Vermicompost in Sustainable Crop Production—2nd Edition
A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 515
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plant functional diversity; coastal plants; plant interactions; plant adaptations; halophytes; salinity; edaphic factors; nitrophytes; metal tolerance and accumulation; metalophytes; phytoremediation; green walls
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Sustainable crop production requires new means of fertilization in light of both the use of renewable resources and improving soil quality. The processing of biological waste by the concerted action of earthworms and microorganisms leads to the production of vermicompost—an organic fertilizer with high microbiological activity, rich in mineral nutrients and humic substances. Vermicompost is an extremely promising type of amendment, as evidenced by many studies at laboratory and field level, as well as the results of practical application. In organic farming, vermicompost can be used as a basal soil fertilizer, providing plant-available mineral nutrients and organic matter as a source for additional nutrients and microbiological activity. In conventional farming, vermicompost can substitute chemical fertilizers. It is evident that the benefits from the application of vermicompost in agriculture are related to direct and indirect effects on crop plants as well as to the improvement of soil properties, leading to a long-term increase in soil sustainability. However, a lack of understanding of the specific mechanisms of beneficial influence hinders the ability to scientifically predict the outcomes of vermicompost application in different crop production systems. Therefore, additional scientific knowledge is necessary to characterize the functional relationships involved in vermicompost production and the results of its application in soil, leading to a certain quality of use of this organic fertilizer. Contributions to this topic are welcome that report results both from laboratory and field studies concerning earthworm/microorganism/soil/plant interactions at different levels from vermicompost production to application, including those related to crop yield and quality.
Prof. Dr. Gederts Ievinsh
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- vermicompost
- organic fertilizer
- sustainable crop production
- soil sustainability
- mineral nutrition
- microbiological activity
- organic farming
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Related Special Issue
- Vermicompost in Sustainable Crop Production in Agriculture (9 articles)
