Spice India English

e Mohan Rao, CEO, Effort, Martur, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, e-ma il: effortap@gmail.com

Vermicomposting is a technique that uses worms to aid in the composting process. The worms eat through organic material and excrete what is commonly known as worm castings. The worm castings are the breakdown of the organic matter.

• Vermicompost is nothing but the excreta of earthworms, which is rich in humus and nutrients.

· Earthworms have been known as farmers' friends for long. It is a good substitute for chemical fertilizers.

· It contains Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium in adequate quantities.

· Most of the micro-nutrients that plants are not getting from Chemical fertilizers are available in vermicompost.

Basic material required

Crop residues, tree leaves and animal dung are the the basic materials required. Agricultural

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wastes like sugarcane trash, weeds hedge cuttings, saw dust, coir waste, paddy husk, cattle dung, effluent slurry, from bio-gas plant, excreta of sheep, horse, pig, poultry droppings (in small quantity) and vegetable wastes are ideal food for earth worms.

Step by step method of preparation ofVermicompost

1. Prepration of Shed: The shed has to be constructed in a suitable place and the roof of the shed is preferably thatched. The size of the shed depends up on the size of the unit. The minimum size of the shed is 300 sq ft (20x 15).

2. Preparation of Beds: Vermicompost can be made in bricks beds, wooden boxes, and plastic basins or in mud pots. Depending on the availability of raw material and land it may vary. If it is for farmwaste composting you can make a bed of 10 feet length, 3 feet breadth and 3 feet height for one tonne capacity. Brick or stone pieces

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have to be placed on the base of the bed.

3. Bio Waste: All types of decomposable wastes can be used here. It can be kitchen wastes, farm wastes, bio wastes of agI'o based industries, market wastes, live stock wastes, etc. Collect the bio wastes and heaped them under sun for 7-10 days . Chop the large pieces if necessary as it makes the decomposition easy.

4. Filling the Beds: Half decomposed cow dung is used to line the bottom of the tank up to one or two inches and then spread the biowastes up to 30 cm thickness. This layer is now moistened with cow dung slurry and water and spread a second layer of bio waste. This has to be repeated till the bio waste reaches 45- 60 cm over the ground level. The moisture level should be maintained by sprinkling water. The bio waste to cow dung ratio must be 60:40.

5. Release of Earthworm: The commonly used earthworms are Eudrillus eugineae and Eisenia foetida. After filling the tank the earthworms are released in to the tank. They are released at a rate of 2-3 kg/ per ton of bio waste. It can also be 100 earthworms per square feet.

6. Covering: Cover the heap with a thin layer of earth or wire net to protect it from birds and rats. Take proper control measure against ants too. The compost must be protected from the rain and sun by making a shed having roof and the sides are opened. Keep it covered for three months.

7. Harvesting: When the compost attains a granular structure, it is ready to harvest. The decomposed materials are taken out of the tank and heaped it under a shed and moistened with water. The earthworms will move to the bottom

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layer and it can be easily separated by sieving the bottom layers.

Compost is now ready to use. It is a better fertilizer containing all the major and minor nutrients and enzymes, vitamins and growth hormones in plant available forms.

Precautions for Compost Making

· Moisture level in the bed should not exceed 40-50 percent. Water logging in the bed leads to anaerobic condition and change in pH of medium. This hampers normal activities of worms leading to weight loss and decline in worm biomass and population.

• Temperature of bed should be within the range of 20-30 degree centigrade.

• Worms should not be injured during handling.

· Bed should be protected from predators like red ants, white ants, centipedes and others like toads, rats, cats, poultry birds and even dogs.

· Frequent observation of culture bed is essential as acumaulationd of casts retards growth of worms.

· Space is the criterion for growth and estblishment of culture. Minimum space required is 2 square meter for 2000 worms with 30-45 cm thick bed.

Best Composting Tips

· Mixture of cattle, sheep, and horse dung with vegetable wastes forms ideal feed for worms.

· Addition of neem cake in small quantity enhances growth of wonns.

· Biogas slurry aged aerobically for 15 days enhances vermi composting process.

Advantages ofvermicompost

· Vermicompost is rich in all essential plant nutrients.

· It provides excellent effect on overall plant growth, encourages the growth of new shoots/ leaves and improves the quality and shelf life of the produce.

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

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· It improves soil structure, texture, aeration, and waterholding capacity and prevents soil erosion.

· Vermicompost is rich in beneficial micro flora such as a fixers, P- solubilizers, cellulose decomposing micro-flora, etc in addition to improve soil environment.

· Vermicompost contains earthworm cocoons and increases the population.

Activity of earthworm in the soil

· It neutralizes the soil protection.

· It prevents nutrient losses and increases the use efficiency of chemical fertili zers.

· Vermicompost is free from pathogens, toxic

elements, weed seeds, etc.

· Vermicompost minimizes the incidence of pest and diseases.

· It enhances the decomposition of organic matter in soil.

· It contains valuable vitamins, enzymes and hormones like auxins, gibberellins, etc.

Nutrient content of vermicompost

· Nitrogen: 1.5 - 2.5%, Calcium: 0.5 - 1.0%

· Phosphorus: 0.9 - 1.7%, Magnessium: 0.2 -0.3%

· Potash: 1.5 - 2.4%, Sulphur: 0.4 - 0.5%

Regional Hindi Workshop at Guwahati

A Regional level Hindi workshop for the employees of Spices Board in the North Eastern Region was organized on 3,d September 2016 at the seminar hall of National Institute of Rural Development at Panchayathi Raj at Khanapara, Guwahati. Mr. P.M. Sureshkumar, Director (Development), Spices Board, Kochi, inaugurated the workshop. Mr. Mohan Koirala, Hindi Officer, Brahmaputra Board, Guwahati lead the workshop.

Mr. P.M. Sureshkumar in his inaugural address stressed the need of learning Hindi and its indispensable use in official communication of the Board especially those with the Ministry and the Parliament. He urged all the employees in the NE Region to learn Hindi as it is the language

connects people across the country.

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Training was imparted on noting in Hindi, Adminisitrative and Official Lexicon in Hindi, etc. 23 employees of Spices Board working in the seven sister States participated in the workshop. The officials who attended the workshop showed keen interest to interact with Mr. Mohan Koirala and clear their doubts and gain insights regarding the use of Hindi in official context. The participants applauded the initiative of Spices Board to organize the workshop at Guwahati.

Dr. T.N. Deka, Scientist C, Spices Board Divisional Office, Itanagar, welcomed the gathering and Mr. Simanta Saikia, Assistant Director, Spices Board Regional Office, Guwahati proposed a vote of thanks.