OPTIMUM MOISTURE REQUIREMENT DURING VERMICOMPOSTING USING PERIONYX EXCAVATUS

Abstract

N.B. Singh et al.: Optimum moisture requirement during vermicomposting-53-APPLIED ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2(1): 53-62. A Ab bs st tr ra ac ct t.. A study was conducted to evaluate the ash content as a function of time of vermicomposting and the moisture content which plays a significant role in the process. The data revealed a linear relationship between the ash content and time in the effective range of the vermicomposting duration. The model parameters of this linear relationship also have linear correlation with the moisture content. Through substitutions , a generalized predictive model for the ash content has been evolved in terms of the duration of vermicomposting and the moistures contents. A plot of the predictive and experimentally observed values indicated a high robustness of predictive model. The study also showed that a moisture content of 80% is optimum for stabilization of waste in minimum processing time. K Ke ey yw wo or rd ds s: : earthworm, ash content, moisture content, waste management, modeling I In nt tr ro od du uc ct ti io on n Vermiculture technology is emerging as a potential alternative for organic solid waste management. It is an attractive and economical recycling process for treatment of non-toxic organic solid wastes as little capital and energy is needed for the process. Moreover, the waste is converted into vermicasting (vermicompost), a manure rich in plant nutrient [2, 3, 13, 24, 25] to be used in agriculture and horticulture. Advancement in vermiculture technology requires a detailed understanding of functioning of the system. There are still many fundamental aspects, which need to be studied for the success of vermicomposting process. There is abundant literature available on the response of earthworms in the stabilization of organic wastes but not much literature is available on the effect of moisture content on vermicomposting. In this paper, the effect of moisture content variation using epigeic (surface burrowing) earthworm (Perionyx excavatus, Perrier, 1872, family: Megascolecidae) to predict optimum moisture requirement during vermicomposting is investigated.