Vermicompost as soil supplement to enhance growth, yield and quality of Triticum aestivum L.: a field study
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Open Access
Vermicompost as soil supplement to enhance growth, yield and quality of Triticum aestivum L.: a field study Rakesh Joshi1, Adarsh P Vig1* and Jaswinder Singh2
Abstract Background: Vermicompost (VC) made from cattle dung as raw material was used as soil supplement in the plots of size 4.5 x 4.5 m. Five treatments were given viz. Soil (control), VC@5 t/ha, VC@10 t/ha, VC@20 t/ha and NPK (recommended by PAU, Ludhiana) in triplicates in a Randomized Block Design (RBD). A total of 50 plants were selected randomly for the assessment of growth and yield of wheat Triticum aestivum L.. Results: Most of the growth, yield and quality parameters were found to be maximum in NPK treatment. All the growth, yield and quality parameters in vermicompost treatments varied significantly from control though differences within various vermicompost treatments were not found to be significant. Conclusion: It has been observed that there is no significant difference on applying higher doses of vermicompost and lowest dose (5 t/ha) is as effective as higher doses. So, vermicompost application is cost effective. Keywords: Vermicompost; Plant growth; Earthworm; Triticum; Plants quality
Introduction In India, one third of the total food grains production is contributed by wheat and it is second most common crop of the country. At world level, India carries second place among wheat growing countries in terms of area and production. Wheat flour is used to make “chappati” which is its most common consumable form in India. Cattle are fed using wheat straw (ICAR 2009). Agricultural production of India increased remarkably during 60s to 80s as a result of “Green revolution” (Gupta 1996). India could achieve self-sufficiency in agriculture by an increased use of chemical fertilizers. These agrochemicals deteriorate soil health and environment got polluted. Human beings and cattle were adversely affected due to the residues of these agrochemicals in food products (Kumar and Bohra 2006). So, organic manures like vermicomposts can be a good substitude for chemical fertilizers to overcome their adverse effects. Vermicomposts are finely-divided mature peat-like materials which are produced by a non-thermophylic process involving * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar-143001, India Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
interactions between earthworms and microorganisms (Edwards and Burrows, 1988) leading to bioxidation and stablisation of organic material (Aira et al., 2000). Vermicomposts are effective organic fertilizers and biocontrol agents (Edwards and Arancon 2004; SimsekErsahin 2011). Vermicomposts can improve food quality without compromising with food safety (Simsek-Ersahin 2011). Both developed and developing countries are using vermicomposting during last 40 years (Edwards 1995; Simsek-Ersahin 2011). Applications of vermicompost singly or in combination with either other organic fertil
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