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Vermicomposting of cattle and goat manures by Eisenia foetida and their growth and reproduction performance
Bioresource Technology 96 (2005) 111–114
Vermicomposting of cattle and goat manures by Eisenia foetida and their growth and reproduction performance T.C. Loh a
a,*
, Y.C. Lee a, J.B. Liang a, D. Tan
b
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia b Unit Perlindungan Tanaman, Kompleks Pertanian Temiang, 01000 Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia Received 27 November 2002; accepted 30 March 2003 Available online 2 April 2004
Abstract Vermicomposting is commonly adopted for the treatment of livestock organic wastes. In the present study, two types of livestock manure were used for culturing of the earthworm, Eisenia foetida. Each treatment group consisted of six replicates and worm vermicasts were examined after 5 weeks. The concentrations of total C, P and K in goat manure vermicasts were higher than those in cattle manure vermicasts. Cattle vermicasts had a higher N content than goat vermicasts but the C:N ratio of fresh manure was higher than that of vermicasts for both materials. Earthworm biomass and reproductive performance, in terms of number of worms after 5 weeks of experiment, were higher in cattle manure than in goat manure. The cocoon production per worm in cattle manure was higher than in goat manure. However, the hatchability of cocoons was not affected by manure treatments. In conclusion, cattle manure provided a more nutritious and friendly environment to the earthworms than goat manure. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Livestock manure; Vermicast; Earthworms; Eisenia foetida
1. Introduction Organic manure and other agriculture organic wastes are important sources for maintenance of soil organic matter and to sustain soil productivity. In intensive livestock farming, there is a huge amount of animal excreta being generated. Proper utilization of these wastes can improve soil physical condition and environmental quality as well as provide nutrients for plant (Mishra et al., 1989; Bhardwaj, 1995). Earthworms have been extensively used in the stabilization of urban, industrial and agricultural wastes besides producing organic fertilizers. Earthworms feed on organic matter and utilize only a small amount for their body synthesis and excrete a large part of the consumed materials in a partially digested form as worm casts. The process involves physical/mechanical and biochemical activities. The physical/mechanical process includes mixing and grinding, whereas biochemical process includes microbial
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +603-89466899; fax: +603-89432954. E-mail address: [email protected] (T.C. Loh).
0960-8524/$ - see front matter 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2003.03.001
decomposition in the intestines of the earthworms. Feeding is required every 3–5 days in vigorously growing worm beds, with an optimal daily feeding rate of 0.75 kg feed/kg worm/day. Overfeeding must be avoided as it can lead to excessive fermentation in the bed and cause the worms to shrink and eventually die. In addition, overfeeding can attract mites, which compete with worms for food (Ndegwa et al., 1999). Vermicomposting is a low cost technology system for the processing or treatment of organic wastes (Hand et al., 1988). Many studies have been made on the vermicomposting of animal excreta, sewage sludge and agroindustrial wastes (Edwards, 1988). However, there is little information on the comparison of animal manures for the production of vermicompost under Malaysian conditions. Earthworms, especially Tiger worms, have been reported to be used by an individual locally but no scientific data have been reported. The objectives of this study were to compare the quantity and quality of vermicasts produced from two different types of livestock manure (cattle manure and goat manure) by the worms and the effects of these manures on their growth and reproduction performance.
