the plant's photosynthetic apparatus, and the plant's antioxidant defense mechanism. Moreover, under Cd stress, both cultivars produced significantly lower (p < 0.05) rice grain yields compared to non-Cd stress conditions. However, the VC application alleviated the Cd toxicity and improved soil qualitative traits, such as soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, total nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Similarly, VC amendments improved leaf physiological activity, photosynthetic apparatus function, antioxidant enzyme activities and its related gene expression under Cd stress These enhancements led to increased grain yields of both fragrant under Cd toxicity. The addition of VC mitigated the adverse effects of Cd on the leaf chloroplast structure by reducing Cd uptake and accumulation in tissues. This helped prevent Cd-induced peroxidation damage to leaf membrane lipids by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). On average across the growth stages, the Pos-Cd + VC3 treatment increased SOD, APX, CAT, and POD activities by122.2 and 112.5%, 118.6, and 120.6%, 44.6 and 40.6%, and 38.6 and 33.2% in MXZ-2 and XGZ, respectively, compared to the plants treated with Pos-Cd treated alone. Enhancements in leaf physiological activity and plant antioxidant enzyme activity strengthen the plant's antioxidant defense mechanism against Cd toxicity. In addition, correlation analysis showed a strong relationship between the leaf net photosynthetic rate and soil chemical attributes, suggesting that improved soil fertility enhances leaf physiological activity and boosts rice grain yields. Of the treatments, Pos-Cd + VC3 proved to be the most effective treatment in terms of enhancing soil health and achieving high fragrant rice yields. Thus, the outcomes of this study show that the addition of VC in Cd-contaminated soils could be useful for sustainable rice production and safe utilization of Cdpolluted soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at the Research Farm of the Department of Tea Husbandry and Technology, Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur (Himachal Pradesh) in pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon i.e., from March, 2021 to November, 2021. The objective was to assess the impact of organic nutrient inputs on Tea (Camellia sinensis L. O. Kuntze). The experiment comprised of 10 treatments with the organic treatment include application of different nitrogen sources, viz farmyard manure; vermicompost; jeevamrit and vermiwash. The experiment included ten treatments, including a control group, FYM (Farm Yard Manure) @ 20 t ha-1, vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1, split doses of FYM @ 10 t ha-1+ 10 t ha-1, split doses of vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1+5 t ha-1, FYM @ 20 t ha-1+Jeevamrit @ 10%, vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1+Jeevamrit @10%, FYM @ 20 t ha-1+vermiwash @ 10%, vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1+vermiwash @ 10% and Jeevamrit @ 10%. The experiment was designed following a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. The soil of experiment field was acidic in nature, silty clay loam in texture, low in Nitrogen, medium in Phosphorus and Potassium. The results showed that the growth, yield attributes and overall tea yield increased significantly with the application of vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1+Jeevamrit @ 10%. Furthermore, this treatment exhibited notably higher gross returns, net returns and additional net returns compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt-affected soils are a prevalent issue globally, resulting in a severe degradation of soil sustainability and plant productivity, reducing the area of agricultural land, and affecting food security. Therefore, eco-solutions and remediation approaches are needed. The needed remediation for salt-affected soil can be addressed via engineering, physical, chemical, or biological techniques. Salt-tolerant crops are normally used for the remediation of slight and moderate saline soil conditions. However, no crops, including salt-tolerant crops, can be cultivated in areas with extreme salinity levels (ECe 8–16 dS/m). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vermicompost and organic amendment on the cultivation of salt-tolerant crops (Sesbania rostrata) in severely salt-affected soil under field conditions in order to improve saline soil and crop productivity. The design of the experiment followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three treatments and four replications: T1, severely salt-affected soil (control); T2, severely salt-affected soil + vermicompost at a ratio of 25:75; T3, severely salt-affected soil + vermicompost + rice husk biochar + coconut coir at a ratio of 25:25:25:25. The results found that using vermicompost and organic amendment improved the soil quality, increased the soil fertility (organic matter and plant nutrients N, P, and K), and reduced the soil salinity. Sesbania