Effect of vermicast generated from an allelopathic weed lantana (Lantana camara) on seed germination, plant growth, and yield of cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba)

Abstract

In perhaps the first-ever study of its kind, the effect of vermicompost, derived solely from an allelopathic weed, on the germination, growth, and yield of a botanical species, has been carried out. In test plots, the soil was treated with the vermicompost of lantana (Lantana camara) at the rates of 5, 7.5, and 10 t ha(-1), and cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) was grown on it. The performance of these systems was compared with the systems in which the soil was fortified with inorganic fertilizers (IFs) in concentrations equivalent to those present in the respective vermicompost (VC) treatments. Additionally, a set of control was studied in which the soil was used without fortification by either VC or IF. It was seen that up to 51.5 % greater germination success occurred in the VC treatments compared to controls. VC also supported better plant growth in terms of stem diameter, shoot length, shoot mass, number of leaves, and leaf pigments. The positive impact extended up to fruit yield. In addition, vermicast application enhanced root nodule formation, reduced disease incidence, and allowed for a smaller number of stunted plants. The results indicate that allelopathic ingredients of lantana seem to have been totally eliminated during the course of its vermicomposting and that lantana vermicompost has the potential to support germination, growth, and fruit yield better than equivalent quantities of IFs.

Efficacy of the Vermicomposts of Different Organic Wastes as “Clean” Fertilizers: State-of-the-Art

“…Humus contains negatively charged components in large numbers and is thus capable of holding many cations. This gives a VC the ability to act as a slow release fertilizer [105,106]. (4) VCs are rich in organic matter, which, when added to the soil, increases the soil's porosity, aeration, and water-holding capacity, with concomitant reduction of soil's bulk and particle density.…”

“…(4) VCs are rich in organic matter, which, when added to the soil, increases the soil's porosity, aeration, and water-holding capacity, with concomitant reduction of soil's bulk and particle density. The resulting overall improvement in the physical properties of the soil contributes significantly to better plant growth and yield [76,[106][107][108]. (5) VCs contain large and diverse microbial population, which produces plant growth regulators, enzymes, and hormones beneficial to the plant growth [77,109,110].…”

Social Behavior of Earthworms in the Context of Their Use in Bioremediation

“…The other avenues of utilizing phytomass such as composting and anaerobic digestion are much more cumbersome and expensive [13,14]. Abbasi and co-workers have been able to also convert toxic allelopathic weeds such as prosopis, lantana, parthenium, water hyacinth, salvinia, and ipomoea into plant-friendly vermicompost [15][16][17]. With the associated high-rate vermicomposting machines [18], these invasive species can be managed by converting them into plant-friendly fertilizers.…”

Vermicomposting transforms allelopathic parthenium into a benign organic fertilizer

“…Vermicomposting is known to convert the substrate's nutrients into more bioavailable forms and imparts to it microflora that is beneficial for plants (Gomes-Brandon and Dominguez, 2013;Karthikeyan et al, 2014). As a substrate passes through the earthworm gut, it also acquires enzymes and hormones which are believed to stimulate seed germination (Atiyeh et al, 2000;Zaller, 2007;Lazcano et al, 2010), plant growth (Edwards et al, 2004;Lazcano et al, 2009;Samrot et al, 2015), yield and quality of fruits (Singh et al, 2008;Doan et al, 2015) and resistance to pests (Yardim et al, 2006;Edwards et al, 2010;Serfoji et al, 2010;Carr and Nelson, 2014).…”