112
T.C. Loh et al. / Bioresource Technology 96 (2005) 111–114
2. Methods The cattle and goat manures were obtained from experimental animals of University Putra Malaysia and air dried before use. The earthworms (Eisenia foetida) were obtained from the Unit of Plant Protection, Kangar, Perlis. The experiments were performed in polystyrene boxes measuring 0.35 m · 0.25 m · 0.2 m (length · width · depth). This provided 0.09 m2 of exposed top surface. Known weights (21.3 ± 0.1 g) of 100 earthworms, were introduced into each of the boxes with an optimal stocking density of 1.60 kg worms/m2 . Each treatment consisted of six replicates. An optimal feeding rate of 0.75 kg feed/kg worm/day (Ndegwa et al., 1999) was applied to all the treatments. A quantity of 521.85 g faecal material (dry weight) from cattle and goat manures was provided in each of the boxes. The feed consisted entirely of respective manures and the feed depths were not exceeded 0.3 m. This was done so as to avoid exposure of worms to high temperature during the initial thermophlic stage of microbial decomposition. Moisture of the substrate material was maintained at about 80% (w.b.) by spraying the surface with water every 2 days using a spray can. The trial was conducted in an open but shaded yard with daily temperature fluctuating from 26 to 33 C and continued for 5 weeks. At the end of the trial, the worms were removed manually and the total number and biomass of the worms were determined. Values were determined as live weight after hand sorting and removal of all extraneous material. Cocoon production in each box was also determined and the yield of vermicompost was measured. The manure and vermicompost were analyzed for pH (adopted from Erhart and Burian, 1997), organic C (Dynoodt and Sharifudin, 1981), total N (Bremner and Mulvaney, 1982), P (Tandon, 1993) and K (atomic absorption spectrophotometer). All the determinations were carried out in triplicate. The cocoons produced from different manures were incubated at the same temperature for 4 weeks in a group of 10 cocoons per petri dish. This study enabled the hatchability rate of the cocoons incubated in different manure to be determined. Each treatment consisted of six replicates and the cocoons hatched were determined weekly. The data were analyzed statistically by using analysis of covariance (SAS, 1988). Initial data of manure materials were used as covariate. The significance of the differences between means was tested using least significant difference (LSD).
3. Results and discussion The parameters (Nutrients C, N, P and K, pH) of the livestock manure and the vermicasts are presented in
Table 1 Nutrient contents and pH of cattle and goat manures used in vermiculture Treatments
Cattle
Goat
Nutrient contents of manure C (%)a 54.42 ± 0.27a N (%) 1.07 ± 0.03a P (%) 0.34 ± 0.01b K (%) 0.23 ± 0.01b C:N ratio 50.98 ± 1.41a pH 7.05 ± 0.01a
50.17 ± 0.08b 1.03 ± 0.01b 0.56 ± 0.01a 0.52 ± 0.01a 48.88 ± 1.41a 7.02 ± 0.01b
Nutrient contents of vermicasts C (%)a 52.15 ± 0.24b N (%) 1.28 ± 0.01a P (%) 0.34 ± 0.01b K (%) 0.30 ± 0.01b C:N ratio 40.66 ± 39b pH 6.80 ± 0.01a
53.00 ± 0.25a 1.22 ± 0.01b 0.65 ± 0.02a 0.34 ± 0.02a 43.34 ± 39a 6.72 ± 0.01b
Values in the same row with different superscripts are significantly different (P < 0:05). Values are presented as mean ± SD. a % on dry weight.
Table 1. The concentrations of C and N and the pH in the goat manure were significantly lower (P < 0:05) than in the cattle manure. However, the goat manure had higher (P < 0:05) P and K concentrations than the cattle manure. The amounts of C, P and K in goat vermicasts were significantly higher (P < 0:05) than in cattle vermicasts. The amounts of minerals differed in treatment groups, this could be attributed to variations in growth and multiplication rate of the earthworms in the different animal manures, which resulted in a differential pattern of uptake of the nutrient for their body synthesis and subsequent release of the remaining minerals in a mineralized form. The carbon content of cattle manure decreased during vermicomposting indicating a higher mineralization of organic matter. However, the N content of cattle manure increased in the process of vermicomposting. This shows that the increased microbial activity continues outside the gut in the casts and results in an increased mineralization rate of organic N and consequent further increase in concentration of NHþ 4 (Lavelle et al., 1992). In the present study, C:N ratio measurement provided an indication of degree of decomposition. The C:N ratios of the manures were higher before vermicomposting than after for both treatments. Enhanced organic matter decomposition in the presence of earthworms has been reported, which results in lowering of the C:N ratio (Fosgate and Babb, 1972; Kale et al., 1982; Edwards, 1988; Talashilkar et al., 1999). During composting, the organic C is lost as CO2 and total N increases as a result of carbon loss. The final N content of compost is dependent on the initial N present in the waste and the extent of decomposition (Crawford, 1983; Gaur and Singh, 1995). In the present study, the C:N ratio was higher in the cattle manure than in goat