rostrate could not grow in severely salt-affected soil (T1) alone, but could grow in the treatments with vermicompost and organic amendments (T2 and T3). The percentage of Sesbania survival per plot was also high in the treatments with vermicompost and organic amendments (T2 and T3). The highest growth rate, flower production, biomass, and root morphology of Sesbania rostrata were found in T3, with severely salt-affected soil + vermicompost + rice husk biochar + coconut coir at a ratio of 25:25:25:25 with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Moreover, the Sesbania flowers treated with vermicompost and organic amendments have a higher nutritional value due to their minerals and vitamins than Sesbania flowers grown without using vermicompost and organic amendments. This study's findings suggest that incorporating vermicompost and organic amendments is a feasible and economical method for enhancing the quality of salt-affected soils in a sustainable manner. The results of this study demonstrate that utilizing vermicompost and organic amendments is a sustainable and economical strategy for enhancing the quality of salt-affected soils and improving yields in severely salt-affected areas, thereby increasing crop production and the nutritional value of the plants as well as helping to increase farmers' income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vermicompost (VC) produced by African nightcrawler earthworms (Eudrilus eugeniae) is a natural fertilizer with a rich microbial community. Trichoderma asperelloides PSU-P1 is an effective antagonistic microorganism with multifaceted activity mechanisms. This research aimed to develop Trichoderma-bioenriched vermicompost (TBVC) to promote plant growth and induce the defense response in the Thai rice variety "Chor Khing". T. asperelloides PSU-P1 was tested against Rhizoctonia solani, the pathogen of sheath blight disease, using a dual-culture assay. The results showed that T. asperelloides PSU-P1 effectively inhibited R. solani in vitro growth by 70.48%. The TBVC was prepared by adding a conidial suspension (108 conidia/mL) to vermicompost. The viability of Trichoderma persisted in the vermicompost for 6 months and ranged from 1.2 to 2.8 × 107 CFU/mL. Vermicompost water extracts significantly enhanced seed germination, root length, and shoot length compared to a control group (p < 0.05). Plants that received the TBVC displayed significantly longer shoot and root lengths and higher total chlorophyll content than control plants (p < 0.05). The TBVC induced defense response by increasing the enzyme activity of peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in comparison with control plants. Rice grown in the TBVC had a significantly reduced incidence of sheath blight caused by R. solani in comparison with control rice (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the fungal community of rice plants was analyzed via the high-throughput next-generation sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS). The fungal community in the TBVC had greater alpha diversity than the community in the VC. Phylum Ascomycota was dominant in both samples, and a heat map showed that Trichoderma was more prevalent in the TBVC than in the VC. Our results indicate that the enrichment of VC with Trichoderma increases growth, enhances the defense response, and reduces the incidence of sheath blight disease in the Thai rice variety "Chor Khing". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to explore the effect of vermicompost on the growth and physiological parameters of the tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The experiment was carried out in a complete random block design. In the initial nursery phase, different percentages (20, 30, and 40%) of vermicompost/compost were used, and the mixture containing 15% of each was evaluated in the cell plug trays. In the transplanting phase, seedlings randomly selected based on their superior growth performance from treatments involving 20% compost/vermicompost, as well as the mixture were subsequently transplanted into pots filled with organic soil. Plants were monitored until the flowering stage, and measurements were taken at different growth stages of the plant, such as shoot length, stem diameter, number of leaves, root length, fresh and dry weight of the plant. Moreover, some physiological parameters, such as chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, were assessed. An ANOVA using SPSS was used to process the data collected from the experiment. The results showed that vermicompost treatments induced a significant increase in shoot length, stem diameter, leaves number, root length, contents of chlorophyll a and carotenoid of tomato plants compared to the control, with an improvement of 54, 38, 38, 70, 44, and 69.5%, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of vermicompost as a potential nutrient source for crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most significant threat to global food security is water scarcity. Despite