Unveiling the Efficiency of Vermicompost Derived from Different Biowastes on Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Plant Growth and Soil Health

Abstract

The present study was conducted to explore the role of different types of vermicomposts (VCs) prepared from different substrates to improve soil health (physical and chemical properties) and wheat plant growth under field conditions. Different combinations of vermicompost prepared from different substrates (cow dung, paper waste, and rice straw) and inorganic fertilizers were applied in soil using wheat as a test plant. The impact of three different VCs on physico-chemical characteristics and nutrient availability in soil was evaluated to examine their efficacy in combination with chemical fertilizers. Temporal trends in vermicomposting treatments at various stages showed significant improvement in physico-chemical attributes of the VCs substrates. All the plant physiological attributes showed significant response where N:P:K 100:50:50 kg ha −1 + 10 t ha −1 cow dung vermicompost was applied. In addition, post-harvest analysis of soil not only revealed that different combinations of the vermicomposting treatments improved the soil health by improving the physico-chemical attributes of the soil. Conclusively, application of cow dung vermicompost along with recommended NPK not only improved crop yield, soil health, reduced insect (aphid) infestation but also fortified grains with Zn and Fe. Funding acquisition, Z.A., S.B. and M.M.; Investigation, Z.A. and W.H.; Methodology, N.A., N.K.N. and M.I.K.; Resources, M.M.; Supervision, K.B. and Z.C.; Validation, N.A. and N.K.N.; Writing-original draft, S.B.; Writing-review & editing, K.B., Z.C. and M.M.

Soil Fertility Management for Better Crop Production

“…Wang et al [27] showed that applying slow-release fertilizer resulted in reduced NPK rates being needed for optimum production, while increasing yield and net return for fertilization of chives. Aslam et al [28] demonstrated increased wheat yield and yield components with application of NPK + vermicompost compared to NPK alone.…”

Substrate-Dependent Effect of Vermicompost on Yield and Physiological Indices of Container-Grown Dracocephalum moldavica Plants

“…Traditionally, vermicomposts are produced from cattle manure with the addition of organic carbon-rich biomass, such as grass or straw [6], but it is possible to use different organic waste materials and byproducts for its production. The possibility for successful application of different types of vermicompost for the production of various crop species has been shown for vermicomposts produced from agricultural waste [7], byproducts of food production or food waste [8,9], urban organic waste [10], and composted sewage sludge [11].…”

Influence of Different Organic Manures and Their Combinations on Productivity and Quality of Bread Wheat

“…A randomized complete block design with three replications was used in the experiment and manures were applied in the same field during both years. The size of the gross plot was 8 m × 10 m. There were eight organic manure application treatments: (1) control (no manure), (2) press mud 10 t ha −1 (Hammad et al 2011), (3) vermicompost 10 t ha −1 (Roberts et al 2007;Joshi et al 2013;Aslam et al 2019), (4) farmyard manure 10 t ha −1 (Mishra et al 2006;Hammad et al 2011), (5) press mud 5 t ha −1 + vermicompost 5 t ha −1 , (6) press mud 5 t ha −1 + farmyard manure 5 t ha −1 , (7) vermicompost 5 t ha −1 + farmyard manure 5 t ha −1 , and (8) press mud 3.3 t ha −1 + vermicompost 3.3 t ha −1 + farmyard manure 3.3 t ha −1 . Press mud was obtained from Husein Sugar Mills, Jaranwala, Punjab, Pakistan.…”

“…Vermicompost is a good choice as a substitute for chemical fertilizers in sustainable agriculture. It has been reported that vermicompost application was found to improve crop growth and yield of rice (Bejbaruah et al 2013), maize (Guo et al 2015), potato (Alam et al 2007), sorghum (Hameeda et al 2007), and wheat (Roberts et al 2007;Kizilkaya et al 2012;Joshi et al 2013;Ibrahim et al 2015;AlAmin et al 2017;Aslam et al 2019;Erdal and Erdal and Ekinci 2020).…”