T.C. Loh et al. / Bioresource Technology 96 (2005) 111–114
manure, probably due to the fact that a better nutrient source or environment in cattle manure for the growth of earthworms, as indicated by higher earthworm biomass and quantity of vermicast produced (Table 2). For the 5 weeks of vermicomposting, growth of the earthworms in cattle manure was significantly greater (P < 0:05) than in goat manure. The quantity of vermicast produced was higher in cattle manure than in goat manure. An increase in the number of earthworms (Table 2) was observed during vermicomposting. The cocoon production (Table 3) in cattle manure was significantly higher (P < 0:05) than in goat manure. The results further indicated that cattle manure provided a better growth environment than goat manure for the earthworms. However, the hatchability of the cocoons was not affected (Table 3) by the different manure treatments. The pH was significantly different (P < 0:05) for the animal manure and vermicasts. There was a shift from the initial neutral condition (pH 7.00) towards an acidic condition. These results were in agreement with the observations of Ndegwa et al. (1999). The occurrence of acidic conditions may be attributed to the bioconversion of the organic material into various intermediate types of organic acid or higher mineralization of the nitrogen and phosphorus into nitrites/nitrates and orthophosphate, respectively. Ndegwa et al. (2000) reported that the pH shift is dynamic and substrate dependent. Further processing of the acidic intermediate products, as well as assimilation of the resulting acidic types will have the pH shift reversing. They also commented that a different substrate could result in different intermediate species and hence show a differ-
Table 2 Growth of earthworm Eisenia foetida in different animal manure Parameters
Cattle manure
Initial biomass (g/worm) Final biomass (g/worm) Biomass gain (g/worm) Quantity of vermicast (g)
0.21 ± 0.01a (100) 0.21 ± 0.01a (100) 0.33 ± 0.01a (105) 0.280 ± 0.01b (96) 0.12 ± 0.01a 0.07 ± 0.01b 376.5 ± 7.97a 275.90 ± 7.05b
Goat manure
Values in the same row with different superscripts are significantly different (P < 0:05). Values are presented as mean ± SD. Value in parenthesis indicates number of worms.
Table 3 Reproductive performance of Eisenia foetida in two different livestock wastes Treatments
Mean no. of cocoons worm1
Cocoon hatchability (%)
Cattle manure Goat manure
2.69 ± 0.25a 1.80 ± 0.09b
86.1 ± 4.3 88.9 ± 4.9
Values in the same column with different superscripts are significantly different (P < 0:05). Values are presented as mean ± SD.
113
ent behavior in pH shift. Their studies seem to show that the shift appeared to be directly related to the growth of earthworm biomass and to the reductions of volatile solids.
4. Conclusions The study thus revealed that cattle manure provided a better environment for the earthworm to grow and it produced a higher quantity of vermicast than did goat manure. Worms in cattle manure produced a higher number of cocoons and young worms. However, the hatchability of the cocoons was not affected by the different manure treatments.
References Bhardwaj, K.K.R., 1995. Recycling of crop residues oilcakes and other plant products in agriculture. In: Tandon, H.L.S. (Ed.), Recycling of Crop, Animal, Human and Industrial Wastes in Agriculture. Fertilizer Development and Consultation Organization, New Delhi, pp. 9–30. Bremner, J.M., Mulvaney C.S., 1982. Nitrogen-total. In: Page, A.L., Miller, R.H., Keeney, D.R. (Eds.), Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 2. Chemical and Microbiological Properties. Agronomy Monograph No. 9. (2nd ed.). American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI, pp. 595–622. Crawford, J.H., 1983. Review of composting. Process Biochem. 18, 14– 15. Dynoodt, R.F.P., Sharifudin A.A., 1981. Basic guide to soil and plant analyses. Soil Science Department, Technical Bulletin Faculty of Agriculture, UPM, p. 55. Gaur, A.C., Singh, G., 1995. Recycling of rural and urban wastes through conventional and vermicomposting. In: Tandon, H.L.S. (Ed.), Recycling of Crop, Animal, Human and Industrial Wastes In Agriculture. Fertilizer Development and Consultation Organization, New Delhi, pp. 31–49. Erhart, E., Burian, K., 1997. Evaluating quality and suppressiveness of Austrian biowaste composts. Compost Sci. Utilizat. 