Earthworms and Vermicomposting: Species, Procedures and Crop Application

Preface
Contents
About the Authors
1: Earthworms and Vermicomposting
	1.1	 Introduction
		1.1.1	 Vermicomposting
	1.2	 Origin and Evolution
	1.3	 Distribution of Earthworm
	1.4	 Size of Earthworm
	1.5	 Food and Feeding Habits
	References
2: Anatomy of Earthworms
	2.1	 Body Structure
		2.1.1	 Earthworm Body
			2.1.1.1	 External Characters
			2.1.1.2	 Digestive System
			2.1.1.3	 Body Cavity or Coelom
			2.1.1.4	 Body Wall
			2.1.1.5	 Locomotion
			2.1.1.6	 Excretion
			2.1.1.7	 Circulatory System
			2.1.1.8	 Nervous System
			2.1.1.9	 Reproductive System
			2.1.1.10	 Reproduction and Cocoon Formation
		2.1.2	 Shape, Size, and Color of Cocoons
3: Earthworms, Their Species, and Biological Features
	3.1	 Earthworm Species
		3.1.1	 Redhead Worm
		3.1.2	 Common Earthworm
		3.1.3	 Green Worm
		3.1.4	 European Night Crawler
		3.1.5	 Brandling Worm
		3.1.6	 Giant Gippsland Earthworm
		3.1.7	 Washington Giant Earthworm
		3.1.8	 Gray Worm
		3.1.9	 Composting Worm
		3.1.10	 African Night Crawler
	3.2	 Biological Features of Earthworm
	3.3	 The Morphology and Anatomy of the Earthworm Are Discussed Below
		3.3.1	 Anatomy of Earthworm
		3.3.2	 Digestive System
		3.3.3	 Circulatory System
		3.3.4	 Respiratory System
		3.3.5	 Excretory System
		3.3.6	 Nervous System
		3.3.7	 Sensory System
		3.3.8	 Reproductive System
		3.3.9	 Multiplication of Worms
		3.3.10	 Earthworm Sexuality
		3.3.11	 Ready for Reproduction
		3.3.12	 Copulation and Fertilization
		3.3.13	 No Partner Needed
	References
4: Vermitechnology: History and Its Applications
	4.1	 History
	4.2	 Wastes Utilized in Vermitechnology
	4.3	 Earthworms Used in Vermitechnology
		4.3.1	 Earthworm Species Suitable for Waste Degradation
	4.4	 Role of Earthworms in Vermitechnology
		4.4.1	 Effects of Earthworms on
	4.5	 Applications of Vermitechnology
	4.6	 Issues Related to Vermitechnology
	4.7	 Vermitechnology in Other Countries
	4.8	 Vermitechnology in India
	4.9	 Vermitechnology in Northeast India
	4.10	 Recent Works Related to Vermitechnology
		4.10.1	 Aerobic Sponge Method Vermitechnology for Macro-Level Conversion of Organic Garbage
		4.10.2	 Treatment of Agricultural Wastes with Biogas: Vermitechnology
		4.10.3	 Assessment of Different Organic Supplements for Degradation of Parthenium Hysterophorus by Vermitechnology
		4.10.4	 Application of Vermitechnology in Aquaculture
		4.10.5	 Vermitechnology for Organic Waste Management and Sustainable Agriculture (Gopi 2017; Chattopadhyay 2017)
	4.11	 Future Prospects
	References
5: Role of Earthworms in Vermicomposting
	5.1	 Earthworm Species Suitable for Vermicomposting
	5.2	 Organic Matter and Earthworms in the Soil
	5.3	 Soil Nitrogen and Earthworms
	5.4	 Soil Phosphorus and Earthworms
	5.5	 Heavy Metals and Vermicomposting
	References
6: Different Sources of Vermicompost: Vermicomposting from Household Waste—Vermicomposting from Farm Waste
	6.1	 Different Sources of Vermicompost
	6.2	 Vermicomposting from Household Waste
		6.2.1	 Method
	6.3	 Vermicomposting from Farm Waste
