Vermicomposting by Bio-Recycling of Animal and Plant Waste: A Review on the Miracle of Nature

Abstract

Inorganic fertilizers and pesticides have eliminated beneficial microorganisms, depleted soil fertility, and lowered natural resistance in crops, making them more susceptible to disease and having detrimental consequences for the environment and human health. To address these issues, we must turn to ecologically friendly alternatives like vermicompost tea and vermicompost, which not only increase crop growth and production while lowering diseases and pests over time, but also protect environment and human health. Vermicomposting is the process of breaking down and stabilizing solid organic waste to produce fine organic rich manure that can be readily stored, processed, and put into agricultural areas with no negative repercussions. In the vermicomposting process, earth worms and mesophilic microbes collaborate to digest solid agricultural waste under controlled circumstances, resulting in a stable form of organic matter. Earthworms produce vermicompost, which contains growth-regulating hormones, macro-micro nutrients, plant-immobilized microflora, growth regulators and promoters and cellular portion degrading enzymes (cellulose, proteases, lipase, amylases, chitinase), which degrade organic substrates even after they have been secreted. Earthworms change the chemical and physical characteristics of organic substrates, over time reducing the C:N ratio, increasing the surface area exposed to bacteria, and improving the microbial degradability of organic materials. This study aims to demonstrate how organic amendments, rather than chemical fertilizers, might improve soil health and plant development. Plant nutrition, growth, photosynthesis, and chlorophyll content in the leaves are all improved by the absorption of macro-and micronutrients in vermicompost. End users, such as farmers, may benefit significantly from the vermicompost generated, since it can be used to replace chemical fertilizers and get higher price for organic products by utilizing locally available composting material.

Vermicompost and Organic Manure Interactions: Effects on Heavy Metal Concentrations, Nitrification Activity, Comammox Nitrospira inopinata, and Archaea/Bacteria

“…Vermicomposting is a chemical and biological process that recycles nutrients using earthworms and microorganisms (Ahmad et al 2022; Roy et al 2022). As a result, vermicompost is recognized as a nutrient-rich biofertilizer with a diverse microbial population (Raimi et al 2022;Raza et al 2022; Pathma and Sakthivel, 2013).…”