5 (3), 15– 24. Edwards, C.A., 1988. Breakdown of animal, vegetable and industrial organic wastes by earthworms. In: Edwards, C.A., Neuhauser, E.F. (Eds.), Earthworms in Waste and Environmental Management. SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague, pp. 21– 31. Fosgate, O.T., Babb, M.R., 1972. Biodegradation of animal waste by Lumbricus terrestris. J. Dairy Sc. 55, 870–872. Hand, P., Hayes, W.A., Frankland, J.C., Satchell, J.E., 1988. The vermicomposting of cow slurry. Pedobiologia 31, 199– 209. Kale, R.D., Bano, K., Krishnamoorthy, R.V., 1982. Potential of Perionyx excavatus for utilization of organic wastes. Pedobiologia. 23, 41–425. Lavelle, P., Melenez, G., Pashnasi, B., Schaefer, R., 1992. Nitrogen mineralization and reorganization in casts of the geophagous tropical earthworm Pontoscoles corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae). Biol. Fertil. Soil 14, 49–53. Mishra, M.M., Kukreja, K., Kapoor, K.K., Bangar, K.C., 1989. Organic recycling for plant nutrients. In: Somani, L.L., Bhandari, C.S. (Eds.), Soil Microorganisms and Crop Growth. Divyajyoti Parkashan, Jodhpur, pp. 195–232.
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Ndegwa, P.M., Thompson, S.A., Das, K.C., 1999. Effects of stocking density and feeding rate on vermicomposting of biosolids. Biores. Technol. 71, 5–12. Ndegwa, P.M., Thompson, S.A., Das, K.C., 2000. Effects of stocking density and feeding rate on vermicomposting of biosolids. Biores. Technol. 71, 5–12. SAS Institute Inc., 1988. SAS User’s Guide: Statistic. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.
Talashilkar, S.C., Bhangarath, P.P., Mehta, V.B., 1999. Changes in chemical properties during compositing of organic residues as influenced by earthworm activity. J. Indian Soc. Soil Sci. 47, 50– 53. Tandon, H.L.S., 1993. Methods of analysis of soils, plants, waters and fertilizer. Fertilizer Development and Consultation Organization, New Delhi.
Vermicomposting of cattle and goat manures by Eisenia foetida and their growth and reproduction performance T.C. Loh a
a,*
, Y.C. Lee a, J.B. Liang a, D. Tan
b
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia b Unit Perlindungan Tanaman, Kompleks Pertanian Temiang, 01000 Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia Received 27 November 2002; accepted 30 March 2003 Available online 2 April 2004
Abstract Vermicomposting is commonly adopted for the treatment of livestock organic wastes. In the present study, two types of livestock manure were used for culturing of the earthworm, Eisenia foetida. Each treatment group consisted of six replicates and worm vermicasts were examined after 5 weeks. The concentrations of total C, P and K in goat manure vermicasts were higher than those in cattle manure vermicasts. Cattle vermicasts had a higher N content than goat vermicasts but the C:N ratio of fresh manure was higher than that of vermicasts for both materials. Earthworm biomass and reproductive performance, in terms of number of worms after 5 weeks of experiment, were higher in cattle manure than in goat manure. The cocoon production per worm in cattle manure was higher than in goat manure. However, the hatchability of cocoons was not affected by manure treatments. In conclusion, cattle manure provided a more nutritious and friendly environment to the earthworms than goat manure. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Livestock manure; Vermicast; Earthworms; Eisenia foetida
1. Introduction Organic manure and other agriculture organic wastes are important sources for maintenance of soil organic matter and to sustain soil productivity. In intensive livestock farming, there is a huge amount of animal excreta being generated. Proper utilization of these wastes can improve soil physical condition and environmental quality as well as provide nutrients for plant (Mishra et al., 1989; Bhardwaj, 1995). Earthworms have been extensively used in the stabilization of urban, industrial and agricultural wastes besides producing organic fertilizers. Earthworms feed on organic matter and utilize only a small amount for their body synthesis and excrete a large part of the consumed materials in a partially digested form as worm casts. The process involves physical/mechanical and biochemical activities. The physical/mechanical process includes mixing and grinding, whereas biochemical process includes microbial
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +603-89466899; fax: +603-89432954. E-mail address: [email protected] (T.C. Loh).
