Vermicompost utilization: A way to food security in rural area

Abstract

The increase in agricultural production as well as its nutritional quality at a cost bearable by producers is today a challenge in rural areas. Vermicompost is a low-cost organic amendment known for its effectiveness on agricultural productivity increase but little is diffused about its efficacy on nutritional quality. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of vermicompost from cattle dung on Lagenaria siceraria yield and its edible parts content in mineral and in heavy metal compared to raw dung. The study was carried out in the region of Mankono the biggest area for L. siceraria production in Côte d’Ivoire during three cycle seasons. The experiment consisted of three treatments arranged in a complete randomized block design with four replicates. The agronomic parameters as yield, number of leaves and flowers per plant were evaluated. Also, mineral nutrients and heavy metal concentrations in roots, leaves and seeds were measured. Results showed that yield, number of leaves and flowers per plant were higher with the vermicompost than with the cattle manure and the control. The yield obtained with the vermicompost was 2.5 times and 20 times higher respectively than that with the cattle manure and the control. Mineral concentrations in roots, leaves and seeds were the highest with the vermicompost when heavy metal contents were the lowest. The present study indicates that vermicompost utilization improves the yield and the nutritional quality of the edible parts of L. siceraria and hence could be recommended to producers for increasing productivity with keeping the health and safety of human.

Vermicompost Application in Different Intercropping Patterns Improves the Mineral Nutrient Uptake and Essential Oil Compositions of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

“…This can be explained by the positive role of vermicompost in increasing the activity of beneficial microorganisms and improving the soil structure. On the other hand, vermicompost increased the water retention capacity leading to a higher nutrient availability and uptake (Coulibaly et al 2018;Sarma et al 2018). Therefore, the results confirm that crop productivity was affected by cropping patterns and nutrient uptake.…”

“…Nowadays, the application of organic fertilizers for improving the crops' productivities is increasing in developing countries (Parastesh et al 2019). Vermicompost, as a biological organic fertilizer, promotes the growth of the plants by increasing the soil microbial activity, porosity, penetrability, nutrient uptake, and gradual release of nutrients (Coulibaly et al 2018). An advantage of vermicompost is its higher nutrient contents, such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, as compared to other organic fertilizers (Parastesh et al 2019).…”

Improvement of dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) yield quality through a coupled intercropping system and vermicompost application along with maintenance of soil microbial activity

“…Since organic matter is crucial for microbial activities (Dotaniya, Aparna, Dotaniya, Singh, & Regar, 2019) and nutrient cycling (Li et al, 2020), manure and vermicompost have become common organic materials in farming systems. Vermicompost can enhance the activity of beneficial microorganisms (Blouin et al, 2019; Coulibaly et al, 2018) and improve soil fertility. The higher content of macro‐ and micro‐elements compared with other organic composts is another benefit for the usage of vermicompost (Timsina, 2018).…”

The Use of Biochar and Compost Mixtures as Potential Organic Fertilizers

“…Organic wastes used as a soil fertilizer, has positive effects on organic matter (OM), macro and micro-nutrients in soil, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers [4,5]. In agriculture, has traditionally used manure as a fertilizer to improve soil properties [6,7] and to a lesser extent, biosolids started to be used [7]. Organic matter of soil is a source of nutrients for crops and a decrease in organic matter content indicates a reduction of soil quality [8,9].…”