the fact that vermicompost (an effective organic fertilizer rich in humic substances, macro- and micro-nutrients, earthworm excretions, beneficial soil microbes, plant growth hormones, enzymes) and effective microorganisms (EM; photosynthetic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, actinomycetes, fermenting fungi) have been recognized as powerful strategies for alleviating environmental stresses, their combined effect has not been studied. Herein, as a first investigation, we aimed to enhance wheat's drought tolerance using an eco-friendly approach that combined vermicompost and EM. The study employed twelve treatments in a completely randomized design. The treatments included control, as well as single and combined applications of vermicompost and EM at three different irrigation levels (100%, 70%, and 30% of field capacity). Vermicompost and EM, applied singly or in combination, ameliorated drought-induced reduction in wheat growth and productivity by elevating photosynthetic pigment content, photochemical processes, Calvin cycle enzyme activity, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry, actual photochemical efficiency of PSII, electron transport rate, photochemical quenching coefficient, and effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry. Additionally, adding vermicompost and/or EM improved wheat drought tolerance by increasing nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, copper) acquisition, roots' ATP content, H+-pump activity, and membrane stability index while lowering hydrogen peroxide content, lipid peroxidation, and electrolyte leakage. The new evidence demonstrates that combining vermicompost with EM sustains wheat drought tolerance by regulating photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient acquisition, root H+-pump activity, and membrane stability. Overall, utilizing vermicompost/EM is a novel approach to improving plant physiological responses and overcoming drought-related challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthworm communities influence soil carbon and nitrogen circulation by altering the diversity and composition of microbial communities, which improves soil fertility. Studying the soil nutrient composition and bacterial communities change in response to earthworm community natural invasion may be key to exploring earthworm ecological functions and accurately assessing C and N mineralization in artificial forests and croplands. In this study, we examined the communities of five earthworm species in ecosystems characterized by six different land-use types, such as buttonwood forest, walnut forest, apple orchard, kiwi orchard, ryegrass land, and corn field. The Metaphire baojiensis (d) and Amynthas carnosus planus were dominant earthworm species. Among different land-use types, earthworm densities ranged from 2 to 27 ind·m−2 in summer and 15 to 40 ind·m−2 in spring. However, surface vermicompost weight in summer (296.7 to 766.0 g·m−2) was greater than in spring. There was a positive correlation between the weight of the vermicompost and earthworm numbers in the same season. Soil carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N) of vermicompost ranged from 5.12 to 20.93 g·kg−1 and from 0.52 to 1.35 g·kg−1, respectively. Compared with soil, the contents of vermicompost C and N increased 2.0 to 4.3 times and 1.6 to 7.7 times, respectively. The average C/N of vermicompost (9.5~23.5) was higher than in the soil (7.3~19.8). Due to the higher abundances of C and N in the soil of corn fields and kiwi orchards, which cultivate higher abundances of earthworms and more vermicompost, the C and N and C/N of vermicompost is higher than in the soil. C and N were accumulated by earthworms' excreting and feeding activity instead of vegetation in vermicompost. Earthworm community structure plays key roles in decreasing bacterial diversity and adding Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflex in vermicompost, resulting in enriching soil C and N content and increasing C/N in vermicompost. Therefore, the evaluation of different vegetation ecosystems in soil C and N pool accumulation and mineralization should be given more attention regarding the function of earthworm communities in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vermicomposting in comparison to conventional composting has several advantages, such as faster treatment of organic waste and production of manure compost with lower levels of salinity. Therefore, the determination of optimal mixtures of organic waste and manure for vermicomposting and deployment of local earthworms for this procedure have important implications in plant agriculture. In this work, the vermicompost was prepared from mixtures of manure (cattle, horse and sheep) and household organic waste (wood shavings, paper, leaves, fruit and vegetable waste) in various ratios. To convert the organic waste to the vermicompost we used the local earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826), while a hybrid species Eisenia anderii (Iogonen, 