0960-8524/$ - see front matter 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2003.03.001
decomposition in the intestines of the earthworms. Feeding is required every 3–5 days in vigorously growing worm beds, with an optimal daily feeding rate of 0.75 kg feed/kg worm/day. Overfeeding must be avoided as it can lead to excessive fermentation in the bed and cause the worms to shrink and eventually die. In addition, overfeeding can attract mites, which compete with worms for food (Ndegwa et al., 1999). Vermicomposting is a low cost technology system for the processing or treatment of organic wastes (Hand et al., 1988). Many studies have been made on the vermicomposting of animal excreta, sewage sludge and agroindustrial wastes (Edwards, 1988). However, there is little information on the comparison of animal manures for the production of vermicompost under Malaysian conditions. Earthworms, especially Tiger worms, have been reported to be used by an individual locally but no scientific data have been reported. The objectives of this study were to compare the quantity and quality of vermicasts produced from two different types of livestock manure (cattle manure and goat manure) by the worms and the effects of these manures on their growth and reproduction performance.
112
T.C. Loh et al. / Bioresource Technology 96 (2005) 111–114
2. Methods The cattle and goat manures were obtained from experimental animals of University Putra Malaysia and air dried before use. The earthworms (Eisenia foetida) were obtained from the Unit of Plant Protection, Kangar, Perlis. The experiments were performed in polystyrene boxes measuring 0.35 m · 0.25 m · 0.2 m (length · width · depth). This provided 0.09 m2 of exposed top surface. Known weights (21.3 ± 0.1 g) of 100 earthworms, were introduced into each of the boxes with an optimal stocking density of 1.60 kg worms/m2 . Each treatment consisted of six replicates. An optimal feeding rate of 0.75 kg feed/kg worm/day (Ndegwa et al., 1999) was applied to all the treatments. A quantity of 521.85 g faecal material (dry weight) from cattle and goat manures was provided in each of the boxes. The feed consisted entirely of respective manures and the feed depths were not exceeded 0.3 m. This was done so as to avoid exposure of worms to high temperature during the initial thermophlic stage of microbial decomposition. Moisture of the substrate material was maintained at about 80% (w.b.) by spraying the surface with water every 2 days using a spray can. The trial was conducted in an open but shaded yard with daily temperature fluctuating from 26 to 33 C and continued for 5 weeks. At the end of the trial, the worms were removed manually and the total number and biomass of the worms were determined. Values were determined as live weight after hand sorting and removal of all extraneous material. Cocoon production in each box was also determined and the yield of vermicompost was measured. The manure and vermicompost were analyzed for pH (adopted from Erhart and Burian, 1997), organic C (Dynoodt and Sharifudin, 1981), total N (Bremner and Mulvaney, 1982), P (Tandon, 1993) and K (atomic absorption spectrophotometer). All the determinations were carried out in triplicate. The cocoons produced from different manures were incubated at the same temperature for 4 weeks in a group of 10 cocoons per petri dish. This study enabled the hatchability rate of the cocoons incubated in different manure to be determined. Each treatment consisted of six replicates and the cocoons hatched were determined weekly. The data were analyzed statistically by using analysis of covariance (SAS, 1988). Initial data of manure materials were used as covariate. The significance of the differences between means was tested using least significant difference (LSD).
3. Results and discussion The parameters (Nutrients C, N, P and K, pH) of the livestock manure and the vermicasts are presented in
Table 1 Nutrient contents and pH of cattle and goat manures used in vermiculture Treatments
Cattle
Goat
Nutrient contents of manure C (%)a 54.42 ± 0.27a N (%) 1.07 ± 0.03a P (%) 0.34 ± 0.01b K (%) 0.23 ± 0.01b C:N ratio 50.98 ± 1.41a pH 7.05 ± 0.01a
50.17 ± 0.08b 1.03 ± 0.01b 0.56 ± 0.01a 0.52 ± 0.01a 48.88 ± 1.41a 7.02 ± 0.01b
Nutrient contents of vermicasts C (%)a 52.15 ± 0.24b N (%) 1.28 ± 0.01a P (%) 0.34 ± 0.01b K (%) 0.30 ± 0.01b C:N ratio 40.66 ± 39b pH 6.80 ± 0.01a
53.00 ± 0.25a 1.22 ± 0.01b 0.65 ± 0.02a 0.34 ± 0.02a 43.34 ± 39a 6.72 ± 0.01b
Values in the same row with different superscripts are significantly different (P < 0:05). Values are presented as mean ± SD. a % on dry weight.
