Introduction It was first recognized by Aristotle. Later on Darwin documented the

importance of it in breaking down the dead plant materials.

3600 species worldwide About 510 species belonging to 67

genera and 10 families have been recorded from Indian subcontinent.

Common Species

Lumbricus terrestis – Night crawler Allolobophora caliginosa – Grey

worm Allolobophora chlorotica – Green

worm Lumbricus rubellus – Red worm Eisenia fetida – Red Wiggler

Vermiculture & Vermicomposting

Vermiculture is … “the culture of earthworms”

Vermicomposting is … “using earthworms and microorganisms

to convert organic waste into black, earthy-smelling, nutrient-rich humus.”

Vermicompost is an ecofriendly natural fertilizer prepared from biodegradable   organic wastes and is free from chemical.

Earthworm species suitable forvermicompost production

Anyone of the following earthworm species may be used for preparation of vermicompost

- Eisenia foetida - Amynthas diffringens - Eudrilus eugeniae - Perionyx excavatus

Three species of earthworms are generally used in India for vermicomposting:

Eudrilus eugeniae ( African Night Crawler) Eisenia foetida ( Tiger Worm/Red Wiggler) Perionyx excavatus (India Blues)

These may be easily obtained from any organization / farm in your place practicing vermicomposting.

Factors influencing vermiculture

Food Moisture – 50% Temperature – 40 –800F Light pH - 6.8 – 7.2 Predators – ants, birds, toads,

salamanders, snakes, cats, dogs, rats Aeration

Foodstock DO’s

Fruit & vegetable scraps

Grains & cereals, Cooked eggs &

shells Coffee grounds &

filters Onions & potatoes bread, cake Leaves Plant cuttings

DON’Ts Non-

Biodegradables Plastic Glass Rubber

Pet feces (cats) Toxic materials

Plant cuttings treated with herbicides or insecticides

Raw materials required

Cow dung and any other biodegradable wastes such as crop residues, weed biomass, vegetable wastes, leaf litter, hotel refuse, wastes from the agro-industries, bio-degradable portion of urban and rural wastes etc. used for the preparation of vermicompost.

How to do vermicomposting at home

Take a broad earthen pot or an old plastic crate. Put a layer of soil at the bottom. Add a layer of cow dung manure or fresh cow dung on top of this.

Introduce some earthworms in it. Put some vegetable peels and leftover food into one corner of the pot , and cover it with a layer of dried leaves.

Sprinkle little water to maintain the moisture.

The next day remove the leaves and add some more garbage in a separate place. Cover it with leaves again and sprinkle some more water.

Repeat the above procedure till the pot is full.

Leave the pot for six weeks, but sprinkle water daily.

Compost would be ready after 5 - 6 weeks. Compost is ready when all the garbage has decomposed and the pot is full of dark soil like granular substance.

Vermicomposting in process

How to separate the vermicompost after 5-6 weeks

Uncover the pot and put it in bright sunlight. The worms are sensitive to light and will burrow down.

Remove the top portion of the compost. The worms will again burrow down.

Remove another layer of compost. Repeat till 75% of compost has been removed.

You can use the same pot for further composting. The worms would have multiplied by now. Take

half the worms and expand the composting into another pot for composting.

WHERE TO USE THE COMPOST ?

Sprinkle the compost into your pots, flower beds, etc.

Dilute this compost with some soil and sand and then use.

Methods of Preparation (Commercial level)

The compost can be prepared in concrete tank. Ideally a tank with breadth 3 ft. and height 1.5-2.0 ft. of appropriate length (depending upon the availability of raw materials).

Could be used Suitable plastic tub/basin/structure may also be used.

Collect and heap the weed biomass under sun for about 7-10 days.

Chop the biomass required. Sprinkle cowdung slurry on the heap

Place a thin layer of surface soil/sand (1-2 inch) at the bottom of the tank.

Place fine bedding material such as partially decomposed cowdung/dried leaves etc. over the soil or sand layer

Place the chopped bio-waste and partially decomposed cowdung layer-wise in the tank upto a depth of 1.5-2.0 ft.

The bio waste : cowdung ratio should be 60:40 on dry weight basis.

Release about 2-3 kg earthworms of any of the above earthworm species over the mixture.

Cover the compost mixture with dry straw or cloth.

Sprinkle water to maintain 70-80% moisture content.

Provide shade over the compost mixture to protect from rain water and direct sunlight.

Stop sprinkling of water when 80-90% bio wastes is decomposed.

Completion of vermicompost could be judged visually by observing the formation of granular structure of the compost at the surface of the tank. (vermicast).

