Jaswinder Singh

Vermicomposting of tannery sludge mixed with cattle dung into valuable manure using earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny)

The present study revealed the role of earthworm in converting tannery sludge into a valuable product. Tannery sludge was toxic to earthworm, therefore it was mixed with cattle dung in different proportions viz. 0:100 (T(0)), 10:90 (T(10)), 25:75 (T(25)), 50:50 (T(50)) and 75:25 (T(75)) on dry weight basis. The minimum mortality and highest population buildup of worms was in T(0) mixture. Nitrogen, sodium, phosphorus and pH increased from initial in the range of 7.3-66.6%, 16.90-70.58%, 8.57-44.8% and 2.8-13.65%, respectively. On the other hand potassium, organic carbon and electrical conductivity decreased in the range of 4.34-28.5%, 7.54-22.35% and 32.35-53.12%, respectively. C:N ratio decreased from 20.53% to 47.36% in the final products. Transition metals increased significantly from the initial value and within the permissible limit. The result indicated that vermicomposting with Eisenia fetida is better for changing this sludge into nutrient rich manure in a short period of time.

Vermiremediation of dyeing sludge from textile mill with the help of exotic earthworm Eisenia fetida Savigny

The aim of present study was for the vermiremediation of dyeing sludge from textile mill into nutrient-rich vermicompost using earthworm Eisenia fetida. The dyeing sludge was mixed with cattle dung in different ratios, i.e., 0:100 (D0), 25:75 (D25), 50:50 (D50), 75:25 (D75), and 100:0 (D100) with earthworms, and 0:100 (S0), 25:75 (S25), 50:50 (S50), 75:25 (S75), and 100:0 (S100) without earthworms. Minimum mortality and maximum population build-up were observed in a 25:75 mixture. Nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, and pH increased from the initial to the final products with earthworms, while electrical conductivity, C/N ratio, organic carbon, and potassium declined in all the feed mixtures. Vermicomposting with E. fetida was better for composting to change this sludge into nutrient-rich manure.

Potential utilization of bagasse as feed material for earthworm Eisenia fetida and production of vermicompost

In the present work bagasse (B) i.e waste of the sugar industry, was fed to Eisenia fetida with cattle dung (CD) support as feed material at various ratios (waste: CD) of 0:100 (B0), 25:75 (B25), 50:50 (B50), 75:25 (B75) and 100:0 (B100) on dry weight basis. Co-composting with cattle dung helped to improve their acceptability for E. fetida and also improved physico-chemical characteristics. Best appropriate ratio for survival, maximum growth and population buildup of E. fetida was determined by observing population buildup, growth rate, biomass, mortality and cocoon formation. Minimum mortality and highest population size of worms was observed in 50:50 (B50) ratio. Increasing concentrations of wastes significantly affected the growth and reproduction of worms. Nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and sodium increased from pre-vermicompost to post-vermicompost, while organic carbon, and C:N ratio decreased in all the end products of post-vermicomposting. Heavy metals decreased significantly from initial except zinc, iron and manganese which increased significantly. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to recognize the changes in texture in the pre and post-vermicomposted samples. The post-vermicomposted ratios in the presence of earthworms validate more surface changes that prove to be good manure. The results observed from the present study indicated that the earthworm E. fetida was able to change bagasse waste into nutrient-rich manure and thus play a major role in industrial waste management.

Earthworms, pesticides and sustainable agriculture: a review

The aim of this review is to generate awareness and understand the importance of earthworms in sustainable agriculture and effect of pesticides on their action. The natural resources are finite and highly prone to degradation by the misuse of land and mismanagement of soil. The world is in utter need of a healthy ecosystem that provides with fertile soil, clean water, food and other natural resources. Anthropogenic activities have led to an increased contamination of land. The intensification of industrial and agricultural practices chiefly the utilization of pesticides has in almost every way made our natural resources concave. Earthworms help in a number of tasks that support many ecosystem services that favor agrosystem sustainability but are degraded by exhaustive practices such as the use of pesticides. The present review assesses the response of earthworm toward the pesticides and also evaluates the relationship between earthworm activity and plant growth. We strictly need to refresh and rethink on the policies and norms devised by us on sustainable ecology. In an equivalent way, the natural resources should be utilized and further, essential ways for betterment of present and future livelihood should be sought.

Vermicompost as an effective organic fertilizer and biocontrol agent: effect on growth, yield and quality of plants

In the present review, vermicompost is described as an excellent soil amendment and a biocontrol agent which make it the best organic fertilizer and more eco-friendly as compared to chemical fertilizers. Vermicompost is an ideal organic manure for better growth and yield of many plants. It can increase the production of crops and prevent them from harmful pests without polluting the environment. Application of vermicompost increased seed germination, stem height, number of leaves, leaf area, leaf dry weight, root length, root number, total yield, number of fruits/plant, chlorophyll content, pH of juice, TSS of juice, micro and macro nutrients, carbohydrate (%) and protein (%) content and improved the quality of the fruits and seeds. Studies suggested that treatments of humic acids, plant growth promoting bacteria and vermicomposts can be used for a sustainable agriculture discouraging the use of chemical fertilizers.

