Efficient utilization of organic waste for quality vermicompost production and its impact on soil health and crop productivity
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Date
2022
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Dr.RPCAU, Pusa
Abstract
The catastrophic growth in population has led to massive urbanization,
industrialization, with noticeable advancement in agriculture; increased the economic
growth on one hand but gave the ways for generating more municipal and other solid
wastes on other, affected soil-water-plant ecosystem ultimately the whole
environment and the population. There is a need for effective waste management, as
unscientific disposal of organic waste has not only negative impact on the
environment and public health but also a cause of untapped nutrient loss adhered with
these wastes. The untapped nutrients of the waste may be utilized for further crop and
soil improvement vide adopting suitable techniques of vermicomposting. Among
various methods of composting, one of the best options for treating domestic
household waste is vermicomposting. Scientific utilization of organic solid wastes
can provide nutrients for plant growth as well as improve soil health, for utilizing
these wastes, vermicomposting can be an eco-friendly and economically viable
technology. However, ordinary vermicompost is low in nutrients (macro and
micronutrients) and by introducing some low-grade minerals, such as Rock-phosphate
as well as utilizing organic waste (crop residues and household waste); its quality may
be enhanced.
Maize is grown in Bihar in all the three seasons (Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid).
However, Rabi is the most widely grown followed by Kharif while Zaid season is the
least grown and land remains fallow for most of the time. Hence, growing maize as
Zaid crops not only increase crop productivity but also enhance fallow land
utilization.
Keeping in view the above facts, an experiment was conducted at
vermicompost production unit, RPCAU, Pusa during the year 2021 and 2022 with an
objective to efficiently utilize organic waste by vermicomposting and further use of
the prepared vermicompost for improving soil health and crop productivity. Under
this experimental study in the first approach, a vermicomposting experiment was
carried out with enriched (RP) and without enriched household wastes, organicresidue
waste and cow dung at 65:35 proportions, followed by a quality, maturity and
stability analysis of the vermicompost. On the basis of nutrients contents (macro and
micro nutrient), physical parameters (water holding capacity and bulk density) and
recovery per cent, the vermicompost prepared from enriched (RP) and without
enriched household wastes, organic-residue waste and cow dung proportions (65:35)
on weight basis was considered the best one.
In the second approach, a field experiment was conducted with maize as Zaid
crop in calcareous soil in Randomized Block Design with fourteen treatments
replicated thrice to evaluate the effect of prepared vermicompost integrated with
chemical fertilizers (75% N through chemical fertilizer + 25% N through prepared
vermicompost) including a sole treatment with only recommended dose of fertilizer
(RDF-120:60:40) on soil health parameters i.e. soil physical, chemical, biological
properties and enzymatic activities, productivity, nutrient uptake and nutrient use
efficiency.
During field experiment, enriched organic residue vermicompost with
combination of chemical fertilizers led to significant build-up of organic carbon (OC),
available N, P, K and micronutrient Zn, Cu, Fe & Mn as well as improved water
holding capacity (36.89%) and bulk density (1.38 Mgm-3) of soil followed by
enriched household vermicompost. With application of enriched (RP and Zn)
household and organic residue vermicompost in combination with chemical
fertilizers, the soil microbial biomass carbon, soil respiration, dehydrogenase and
alkaline phosphatase activities increased by 24.78%, 75.86%, 81.57% and 61.50%
over control in post-harvest soil, respectively. Application of enriched household
vermicompost along with chemical fertilizers gave highest grain, stover, and stone
yields which were statistically at par with application of enriched organic residue
vermicompost along with chemical fertilizers and their magnitudes were 69.60 and
69.20 q ha-1 for grain, 81.32 and 79.92 q ha-1 for stover, 14.31 and 13.64 q ha-1 for
stone, respectively in both the years i.e. 2021 and 2022. In the same fashion N, P, K
and Zn uptake in grain, stover and stone of maize was significantly higher in the
enriched household and organic residue vermicompost over control. However, the
application of household and organic residue vermicompost and 75% N through
chemical fertilizers yielded more as full dose of inorganic fertilizer (RDF) alone.
Thus, combined application of enriched and without enriched vermicompost and
inorganic fertilizer recorded greater nutrient use efficiency than control and RDF.
Thus, 25% of chemical fertilizer could be saved with the combination of
vermicompost and 75% RDF without reducing yields of grain, stover, and stones. It
can be concluded from the present study that application of RP enriched
vermicompost along with 75% NPK had pronounced impact on improving soil
fertility as well as enzymatic activities and increased crop productivity under maize
crop.