Bhagyaresha R. Gajbhiye and Ujwala M. Satpute
A pot culture experiment was carried out on quality of vermicompost as influenced by earthworm species and legume crop residues during the year 2011-12 at College of Agriculture, Latur. The experiment was laid in factorial compopletely randomized block design (FRBD) with three replications consisting of three levels of earthworm species (Control, Eisenia foetida and Eudrilus eugeniae) and four levels of legume crop residues (soybean, pigeonpea, groundnut and gram residues). The vermicomposting samples were collected at different stages viz., 35th, 50th, 65th, 80th and 95th days and analyzed for its chemical properties. EC(1.44 dSm-1), total N (1.61 % ), P (0.97 %), K(1.04 %), Fe (14.57 ppm), Mn (5.25 ppm), Zn (5.31 ppm) and Cu (1.47 ppm) were found to be increased progressively throughout the vermicomposting of crop residues and also significantly reduced organic carbon (14.39 %), C:N ratio and alkaline pH into neutral with inoculation of earthworms Eudrilus eugeniae . C:N ratio of all the treatments decreased significantly and reached to a value below 19 on 95th days of vermicomposting. Moreover, the vermicompost produced by Eudrilus eugeniae possessed higher nutrient content than Eisenia foetida. Among the different crop residues,vermicompost obtained from pigeonpea residues were rich in total N (1.61 % ), P (0.97 %), K(1.04 %), Fe (14.57 ppm), Mn (5.25 ppm), Zn (5.31 ppm) and Cu (1.47 ppm) as compared to all other crop residues. However, the C:N ratio of pigeonpea residues (15.51) was narrower followed by soybean residues (16.11).
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