Vermicompost as soil supplement to enhance growth, yield and quality of Triticum aestivum L.: a field study

BackgroundVermicompost (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..ResultsMost 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.ConclusionIt 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.

Instrumental characterization of organic wastes for evaluation of vermicompost maturity

Instrumental analysis of vermicompost with the help of modern technologies provides essential information on its maturity, before it can be used for agricultural application. Nowadays, vermicompost is considered as a promising organic alternative to chemical fertilizers in agriculture and horticulture. The objectives of this review are to summarize the sophisticated instrumental techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetry (TG), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy techniques, physico-chemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon content, C:N ratio, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium) and biological indicator (germination index) to determine the maturity of vermicompost produced from organic wastes. These techniques are reliable, fast and are capable of tracking organic waste degradation during the bioconversion process and fertilizing ability of the final product. SEM analysis provides essential information on surface morphology of vermicompost samples. The SEM micrograph of final vermicompost reveals disaggregation. In contrast, the initial SEM micrograph reflects robust and relatively contiguous structures. FT-IR spectroscopy technique is used to confirm the decomposition of polypeptides, polysaccharides, aliphatic, aromatic, carboxylic, phenolic groups and lignin during vermicomposting of organic wastes. TG method is used to characterize organic waste mineralization where progressive reduction in the mass loss of vermicompost indicates net mineralization and degradation. UV-vis spectroscopy is used to assess the degree of humification. The sharp fall in humification index during vermicomposting process indicates high level of organic material humification. Changes in physico-chemical and biological parameters are also an indicative parameter for organic waste mineralization as well as vermicompost stability and maturity.

Analysis of soil characteristics of different land uses and metal bioaccumulation in wheat grown around rivers: possible human health risk assessment

The present study was conducted to determine the physico-chemical properties and heavy metal contents in soils under three land uses (agricultural, riverbank and roadside) from areas situated around rivers (Beas and Sutlej) in Punjab, India. Heavy metal contents in wheat samples (grain and fodder) growing in the area were also analyzed in order to find out potential human health risk through wheat consumption. The studied soils under the three land uses were found to be basic in nature with sandy texture, low soil organic matter and other soil nutrients. Comparatively higher amounts of soil nutrients were observed in soils under agricultural land use as compared to riverbank and roadside land uses. The amounts of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Co and Pb) analyzed in soils were lower than the various national and international maximum permissible limits, but heavy metal contents observed in wheat fodder samples exceeded the maximum permissible limits for fodder. The soil-to-plant metal bioaccumulation factor was found to be highest for Cu (3.812 for soil–wheat grain and 1.874 for soil–wheat fodder), which showed the bioaccumulation of heavy metals from soils to crops, and the wheat straw-to-grain translocation factor was found to be highest for Co (4.375). The hazard index calculated to assess non-carcinogenic health risks was found above 1 for children, meaning that the wheat grains can pose health risks to children.

Ecological risk assessment of metals in roadside agricultural soils: A modified approach

ABSTRACT The threat of metal contamination of roadside agricultural soils poses severe ecological risks throughout the globe due to dual contamination by intensive agriculture and traffic-related activities. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess ecological risks posed by metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn) in intensively cultivated roadside agricultural soils of Punjab, India. The results of the contamination assessment factors i.e. Contamination Factor (CF) and Enrichment Factor (EF) indicated that the studied soils were moderately to highly contaminated with metals. It was observed that the Modified Risk Index (MRI), which is based upon EF, indicated the ecological risks of metals more efficiently than the traditional Ecological Risk Index (RI), which is based upon CF in the present study. The MRI values indicated that the metals posed considerable to high risk in 67.86% samples as compared to only 7.14% samples based upon RI values. Thus, MRI can be considered as a more efficient risk indicator in comparison to RI. Spatial distribution maps of MRI indicated to higher metal contamination in inner urban parts of study area due to higher traffic and industrial activities.

Bioremediation and detoxification of industrial wastes by earthworms: Vermicompost as powerful crop nutrient in sustainable agriculture

Vermicompost is the final product of the vermicomposting process involving the collective action of earthworms and microbes. During this process, the waste is converted into useful manure by reducing the harmful effects of waste. Toxicity of industrial wastes is evaluated by plant bioassays viz. Allium cepa and Vicia faba test. These bioassays are sensitive and cost-effective for the monitoring of environmental contamination. The valorization potential of earthworms and their ability to detoxify heavy metals in industrial wastes is because of their strong metabolic system and involvement of earthworm gut microbes and chloragocyte cells. Most of the studies reported that the vermicompost produced from organic wastes contains higher amounts of humic substances, which plays a major role in growth of plants. The present article discusses the detoxification of industrial wastes by earthworms and the role of final vermicompost in plant growth and development.