Table 1. The concentrations of C and N and the pH in the goat manure were significantly lower (P < 0:05) than in the cattle manure. However, the goat manure had higher (P < 0:05) P and K concentrations than the cattle manure. The amounts of C, P and K in goat vermicasts were significantly higher (P < 0:05) than in cattle vermicasts. The amounts of minerals differed in treatment groups, this could be attributed to variations in growth and multiplication rate of the earthworms in the different animal manures, which resulted in a differential pattern of uptake of the nutrient for their body synthesis and subsequent release of the remaining minerals in a mineralized form. The carbon content of cattle manure decreased during vermicomposting indicating a higher mineralization of organic matter. However, the N content of cattle manure increased in the process of vermicomposting. This shows that the increased microbial activity continues outside the gut in the casts and results in an increased mineralization rate of organic N and consequent further increase in concentration of NHþ 4 (Lavelle et al., 1992). In the present study, C:N ratio measurement provided an indication of degree of decomposition. The C:N ratios of the manures were higher before vermicomposting than after for both treatments. Enhanced organic matter decomposition in the presence of earthworms has been reported, which results in lowering of the C:N ratio (Fosgate and Babb, 1972; Kale et al., 1982; Edwards, 1988; Talashilkar et al., 1999). During composting, the organic C is lost as CO2 and total N increases as a result of carbon loss. The final N content of compost is dependent on the initial N present in the waste and the extent of decomposition (Crawford, 1983; Gaur and Singh, 1995). In the present study, the C:N ratio was higher in the cattle manure than in goat
T.C. Loh et al. / Bioresource Technology 96 (2005) 111–114
manure, probably due to the fact that a better nutrient source or environment in cattle manure for the growth of earthworms, as indicated by higher earthworm biomass and quantity of vermicast produced (Table 2). For the 5 weeks of vermicomposting, growth of the earthworms in cattle manure was significantly greater (P < 0:05) than in goat manure. The quantity of vermicast produced was higher in cattle manure than in goat manure. An increase in the number of earthworms (Table 2) was observed during vermicomposting. The cocoon production (Table 3) in cattle manure was significantly higher (P < 0:05) than in goat manure. The results further indicated that cattle manure provided a better growth environment than goat manure for the earthworms. However, the hatchability of the cocoons was not affected (Table 3) by the different manure treatments. The pH was significantly different (P < 0:05) for the animal manure and vermicasts. There was a shift from the initial neutral condition (pH 7.00) towards an acidic condition. These results were in agreement with the observations of Ndegwa et al. (1999). The occurrence of acidic conditions may be attributed to the bioconversion of the organic material into various intermediate types of organic acid or higher mineralization of the nitrogen and phosphorus into nitrites/nitrates and orthophosphate, respectively. Ndegwa et al. (2000) reported that the pH shift is dynamic and substrate dependent. Further processing of the acidic intermediate products, as well as assimilation of the resulting acidic types will have the pH shift reversing. They also commented that a different substrate could result in different intermediate species and hence show a differ-
Table 2 Growth of earthworm Eisenia foetida in different animal manure Parameters
Cattle manure
Initial biomass (g/worm) Final biomass (g/worm) Biomass gain (g/worm) Quantity of vermicast (g)
0.21 ± 0.01a (100) 0.21 ± 0.01a (100) 0.33 ± 0.01a (105) 0.280 ± 0.01b (96) 0.12 ± 0.01a 0.07 ± 0.01b 376.5 ± 7.97a 275.90 ± 7.05b
Goat manure
Values in the same row with different superscripts are significantly different (P < 0:05). Values are presented as mean ± SD. Value in parenthesis indicates number of worms.
