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3. MATERIALS FOR VERMICOMPOST

SUBSTRATES, BEDS, AND EARTHWORMS

3.1. Substrates

Vermicomposting substrate can be made from a variety of materials. Organic wastes are an
important substrate for vermicomposting in order to control waste while also producing

alternative manure for soil fertility and plant growth. The waste is decomposed by earthworms

through feeding, fragmentation, aeration, turnover, and dispersion, as well as enzymatic
digestion by the associated microbes. According to estimates, India has the capacity to produce

4.3 million tons of compost per year. Municipal solid waste a problem, and solid municipal
wastes containing at least 35%–40% organic material can be used for vermicomposting. City

garbage, agricultural waste, industrial organic waste, cow and other cattle dung, kitchen waste,

coir pith, grass, rice straw, food, animal waste, sewage waste, soil, etc. are the main substrate
for Vermicomposting. Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), an invasive plant native to the

Mediterranean basin, is a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing plant with high phosphorus, calcium, and
potassium levels that can be used as a substrate for vermicomposting. It also has a high

polyphenol content, making it phytotoxic. This vermicomposting procedure significantly

reduces phytotoxicity, allowing this invasive plant to be used as manure. Many crop diseases
are hosted by Ageratum conizoides, and Lantana camara is a weed plant that contains toxic

phytochemicals that are toxic to grazing animals. These weed plants are also used in
vermicomposting, which reduces the occurrence of plant disease and plant toxicity.

Both cow and goat dung is used for vermicomposting but it has been studied with P. excavatus

that cow dung provides more nutrition to the vermicomposting substrate than the goat.

Poultry waste contains a diverse mixture of litter that is used for vermicomposting. Intensive

breeding causes a huge deposal of bedding mixture, feather, food material, manures from the
farms of broiler and layers of chicken, ducks, Türkiyes, quails, etc. Poultry waste contains a

high amount of ammonia and organic salt which kills worms so, before the composting process
starts, the addition of freshly prepared CaCO3 is needed to neutralize them.

Fruits are the most wasteful food item due to an inefficient post-harvest system. Approximately

2.7 metric tons of bananas go to waste due to a lack of a cold chain system. Banana stems also
contribute significantly to agricultural waste. Papaya’s seed, skin, pomace, and rind contain a

high amount of organic matter such as carotenoids, dietary fibers, vitamins, enzymes,

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