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Chemical Characterization of Vermicompost in Four Set-Ups

1) The document summarizes a study that characterized the chemical properties of vermicompost produced in four different setups. 2) The study aimed to identify which food treatment would yield the most nutrient-rich soil by analyzing vermicompost produced using different organic waste materials. 3) Vermicompost is produced through vermiculture, the process of using worms to break down organic waste into a nutrient-rich compost that improves soil quality by increasing microbial activity.

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Martin Recentes
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33 views

Chemical Characterization of Vermicompost in Four Set-Ups

1) The document summarizes a study that characterized the chemical properties of vermicompost produced in four different setups. 2) The study aimed to identify which food treatment would yield the most nutrient-rich soil by analyzing vermicompost produced using different organic waste materials. 3) Vermicompost is produced through vermiculture, the process of using worms to break down organic waste into a nutrient-rich compost that improves soil quality by increasing microbial activity.

Uploaded by

Martin Recentes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chemical Characterization of Vermicompost in Four Set-ups

Emilson Antes,Nicole Giron, Hannah Sophia Manuel, Daina Plantilla, Martin John Recentes,
Manila Science High School, Manila, Philippines

I. Introduction

Soil is one of the most important factors that affect the natural environment. It is as important as the
plants, animals, rocks, the land forms, and the water forms. It is one of the vital factors that influences
and determines the distribution of the species of plants and provides a place to live for a wide range of
organisms. It is one of the main factors that control the flow of water and chemical substances that enter
and exit between the atmosphere and the earth, as well as a producer and storage of various important
gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide.
With the importance of soil comes the quality of it. Soil quality is the term for the factors that affect
soil health and effectiveness. According to Dennis Keeney, and William Larson, experts on soil quality,
there are actually three main factors that affect soil quality. These are the Physical, Chemical, and
Biological Factors. Physical factors include texture that determines the retention of water transport and
the rate of soil erosion, depth and bulk density of topsoil which yields the productivity potential and rate
of soil erosion and landscape variability, and water-holding capacity that consists of the productivity,
potential for leaching, and as well as also the retention of water transport and the transport of chemicals
by leaching and surface flow. On the other hand, chemical factors consisting of the pH level, salt content,
organic matter, and available plant nutrients such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, which
determines the soil fertility and productivity, soil stability and cover, reduction of the probability of soil
erosion, microbial density, and sequestered carbon levels of the soil. Finally, the biological factor
embodies the Microbial biomass soil respiration, that inhibits the microbial activity, nutrient availability,
rate of nutrient and carbon turnover, and overall soil fertility and productivity.
Although the Physical factors of soil quality could be manipulated by good irrigation and placement,
and movement manipulation, the chemical and biological properties of soil could be much more complex
to change. In order to this, Fertilizers are used. From these fertilizers, there are organic fertilizers, which
are fertilizers that occur by natural processes, such as composting, and the inorganic fertilizers, that are
produced chemically. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, mainly that the soil quality
produced by organic fertilizer, although natural, vary from the compost that the fertilizer used, while
chemical fertilizers on the other hand, are concentrated on the nutrients that the soil needs, however do
nothing to promote soil health, thereafter renders the soil useless after harvest (Subramaniam, 2016).
Because of these disadvantages, farmers are now looking for ways to ensure good quality soil coming
out from organic fertilizers. One such way is to use vermiculture, the process of using worms, such as
African Night-Crawlers, and red-wrigglers, in order to yield vermicompost, organic waste with high quality
compost leading to nutrient rich soil. Vermicomposted soil usually consist of vermicast (or earthworm
poop), and decayed organic matter. In ideal conditions, earthworms could eat organic matter that is
highly proportional, or similar to their weight. The main reason that vermicompost yields nutrient rich soil
is because it flourishes the biological factor of soil quality drastically by having the microorganisms
feeding away the compost in the soil multiply by as much as eight times as with those with simple
organic compost (Oliver, NA). With these knowledge in hand, the researchers are attempting to Identify
which food treatment from four different set ups, would yield the most nutrient rich soil that could be
produced.

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