Vermicompost
Vermicompost is a nutrient-rich organic amendment made from organic waste by earthworms and microorganisms working together. Although earthworms play an important role in the vermicomposting process, microbes decompose organic materials. Earthworms indirectly enhance microbial biomass and activity by aerating and fragmenting Organic Matter, which increases the available surface area for microbes and hence influences the composition and structure of microbial communities. Earthworm contributions to the process can be divided into two phases:
- An active period defined by earthworm ingestion and processing of organic wastes.
- A maturation-like phase in which bacteria decompose earthworm-processed materials.
Vermicompost is a nutrient-dense, peat-like material with high porosity, high water-holding capacity, and a low Carbon: Nitrogen ratio. Vermicompost increases plant growth, seed germination and development, flowering, and fruit production when added as an addition to soil or other plant growth media. These beneficial impacts on plant growth may be caused by a variety of variables, including increased availability of air and water, the presence of plant-growth regulating compounds, and the prevention or suppression of plant diseases.
Organic Matter decomposing during vermicomposting fluctuates considerably over time due to changing degradation rates and temporal variations in microbial community makeup. Microbial succession can be seen in changes in the makeup of microbial communities. Early microbial colonizers are primarily heterotrophs during composting, and succession is driven by organic carbon obtained from the initial substrate. The microbial communities engaged in the various stages of vermicomposting are less well recognized, despite the fact that the microbial succession of composting has previously been characterized. Most vermicomposting research has so far concentrated on assessing the microbial community composition and diversity in mature vermicompost. For the optimum usage of vermicompost to promote plant development and inhibit plant diseases, it must be aged. The duration of the maturation phase, on the other hand, is not constant and can vary depending on how efficiently the active phase is performed. As a result, a thorough examination of the microbial communities participating in the active phase of vermicomposting could be beneficial to improve our grasp of the process's performance and provide insight on the final product's qualities.
Vermicomposting has been found to compost a wide range of organic wastes, including sewage sludge, food and animal wastes, and other industrial or agricultural wastes. Vermicomposting thus has the ability to convert plant material into high-quality organic fertilizer. Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), a leguminous shrub with bright yellow, pea-like blooms, is native to the Mediterranean basin but has become invasive around the world. Forest depletion and the abandonment of previously used agricultural land may facilitate the spread and establishment of this invasive shrub, which may have far-reaching implications for the dynamics and productivity of the ecosystems it inhabits. As a result, finding viable methods for sustainable exploitation of this invasive shrub is critical in order to avoid any detrimental environmental repercussions.
Scotch broom is a symbiotic N-fixing plant with high P, K, and Ca concentrations, making it potentially useful as a high-nutrient fertilizer. Scotch broom, on the other hand, contains significant levels of polyphenols, which might induce phytotoxicity. Vermicomposting has previously been demonstrated to be effective in lowering the mass of Scotch broom and transforming it into a nutrient-rich and stabilized peat-like vermicompost free of phytotoxicity due to its polyphenol content.
