Vermicompost from Kitchen Waste and Paper Waste by Eudrilus eugeniae, Nutrient Analysis and Efficiency on Alternanthera sessilis Plant Growth

Abstract

In India, a significant amount of paper and kitchen waste is produced, much of which is either burned, left outside, or landfilled, creating a significant challenge for its safe disposal. The Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg) earthworms can be used to convert all kitchen and paper waste into extremely useful, nutrient-rich vermicompost. The vermicompost contributes significantly to the growth and yield of various field crops, vegetables, flower and fruit crops. The use of organic residuals lowers production costs while eliminating the requirement for waste disposal and incineration. The present research was carried out to find out the potential vermicompost using kitchen and paper waste to compost on the Eudrilus eugeniae earthworm as it effectively decomposes waste. Vermicompost has been analysed to physicochemical parameters like pH, and the level of macronutrient, and micronutrient content namely nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, iron, copper, manganese and zinc analyses between the 30th and 60th day of control (raw soil), kitchen and paper waste vermicomposting. The vegetable plant Alternanthera sessilis, commonly known as sessile joy weed or Ponnanganni, has been used to test and investigate the effectiveness of vermicompost. The plant growth parameters, especially root length, shoot length, and number of leaves has been studying. Finally, a comparison was made with plants growing on the 30th &60th days of kitchen waste vermicompost and the 30th & 60th days of paper waste vermicomposting. In final results, the plant obtains maximum growth in kitchen waste vermicompost as a result of Alternanthera sessilis (sessile Joyweed) growth on the 30th and 60th days. The kitchen waste vermicompost contains a higher amount of NPK content than the control and paper waste vermicomposts. Consequently, the Alternanthera sessilis plants thrived on the kitchen wastes.