		6.3.1	 Methods
	6.4	 Different Sources and Preparation of Vermicompost
	References
7: Preparation of Vermicompost
	7.1	 Introduction
	7.2	 Sequential Method of Composting
	7.3	 Mechanism of Earthworm Action
	7.4	 Vermicomposting Systems
		7.4.1	 Windrow System
		7.4.2	 Wedge System
		7.4.3	 Container System
			7.4.3.1	 Pits, Tanks, and Cement Rings
			7.4.3.2	 Commercial Model
			7.4.3.3	 Beds or Bins
				Top-Fed Type
				Stacked Type
		7.4.4	 Continuous Flow System
	7.5	 Maintaining Continuous Flow
	7.6	 Feeding Rates
	7.7	 Excessive Heating
	7.8	 Method for Preparation of Vermicompost from Paddy Straw/Waste Maize Silage
	7.9	 Processing: Time and Acceleration
	7.10	 Maturity and Stability
	7.11	 Composting v/s Vermicomposting
	7.12	 Acceleration Process
		7.12.1	 Organic Nutrients and Other Additives
		7.12.2	 Effective Micro-organisms (EM)
	7.13	 Domestic Waste Processing Systems
	7.14	 Points to Be Considered When Making Compost
	References
8: Influence of Vermicompost on Soil Health
	8.1	 Introduction
	8.2	 Influence of Physiochemical Properties of Soil
	8.3	 Influence of Vermicompost on Biological Properties of Soil
	8.4	 Modification in Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Feed Waste Through Vermicomposting
	8.5	 pH and Electrical Conductivity (EC)
	8.6	 Nitrogen
	8.7	 Organic Carbon and C:N Ratio
	8.8	 Phosphorus
	8.9	 Beneficial Role of Vermicompost in Fruit Crops
	8.10	 Beneficial Role of Vermicompost in Vegetable Crops
	8.11	 Nutrient Recovery from Kitchen Bio-Waste
	8.12	 Integration of Composting and Vermicomposting
	8.13	 Importance of Vermicompost
	8.14	 Environmental Applications of Vermicompost
	References
9: Harvesting of Vermicompost
	9.1	 Introduction
	9.2	 Vermicompost
		9.2.1	 Materials for Preparation of Vermicompost
			9.2.1.1	 Phases of Vermicomposting
		9.2.2	 The Five Essentials
		9.2.3	 Harvesting Vermicompost
		9.2.4	 Harvesting Earthworm
			9.2.4.1	 Manual Methods
			9.2.4.2	 Self-Harvesting (Migration) Methods
		9.2.5	 Storing and Packing of Vermicompost
		9.2.6	 Precautions During the Process
	Reference
10: By-Product and Value-Added Products
	10.1	 Vermiwash
		10.1.1	 Steps for Preparation
	10.2	 Vermicompost Tea
	10.3	 Vermimeal
	10.4	 Enriched Vermicompost
	10.5	 Pelleted Vermicompost
	References
11: Problems in Handling Vermicompost
	11.1	 Temperature
	11.2	 Aeration
	11.3	 Acidity (pH)
	11.4	 Pests and Diseases
	11.5	 Odor
12: Importance of Application of Vermicompost in Cereal, Fruit and Vegetable Crops
	12.1	 Rice Crop
	12.2	 Uses of Vermicompost in Urban Areas
	12.3	 Landfilling
	12.4	 Incineration
	12.5	 Animal Feed
	References
13: Beneficial Role of Vermicompost: Nutrient Content in Vermicompost and Success Stories
	13.1	 Beneficial Role of Vermicompost
	13.2	 Nutrient Content in Vermicompost
	13.3	 Success Stories
		13.3.1	 Success Story of Prateek Bajaj
		13.3.2	 Success Story of Karan Sikri (Kurukshetra’s Young Farmer)
		13.3.3	 Success Story of Bhikhari Mehta (Kumar et al. 2017)
		13.3.4	 Success Story of Ravuri Suresh Kumar (Devi and Kumar 2020)
	References
14: Conclusion