Impact of vermicompost on peas cultivated soil

Abstract

Vermicomposting is an environmentally friendly technique that is used for organic solid waste management. Waste corn pulp blended with cow dung and office paper was vermicomposted over 30 days to produce vermicompost which is a solid bio with peas at the planting phase and after every four weeks. The impact of vermicompost on the soil was quantified. Application of vermicompost resulted in a 33%, 40%, and 67% increase in the soil nitrogen potassium content respectively. Furthermore, Zinc, copper, manganese and iron indicated a 91%, 67%, 56% and 10% increase in nutrient composition. The peas showed vigor and vitality during the period of growth. Vermicompost can be used for sustainable agriculture practices easing food shortages hence improved food security. Keywords: bio-fertilizer, peas, soil properties, vermicompost, food demand I. INTRODUCTION Vermicomposting of organic waste is widely being used as a solid waste management technology [1-2]. During vermicomposting, epigeic earthworms ingest the organic wastes and are expelled as vermicasts after a bioconversion process in the earthworms gut [3-5]. These vermicasts are termed vermicompost and are rich with the fertilizer macro and micronutrients [2; 5]. Vermicompost also contain living microorganisms and have a high content of humus like material [2; 5]. This vermicompost can be utilized as a bio-fertilizer which is environmentally friendly [6-9]. Vermicompost has been used in sustainable agriculture and was found to stimulate plant growth [1]. Vermicompost has been applied to several plants including strawberries, tomato, rice, lettuce and maize [1; 3; 5; 8; 10-12]. The objective of this study focused on quantifying the impact of vermicompost on peas cultivated’s soil physicochemical properties. Peas (Pisum Sativum a leguminous vegetable crop which can be grown in 2-3 months. Peas thrive best in silt loam, sandy loams or clay loam soils [13]. Ideal temperature conditions of 13-18◦C and pH of 6.0-7.0 is recommended [13]. II. MATERIALS AND METHODS Materials Waste corn pulp blended with cow dung manure and office paper was vermicomposted for 30 days using Eisenia fetida earthworms waste and earthworms were covered create ideal conditions for vermicomposting (Fig 1). (C) Global Journal Of Engineering Science And Researches OURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE AND RESEARCHES IMPACT OF VERMICOMPOST ON PEAS CULTIVATED SOIL M. M. Manyuchi*1, T. Mudamburi2 , A. Phiri1and P. Muredzi3 Department of Chemical and Process Systems Engineering, 2Department of Technopreneurship , School of Engineering and Technology, Harare Institute of Technology, 256 Ganges Rd, Belvedere, Harare, Zimbabwe mmanyuchi@hit.ac.zw ABSTRACT Vermicomposting is an environmentally friendly technique that is used for organic solid waste management. Waste corn pulp blended with cow dung and office paper was vermicomposted over 30 days to produce vermicompost which is a solid bio-fertilizer. The vermicompost was applied to claywith peas at the planting phase and after every four weeks. The impact of vermicompost on the soil was quantified. Application of vermicompost resulted in a 33%, 40%, and 67% increase in the soil nitrogen potassium content respectively. Furthermore, Zinc, copper, manganese and iron indicated a 91%, 67%, 56% and 10% increase in nutrient composition. The peas showed vigor and vitality during the period of growth. sustainable agriculture practices easing food shortages hence improved food security