Vermiconversion of biogas plant slurry and parthenium weed mixture to manure

Abstract

Purpose Parthenium hysterophorus is one among the most troublesome weeds at the global level. It is mainly controlled by chemical methods. The scientific community is in search of new but non-destructive approaches for its management. Vermicomposting is one among the promising technologies for the management of organic fraction of solid wastes. This study was undertaken to assess the vermicomposting of parthenium weed mixed with biogas plant slurry under laboratory conditions. Method Six different combinations of biogas plant slurry and parthenium were fed to worms in vermibins under controlled laboratory conditions for 60 days. Various physico-chemical parameters before and after vermicomposting were evaluated. Worm biomass production was also monitored periodically during the experimentation period. Results The EC, TCa and NPK content increased significantly after vermicomposting, accompanied by substantial reduction in organic carbon content. C: N ratio was reduced to less than 20. Heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr and Pb) concentration was higher in vermicompost than in initial waste mixtures. Parthenium weed addition to worm feed was not supportive to the worm growth and fecundity.It was inferred from the results that vermicomposting may be an efficient biological approach to convert partheniumspiked biogas plant slurry into nutrient-rich manure.

Effects of organic fertilizer on growth and yield of tomato

“…The present results are in line with the findings of Ferdous, Datta, and Anwar (2017, 2018), Sarker et al (2010, Garg (2016), andHaque et al (2018), who also reported better yields of field and vegetable crops with the application of organic fertilizer. The combined application of organic manure and chemical fertilizer help improve N use efficiency through increased nutrient concentrations, soil organic matter content, water-holding capacity, bulk density, and soil temperature (Akanbi et al 2010).…”

“…Application of organic manures has been reported to increase crop yield and improve soil quality, especially soil organic matter content (Garg et al, 2005;Islam et al, 2010). Although synthetic fertilizer contains higher quantities of plant nutrients than organic fertilizer, the presence of growth-promoting agents in organic fertilizer makes them important for enhancement of soil fertility and productivity (Sanwal et al, 2007;Yadav and Garg, 2016). Soil productivity is affected by cropping systems and crop management practices including tillage, synthetic fertilizer, and organic manure management as well as enhance the causes of pesticide residues in the products (Anwar et al, 2017;Bhushan and Sharma, 2002;Islam et al, 2015b,c;Yeasmin et al, 2019).…”

Design of biogas digester with thermophilic pretreatment for reducing fruits wastes

“…The quality of raw materials determines the physico-chemical characteristics of vermicompost. The results show that vermicompost can be introduced as a technology to convert organic waste into value-added products (Yadav and Garg 2016).…”

A Review on Vermicompost Enrichment: In Prospect of Village Level

“…After 50-55 days it converted into vermicompost Found CN ratio 18, significantly higher phosphorus percent in slurry method, slight more K percent compare to conventional method [28], not much difference in N content are reported [29]. Almost two-fold increase in bacteria fungi and azotobacter population are recorded as compare to conventional [30]. More numbers of azosprilium and Actinomycetes recorded compare to former method [31].…”