1995), served as control. Chemical analysis of the resulting vermicompost revealed significant increase in nutrient content compared to the initial substrate: the total nitrogen (N) was increased by 79%, phosphorus (P) by 89% and potassium (K) by 62%. The efficacy of the vermicompost, which was evaluated to have high NPK content, was further studied by observing its impact on the growth of local cucumber variety Miracle F1. As a control, the plants were cultured in medium without vermicompost (black sand). In this work, we examined the effect of different proportions of vermicompost on the development and yield of cucumber seedlings. The experiments were conducted in the greenhouse of the Institute of Biochemistry, Samarkand State University. Cucumber seedlings were grown in a medium containing 10%, 20%, 30% vermicompost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shrinking agricultural land sizes and multiplied food demand have prompted overuse of fertilizers in agriculture, leading to a series of environmental repercussions worsening day after day. In the contemporary scenario, concerns over the magnitude of soil destruction and plant health have shifted the scientific community's attention toward sustainable agricultural practices, including organic farming and the use of organic fertilizers like vermicompost (VC), animal manure, etc. A factorial study using a randomized block design was conducted in the field to appraise the potential of fertilizer and irrigation water on the biochemical and growth responses of Abelmoschus esculentus using different doses of VCs along with and without recommended doses of NPK. All the biochemical analyses were performed at 45 and 65 DAG (days after germination). At both ages, combination of 3-ton ha−1 vermicompost + recommended dose of inorganic fertilizer (120:60:60 kg ha−1) + irrigation water treatments (T5) had the highest protein, chlorophyll, carotenoid, and phenol content and less lipid peroxidation as compared to control (144.28%, 84.21%, 83%, 224.2% and -60.43%, respectively). Also, T5 treatment showed a noticeable increase in the photosynthetic pigments level and reduced heavy metal content in fruits of the test plant at maturity. Statistical analyses, including PCA, Pearson correlation matrix, and MANOVA (p < 0.05), showed that appropriate dosing of VC together with inorganic fertilizer not only augments plant growth and yield, but also helps in reducing the transport of metals to different plant parts, mitigating food chain contamination. However, overdosing on fertilizers could negatively impact the plant's growth and yield. Overall, the research highlights the value of organic agricultural supplements and irrigation water quality, fostering sustainable agriculture in multifaceted ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Vermicompost contains humic acids, nutrients, earthworm excretions, beneficial microbes, growth hormones, and enzymes, which help plants to tolerate a variety of abiotic stresses. Effective microorganisms (EM) include a wide range of microorganisms’ e.g. photosynthetic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, actinomycetes, and fermenting fungi that can stimulate plant growth and improve soil fertility. To our knowledge, no study has yet investigated the possible role of vermicompost and EM dual application in enhancing plant tolerance to water scarcity. Methods Consequently, the current study investigated the effectiveness of vermicompost and EM in mitigating drought-induced changes in wheat. The experiment followed a completely randomized design with twelve treatments. The treatments included control, as well as individual and combined applications of vermicompost and EM at three different irrigation levels (100%, 70%, and 30% of field capacity). Results The findings demonstrated that the application of vermicompost and/or EM significantly improved wheat growth and productivity, as well as alleviated drought-induced oxidative damage with decreased the generation of superoxide anion radical and hydrogen peroxide. This was achieved by upregulating the activities of several antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase. Vermicompost and/or EM treatments also enhanced the antioxidant defense system by increasing the content of antioxidant molecules such as ascorbate, glutathione, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. Additionally, the overproduction of methylglyoxal in water-stressed treated plants was controlled by the enhanced activity of the glyoxalase system enzymes; glyoxalase I and glyoxalase II. The treated plants maintained higher water content related to the higher content of osmotic regulatory substances like soluble sugars, free amino acids, glycinebetaine, and proline. Conclusions Collectively, we offer the first report that identifies the underlying mechanism by which the dual application of vermicompost and EM confers drought tolerance in wheat by improving osmolyte accumulation and modulating antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems.