Collect the vermicompost by scrapping layer-wise from the top of the tank and keep it under shade.

Screening of earthworm species

Separation of earthworm and cocoon

Heap the harvested vermicompost for 6-12 hrs under shade for separation of the earthworm.

Seville vermicompost for separation of baby earthworm and cocoons.

Dry vermicompost under shade to keep the moisture content below 20 %.

Separate earthworms and cocoons for reuse.

Vermicomposting –Controlled Environment

Vermicomposting- Protectedby Greenhouse

Nutrient concentration of vermicompost

Nutrients In Percent

Nitrogen : 1.5 – 2.5

Phosphorus : 1.2 – 1.8

Potash : 1.5 – 2.4 Calcium : 0.5 – 1.0 Magnesium : 0.2 –

0.3 Sulphur : 0.4 – 0.5 Iron : 0.8 – 1.5 Copper (ppm) : 22 - 36 Zinc : 500-1000

ppm Maganese : 1000-2000

ppm

Advantages of Vermicompost 1. Vermicompost is rich in plant nutrients,

provides the entire essential nutrient element.

2. Provides excellent effect on overall plant growth, encourages new shoots/ leaves and improves the quality an self life of the produce.

3. Vermicompost is free flowing, easy to handle store and apply and does not have bad odour

4. Improves soil structure, texture, aeration, water holding capacity and prevents soil erosion.

5. Vermicompost is rich in beneficial micro-flora such as N fixers, P-solubilizers, cellulose decomposing micro-flora etc.

6. Vermicompost is rich in several enzymes and growth regulators such as auxins, gibberellins etc.

7. Vermicompost contains earthworm cocoons and increases the population and activity of earthworm in soil.

8. Soil pH is neutralized by the buffering action of vermicompost.

9. Prevents nutrient losses and increase the use efficiency of chemical fertilizers.

10. Vermicompost is free from pathogens, toxic elements, weed seeds etc.

11. Availability of nutrients from vermicompost is faster due to its narrow C:N ratio

12. Vermicompost minimizes the incidences of pests and diseases in crop.

13. Vermicompost enhances the decomposition of organic matter in soil.

Vermicompost Marketing

Name & Address Production capacity (per

year)

Sh. Narendra Kundalia Jorhat, Assam 200 t

Sh. Nabajuoti RajkhowaLokhowjan tini Ali, Bokakhat 200 t

Sh. Ghanshyam UpadhyhayRowta, Mangaldai 50 t

Sh. Hiren Sarma, RowtaMangaldoi 50 t

Name & Address Production capacity (per year)

Sh. Dipak ModiJorhat, Assam 50 t

Sh,. Bubul BuragohainGolaghat, Assam 200 t

Sh. Sanjib K. GogoiCharing Baruwati Gaon Charing, Sivsagar 50 t

Sh. Polash BoraBor Samua Gaon, PubCharigaon, Jorhat 50 t

Sh. Deboraj Bordoloi, Duliajan 50 t Sh. Subrata Bhowmic,

Agartala, Tripura 200 t Sh. Phanindra Pathak Nagaon 200

t

Vermicompost Manufacturers & Suppliers

Sarva Mangalam Natural Products Pvt. Ltd., Jabalpur

Akshat Farms, Udaipur Suriya Farms, Madurai Protina Agro Products, Kolkata Vanashree Agrotech, Pune Baba Bio Tech, Chennai Adeniums India, Chennai H. T. Vermicompost & Worms Farm,

Chandigarh Anushka Vermicompost, Nashik S. S Vermi Compost Farm, Madurai Samagra Agrotech, Mumbai

Costs and benefits

Apart from infrastructural expenditures, the operating cost for preparation of vermicompost generally comes around Rs. 1700-1800 per ton

The vermocompost market rate – around Rs. 3000-3500 per ton in bulk and Rs. 8-10 per Kg.

Commercial Bins Can-O-Worms™

Most popular Enclosed tier system Bottom catch tray &

spigot Stackable mesh

trays Worms migrate

vertically Easy to harvest

castings

Commercial Bins Worm-A-Way®

Plastic Ventilated Several sizes Lightweight

Commercial Bins Worm-A-Roo™

Double bin system Plastic “Migration device” Lightweight

Bin Care & Maintenance

Provide adequate bin and bedding mixture

Maintain moisture level Maintain temperature 60-65° F Provide air circulation in bin via

adequate holes Provides aeration Controls odors by eliminating anaerobic

conditions

Worm castings vs. Vermicompost Worm castings are deposits that have

moved through the worm’s digestive system;

Vermicompost is a combination of : Worm castings OM and bedding at various stages of

decomposition Organisms such as worms and cocoons Microorganisms

Vermicast formation They open their mouth wide

to fit leaves and other material. But they don't have teeth.