Table 3 Reproductive performance of Eisenia foetida in two different livestock wastes Treatments
Mean no. of cocoons worm1
Cocoon hatchability (%)
Cattle manure Goat manure
2.69 ± 0.25a 1.80 ± 0.09b
86.1 ± 4.3 88.9 ± 4.9
Values in the same column with different superscripts are significantly different (P < 0:05). Values are presented as mean ± SD.
113
ent behavior in pH shift. Their studies seem to show that the shift appeared to be directly related to the growth of earthworm biomass and to the reductions of volatile solids.
4. Conclusions The study thus revealed that cattle manure provided a better environment for the earthworm to grow and it produced a higher quantity of vermicast than did goat manure. Worms in cattle manure produced a higher number of cocoons and young worms. However, the hatchability of the cocoons was not affected by the different manure treatments.
References Bhardwaj, K.K.R., 1995. Recycling of crop residues oilcakes and other plant products in agriculture. In: Tandon, H.L.S. (Ed.), Recycling of Crop, Animal, Human and Industrial Wastes in Agriculture. Fertilizer Development and Consultation Organization, New Delhi, pp. 9–30. Bremner, J.M., Mulvaney C.S., 1982. Nitrogen-total. In: Page, A.L., Miller, R.H., Keeney, D.R. (Eds.), Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 2. Chemical and Microbiological Properties. Agronomy Monograph No. 9. (2nd ed.). American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI, pp. 595–622. Crawford, J.H., 1983. Review of composting. Process Biochem. 18, 14– 15. Dynoodt, R.F.P., Sharifudin A.A., 1981. Basic guide to soil and plant analyses. Soil Science Department, Technical Bulletin Faculty of Agriculture, UPM, p. 55. Gaur, A.C., Singh, G., 1995. Recycling of rural and urban wastes through conventional and vermicomposting. In: Tandon, H.L.S. (Ed.), Recycling of Crop, Animal, Human and Industrial Wastes In Agriculture. Fertilizer Development and Consultation Organization, New Delhi, pp. 31–49. Erhart, E., Burian, K., 1997. Evaluating quality and suppressiveness of Austrian biowaste composts. Compost Sci. Utilizat. 5 (3), 15– 24. Edwards, C.A., 1988. Breakdown of animal, vegetable and industrial organic wastes by earthworms. In: Edwards, C.A., Neuhauser, E.F. (Eds.), Earthworms in Waste and Environmental Management. SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague, pp. 21– 31. Fosgate, O.T., Babb, M.R., 1972. Biodegradation of animal waste by Lumbricus terrestris. J. Dairy Sc. 55, 870–872. Hand, P., Hayes, W.A., Frankland, J.C., Satchell, J.E., 1988. The vermicomposting of cow slurry. Pedobiologia 31, 199– 209. Kale, R.D., Bano, K., Krishnamoorthy, R.V., 1982. Potential of Perionyx excavatus for utilization of organic wastes. Pedobiologia. 23, 41–425. Lavelle, P., Melenez, G., Pashnasi, B., Schaefer, R., 1992. Nitrogen mineralization and reorganization in casts of the geophagous tropical earthworm Pontoscoles corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae). Biol. Fertil. Soil 14, 49–53. Mishra, M.M., Kukreja, K., Kapoor, K.K., Bangar, K.C., 1989. Organic recycling for plant nutrients. In: Somani, L.L., Bhandari, C.S. (Eds.), Soil Microorganisms and Crop Growth. Divyajyoti Parkashan, Jodhpur, pp. 195–232.
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Ndegwa, P.M., Thompson, S.A., Das, K.C., 1999. Effects of stocking density and feeding rate on vermicomposting of biosolids. Biores. Technol. 71, 5–12. Ndegwa, P.M., Thompson, S.A., Das, K.C., 2000. Effects of stocking density and feeding rate on vermicomposting of biosolids. Biores. Technol. 71, 5–12. SAS Institute Inc., 1988. SAS User’s Guide: Statistic. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.
Talashilkar, S.C., Bhangarath, P.P., Mehta, V.B., 1999. Changes in chemical properties during compositing of organic residues as influenced by earthworm activity. J. Indian Soc. Soil Sci. 47, 50– 53. Tandon, H.L.S., 1993. Methods of analysis of soils, plants, waters and fertilizer. Fertilizer Development and Consultation Organization, New Delhi.