This study was conducted over two growing seasons (2022-2023 and 2023-2024). Using a randomised block design, 16 treatments consisted of combinations of vermicompost, biochar, jaggery, poultry manure, farmyard manure, cow urine, and neem cake, and three replications were used in the study. The objective was to assess how these organic amendments affected the antioxidant, phenolic and flavonoid contents in guava fruit. The treatment T6(Vermicompost 5 kg/tree + Biochar 7.5 kg/tree + Jaggery 1.25 kg/tree) produced the highest levels of antioxidant, phenolic and flavonoid, according to the results. T6 in particular showed an increase in antioxidant activity from 46.48% to 48.14%, phenolic content from 29.72 mg TA/g to 30.93 mg TA/g and flavonoid content from 23.88 mg/g FW to 25.14 mg/g FW. This study provides important information for sustainable horticultural practices by highlighting the potential of organic amendments to enhance the nutritional qualities of guava cv. L-49.

Abstract The gut microbiome of worms from composting facilities potentially harbors organisms that are beneficial to plant growth and development. In this experiment, we sought to examine the potential impacts of rhizosphere microbiomes derived from Eisenia fetida worm castings (i.e. vermicompost) on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, L.) plant growth and physiology. Our experiment consisted of a greenhouse trial lasting 17 weeks total in which tomato plants were grown with one of three inoculant treatments: a microbial inoculant created from vermicompost (V), a microbial inoculant created from sterilized vermicompost (SV), and a no-compost control inoculant (C). We hypothesized that living microbiomes from the vermicompost inoculant treatment would enhance host plant growth and gene expression profiles compared to plants grown in sterile and control treatments. Our data showed that bacterial community composition was significantly altered in tomato rhizospheres, but fungal community composition was highly variable in each treatment. Plant phenotypes that were significantly enhanced in the vermicompost and sterile vermicompost treatments, compared to the control, included aboveground biomass and foliar δ15N nitrogen. RNA sequencing revealed distinct gene expression changes in the vermicompost treatment, including upregulation of nutrient transporter genes such as Solyc06g074995 (high affinity nitrate transporter), which exhibited a 250.2-fold increase in expression in the vermicompost treatment compared to both the sterile vermicompost and control treatments. The plant transcriptome data suggest that rhizosphere microbiomes derived from vermicompost can influence tomato gene expression and growth-related regulatory pathways, which highlights the value of RNA sequencing in uncovering molecular responses in plant microbiome studies.

Determining nutrient-release patterns of organic manures can give an estimate of the potential amount of nutrients that a given material can contribute to crops along with chemical fertiliser. Nutrients released from organic manure depend on several factors, and temperature is one of them. To evaluate how different types of conventional organic manures release nitrogen (N) under varying temperature conditions, an incubation study was conducted at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. Six organic manures—poultry manure (PM), vermicompost (VC), bio-slurry (BS), cowdung (CD), water-hyacinth compost (WHC), and rice straw compost (RSC)—were evaluated at three temperature regimes (15, 25, and 35 °C) to study the dynamics of N incubated for 330 days. The N release was significantly influenced by the interaction of organic manures and temperature regimes. Poultry manure-treated soil incubated at 35 °C had the highest mineralisation of all parameters than other manures. The mineralisation of N followed the order: PM > VC > BS > CD > WHC > RSC > control and 35 °C > 25 °C > 15 °C. Across different temperatures, the mineralisation rate of PM was 15–55% higher than that of other manures. At 35 °C, the mineralisation rate was 10% and 20% higher compared to 25 °C and 15 °C, respectively. The first-order kinetic models predicted the organic N release from manures satisfactorily. The findings of the present study enrich the understanding of N-release patterns under different temperature regimes that prevail in different crop growing seasons in Indo-Gangetic Plains, providing valuable data for researchers and policymakers interested in sustainable integrated nutrient management practices.

