Earthworm.ppt

Earthworm

1. Vermicompost
As a component of INM
Ms Shweta,Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Zoology
Vermiculture Research Station,
D.S. College (Dr. B.R.A. University) ,
Aligarh –202001, Uttar Pradesh, India
[email protected]

2. OBJECTIVES
After going through this
presentation, you shall be able to
discuss the vermitechnology.

3. Introduction
•Vermicomposting is a technology of composting
various forms of biodegradable wastes with the help of
earthworms.
•This compost is perfectly balanced and good in plants
nutrients.

4. VERMI
TECHNOLOGY
Vermicomposting Vermiwash
Vermiculture
or
wormery
Inter-linked and inter-dependent processes
Earthworms
Natural Bio-reactor

5. Benefits of vermicompost
Vermicompost is a nutrient rich compost which:
ohelps better plant growth and crop yield
oimproves physical structure of soil.
oenriches soil with micro-organisms
oattracts deep-burrowing earthworms already present in the soil
which,indirectly improves fertility of soil.
oincrease water holding capacity of soil.
oenhances germination, plant growth, and crop yield.
oimproves root growth of plants.
oenriches soil with plant hormonessuch as auxinsand gibberellic
acid.
oit is helpful in elimination of biowastes .

6. Nutrient profile of vermicompost
Vermicompost contains :
1.6% Nitrogen;
0.7% Phosphorus;
0.8% Potash;
0.5% Calcium;
0.2% Magnesium;
175 ppm Iron;
96.5 ppm Manganese;
24.5 ppm Zinc
15.5 C:N ratio.

7. Requirements
Earthworms
Epigeic
Litter and surface
dwelling species
(‘upon the earth’)
Soil dwelling or
upper soil
surface
(‘within the earth’)
Endogeic
Deep burrowing
species
(‘out of earth’)
Anecic
Ex.Eisenia foetida Ex.Octochaetona thrustoni Ex.Lampito mauritii

8. Requirements Cont’d….
Earthworms:
Commonly following varities are used for vermicomposting
Eisenia foetida
Eudrilus eugeniae
Perionyx excavatus

9. Requirements Cont’d….
Pre digested or decomposed organic wastes

10. Requirements Cont’d….
Source of water
Buckets and
water sprayerUntitled_0011.w mv

11. Requirements Cont’d….
Tools for harvesting

12. Requirements Cont’d….
•Concrete
floor under
shade.

13. Method of Production
Vermicompost can be produced by two methods :
Pit Method
Windrows Method
Click on photo
to continue

14. Pit method is commonly used for small scale production of vermicompost.
These steps can be followed :
Pit method
Constructapitof3x2x1msize(LxWxD)overgroundsurface
usingbricks.Sizeofpitmayvaryasperavailabilityofraw
materials
Fillthepitwithfollowingfourlayers:
•1
st
layer–sandorsandysoilof5-6cm.Thislayerhelpsto
drainexcesswaterfromthepit.
•2
nd
layer-paddystraworothercropresidueof30cmabove
1stlayerwhichwillbeusedforprovidingaerationtothepit.
•3
rd
layer-15to30daysolddungoverpaddystrawlayerata
thicknessof20-30cm.Thishelpsininitiatingmicrobialactivity.
•4
th
layer-pre-digestedmaterialabout50cm
Inoculateearthworm@1000wormspersquaremeterareaor10
kgearthwormin100kgoforganicmatter.
Spraywateronthebedandgunnybag.Maintain50-60%moisture
ofthepitbyperiodicalwaterspraying.

15. Pit method cont’d…

16. Windrows method
Load the organic wastes in the
form of bed (preferably 10 feet L
x 3 feet W x 1.5 feet H). Size of
bed may vary as per availability
of organic waste.
After loading, the fresh bed
should be covered with jute mate
or dry agriculture wastes such as
rice-bran, banana-leaf, maize
residue etc.
This method is widely used for large scale production of vermicompost.
You may please follow these steps:
Mulching
Dung+ Agriculture waste
Dry Agriculture waste

17. Windrows method Cont’d…
Sprinklewateroverthe
coveredvermibedto
maintain40%moisture
inbed.
Moisturepercentcanbe
checkedbyforming
lumpoforganicwaste
usinghand.itshould
easilyformlump.
Watering of beds
Checking of moisture
percentage in bed

18. Windrows method
Bedshouldbemixedthoroughlytopreventit
frombecomingcompact.

19. Windrows method Cont’d…
Thefirstlotofvermicompostisreadyforharvestingafter2-21/2months
andthesubsequentlotscanbeharvestedaftereverysixweeksof
loading
Wateringofbedshouldbestoppedforatleast2-3daysbefore
harvesting.Earthwormsgodowninthemoistsoilandthecompostis
collectedfromthetopwithoutdisturbingthelowerlayersofvermibed
havingearthworm.Vermicompostharvestedwillbeofdarkbrowncolour
andfreeflowing.
Theharvestedcompostshouldbestoredindarkandcoldplace.
Removal of
mulching
Harvesting of beds
Collection of vermicompost

20. Women Farmers Unit
Mrs. Shakuntala Devi,
Distt. Aligarh (UP)
Training at
D.S.College
Aligarh UP
Vermicompost production unit at vill.
Hassain, Distt. Hathras (UP)

21. Precautions
oOnly plant-based materials such as grass, leaves or vegetable
peelings should be used for preparing vermicompost.
oMaterials of animal origin such as egg-shells, meal, bone, chicken
droppings etc., are not suitable for preparing vermicompost.
oGliricidia lopping and tobacco leaves are not suitable for rearing
earthworms.
oThe earthworms should be protected against birds, termites, ants
and rats.
oAdequate moisture should be maintained during the process. Either
stagnant water or lack of moisture could kill the earthworms.
oThe vermicompost should be removed from the bed at a regular
interval and replaced by fresh waste materials.

22. LET US SUM UP
Vermicomposting,Vermiwashand Wormery are
inter-linked and interdependent process, which
when cojoined can be referred as
Vermitechnology.
Vermicomposting is a technology of composting
various forms of biodegradable wastes with the
help of earthworms.
The earthworms eat the organic residues, digest
it and excrete in the form of pellets. The
earthworm excreta called worm cast.

23. Vermiculture Training Centre
Vermicuture Research Station, D.S.College (Dr.BRA University),Aligarh-202001