Pharynx: they push pharynx or throat out of mouth to grab leaves and to pull them back into the mouth. Then they wet the food with their saliva.

Esophagus: they push that wet food down to esophagus, then into the crop.

Crop: crop is a storage compartment for their food and other things they swallow. From the crop, that food goes to the gizzard.

Gizzard: It is where the work happens. It use any stones that have swallowed and the strong muscles of gizzard to grind up the leaves. These muscles work almost like teeth.

Intestine: Once they get the leaves all ground up they move to the intestine where the digestive juices break them down even more.

Bloodstream: Now that the leaf is all digested, some of it will pass into their bloodstream.

Anus: Whatever is leftover comes out through their anus as castings or worm poop.

Status in India Over 15,000 farmers and 500

entrepreneurs have adopted this process

Vermicompost is now being utilized in over 1,50,000 hectare cultivated area in almost all agro-climatic zones in India.

Bombay’s garbage problem – Indian Institute of Technology, Powai

Earthworm Taxonomic Details

Phylum Annelida (Latin for “rings”) Class Chaetopoda Order Oligochaeta Most common to N. America =

Lumbricidae

Lifespan of the Earthworm Lifespan

Conservative estimate: 4-8 years Mortality by accident

Primitive physiology is unchanged Body composition:

70-95% water Balance = protein, fat, minerals

absorbed from soil

Earthworm Biology Segmented body

“somites” Somites equipped

with setae Five “hearts” Cold-blooded Peristonium =

mouth Prostonium for prying

Reproductive System

Hermaphrodites, but not self-fertilizing

Mutual exchange of sperm Ova are fertilized in cocoons

Clitellum: light-colored band - produces cocoons

Cocoons contain ~ 4 eggs Eggs incubate 3 weeks

Regeneration

Cut a worm in half and you’ll have two worms

Worm needs at least 13 segments Will re-grow body segments (equal

number)

Nervous System

Brain = a knot of nerves Ganglion serve as impulse centers Super sensitive to touch

Allows worm to select food, avoid predators and objects, and reproduce;

Can feel bird’s footsteps Eyes are sensitive to blue light and skin

to ultravoilet rays = burrowing action

Digestive System

Eats weight in soil & omits daily Processed in alimentary canal

Muscular mixing with enzymes releasing amino acids, sugars, organic molecules;

Includes microorganisms Molecules absorbed through intestinal

membranes Result: CASTINGS

1 -The worm's clitellum, an organ responsible for mucus production during reproduction

2 - Dorsal blood vessel. The worm is darker on its upper surface

1 - Clitellum, an organ responsible for mucus production during reproduction. The clitellum includes six enlarged segments (32-37).

2 - A swollen area with specialized genital setae (segment 26). During mating, the pair of genital setae are used to help bind two worms together while facing in opposite directions

3 - one of a pair of sperm grooves, extending from segment 16 to the clitellum. As two worms mate, sperm released at the sperm ducts travels posteriorly in the worm's sperm grooves to reach, and enter, the seminal receptacle opening of the other worm (located opposite its clitellum). The two worms exchange sperm in this manner.

4 - one of a pair of swollen areas on segment 15 containing the openings of the sperm ducts.

5 - segment 14 which contains the openings of the female genital pores. These are only visible when the worm is in reproductive condition.

6 - segment 9 and 10 which contain the four openings of the seminal receptacles. These are only visible when the worm is in reproductive condition.

The Internal Earthworm

1 - Intestine region of the digestive system. 2 - Gizzard region of the digestive system. This area of the digestive tube is quite muscular 3 - Crop region of the digestive system. This area of the digestive tube is thin-walled and not very muscular

4 - Ttwo of the worm's six seminal vesicles (located in segments 9-13), storage organs for sperm that the worm has produced

5 - Two of the worm's four seminal receptacles (located in segments 9 and 10), storage organs for sperm received from another worm. One other receptacle is visible

6 - one of the worm's five pairs of aortic arches, located in segments 7-11. These "hearts" beat and pump blood from the dorsal to the ventral vessel

7 - Esophagus region of the digestive system. This organ extends through the aortic arch region and connects to the crop.

8 - pharynx region of the digestive system. This organ of digestion is quite muscular

9 - Worm's suprapharangeal ganglia or "brain". It loops around the pharynx to form the ventral nerve cord that extends the length of the worm.

Thank You!