Vermicomposting in comparison to conventional composting has several advantages, such as faster treatment of organic waste and production of manure compost with lower levels of salinity. Therefore, the determination of optimal mixtures of organic waste and manure for vermicomposting and deployment of local earthworms for this procedure have important implications in plant agriculture. In this work, the vermicompost was prepared from mixtures of manure (cattle, horse and sheep) and household organic waste (wood shavings, paper, leaves, fruit and vegetable waste) in various ratios. To convert the organic waste to the vermicompost we used the local earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826), while a hybrid species Eisenia anderii (Iogonen, 1995), served as control. Chemical analysis of the resulting vermicompost revealed significant increase in nutrient content compared to the initial substrate: the total nitrogen (N) was increased by 79%, phosphorus (P) by 89% and potassium (K) by 62%. The efficacy of the vermicompost, which was evaluated to have high NPK content, was further studied by observing its impact on the growth of local cucumber variety Miracle F1. As a control, the plants were cultured in medium without vermicompost (black sand). In this work, we examined the effect of different proportions of vermicompost on the development and yield of cucumber seedlings. The experiments were conducted in the greenhouse of the Institute of Biochemistry, Samarkand State University. Cucumber seedlings were grown in a medium containing 10%, 20%, 30% vermicompost.

ABSTRACTProlonged and excessive use of chemical fertilizers has resulted in serious harm to soil health and ecosystems. This study aimed to reduce the cultivation costs for apricot trees, nearly 1/3rd of which are spent on fertilizers. The research was conducted on fully grown apricot trees of the cultivar “New Castle,” in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The experiment consisted of fourteen treatment combinations evaluated in triplicate and statistically analyzed using a randomized block design (RBD). Results revealed that treatment T12 [50% Nitrogen (Calcium Nitrate) + 50% Nitrogen (Urea) + Azotobacter + Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria + Vermicompost] resulted in the highest percent increase in tree trunk girth (6.82%), highest leaf chlorophyll content (3.00 mg g−1 fresh weight), leaf area (58.29 cm), fruit set (61.00%) and total yield (61.9 kg tree−1). In terms of nutrient status, T12 had the highest leaf N (2.95%), leaf K (2.60%), soil N (386.33 kg ha−1), soil P (51.00 kg ha−1) and soil organic carbon (1.81%). The highest net return and profit over recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) was also recorded in treatment T12. The results of this study show that judicious fertilizer use along with integrated organic manure and bio-fertilizers can reduce cultivation costs, improve soil health, and increase fruit production with minimum ecosystem damage.

The current study was carried out to evaluate various combinations of potting media and ornamental plants for outdoor vertical gardening as, these days to use vertical space is trending with increasing urbanization. This study will help to workout best potting media ratio for them. We will conclude to highlight a best combination of potting media, among, T1: Soil + Farm Yard Manure + Cocopeat (50:25:25), T2: Soil + Farm Yard Manure + Cocopeat (25:50:25), T3: Soil + Farm Yard Manure + Cocopeat (25:25:50), T4: Soil + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (25:50:25), and T5 (Control): Soil + Farm Yard Manure (50:50) and best plant species among Syngonium podophyllum, Dracaena compacta (Red), Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, Dracaena reflexa, and Pedilanthus tithymaloides. Each treatment contained 15 plants replicated thrice under the Completely Randomized Block Design. The potting media ratio combination in T4: Soil + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (25:50:25) proved to be the best for improvement of vegetative parameters and for the attractive foliage of the selected ornamental plants, having more ratio of vermicompost thus capable of providing good amount of all beneficial benefits with more moisture retention capacity and nutrients value than other combination of media used. The minimum value of all the observations recorded was found to be in T5 (Control): Soil + Farm Yard Manure (50:50). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Long-term application of chemical fertilizers has negative impacts on soil health, crop productivity, and ecosystems. Hence, organic substrates have been proposed as alternatives for enhancing soil health and plant growth parameters. Among them, vermicompost and vermiwash are widely used in the sustainable agriculture sector to enhance plant growth, yield, and soil fertility. Hence, in this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of vermiwash and vermicompost on the growth of Raphanus sativus L. Pot culture experiments were conducted in four groups which included: group A) control soil (10 kg pot−1), group B) soil (8.5 kg pot−1) + vermicompost (1.5 kg pot−1), group C) soil (10 kg pot−1) + vermiwash (1.5 L pot−1), and group D) soil (8.5 kg pot−1) + vermicompost (1.5 kg pot−1) + vermiwash (1.5 L pot−1), respectively. The results revealed that the plants treated with vermiwash and vermicompost (Group D) had significantly enhanced the growth of the plants with higher germination percentage (100%), number of leaves (32.08%), length of leaves (56.35%), width of leaves (28.05), area of leaves (100.22%), shoot length of plant (78.02%), chlorophyll concentration (42.72%), leaf relative water content (13.30%), fresh weight (65.61%), dry weight of leaves (57.59), and tuber yield (74.96%) when compared to plants under groups A, B, and C. Furthermore, the application of the vermiwash and vermicompost combination improved the soil's physicochemical properties, increased glycine betaine concentrations, and decreased proline accumulation. Hence, this study suggests that vermicompost and vermiwash may be a potential source of plant nutrients for sustainable crop production.

Biology learning must strengthen the character of students caring for the environment concerning general and domestic waste. Domestic waste in the form of fecal sludge is a contextual environmental problem that must be managed properly. Sludge still has a fairly high concentration of nutrient content that can be utilized. The purpose of this study was to determine students' perceptions of the benefits of vermicompost as a source of contextual biology learning. As many as 239 public and private junior high school students in Metro City participated in filling out the online questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed by referring to the environmental care character criteria from the student's perspective which includes five main indicators, namely concern for the environment, responsible attitude, student knowledge about vermicompost, student motivation for contextual learning, and commitment to developing vermicompost. Data were analyzed descriptively referring to the critical success factors (CSFs). The results of the research showed that there were 5 student perceptions regarding the character of caring for the environment, namely students gave a strongly agree perception of 38.31%, a agree perception of 41.06%, a somewhat agree perception of 18.19%, a disagree perception of 2 .04, and strongly disagree at 0.40%. Students' perceptions of their environmentally caring character are influenced by many factors, namely students' knowledge and understanding of human fecal sludge and its benefits, a sense of responsibility for environmental sustainability, and students' level of education. Those who understand environmental sustainability and the benefits of fecal sludge have the perception that fecal sludge can be utilized through vermicompost and this process can be utilized as a contextual learning resource.

A study was conducted in sandy clay loam soils in a subtropical zone of Bihar to evaluate the effect of frequent application of organic amendments on sulphur fractions. Different organic amendments, including farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost, azotobacter, phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), panchagawya, and neem cake, were applied through nine treatments that resulted in a significant increase of water-soluble S, available S, heat-soluble S, adsorbed S, and organic S in organic treatment compared to the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) and control treatment. The maximum increment was observed in the treatment where the recommended dose of nitrogen was replaced by 75% recommended dose of nitrogen substituted farmyard manure + 25% recommended dose of nitrogen (vermicompost) along with azotobacter + PSB + one foliar spray of panchagawya. The total S content varied widely from 382 to 736 mg kg-1. Increment in all the forms of sulphur is observed as a result of the application of different organic nutrient sources. All the forms of sulphur share a mutual positive and significant correlation with each other. Regression analysis suggested that the availability of sulphur was dominated by organic sulphur, which alone can explain 97.8% of the variation in availability of available sulphur in soil.