Search Results (2)

Due to increasing soil degradation caused by unsustainable agricultural practices and the continued demand for quality food for the human population, it is imperative to find sustainable strategies for high-quality food production. For this reason, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the interaction between the factors of consortium of phosphorus-solubilizing rhizobacteria, addition of phosphate rock and worm load in horse manure to produce an organic fertilizer fortified with phosphorus. For this, consortia of phosphate-solubilizing rhizobacteria of the genus Bacillus (Bacillus aryabhattai, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus) isolated from the rhizosphere of Distichlis spicata were inoculated. Igneous phosphate rock (0 and 2%) was added in the vermicomposting process (with 25 and 50 g of E. fetida worms per kg of horse manure). The results obtained show that there is a significant interaction between the factors of inoculation with bacterial consortia (1 × 10⁸ CFU mL⁻¹), phosphate rock (2%) and earthworm biomass (50 g kg⁻¹ of manure), and that this interaction promotes the production of assimilable forms of phosphorus for plants (such as monobasic phosphate ions H₂PO₄⁻¹ or dibasic phosphate ions HPO₄⁻²) within the vermicomposting process, having as a product an organic substrate supplemented with the optimal nutritional requirements for the development and growth of crops. This work can serve as a basis to produce high-quality organic fertilizer. However, field studies are required in order to observe the impact of vermicompost on the yield and quality of the fruits, and it can be compared with other types of fertilizers and the relevance of their use in different types of climates. Full article

Vermicomposting using Eisenia fetida has been shown to improve phosphorus mineralization from rock phosphate (RP). There is, however, a lack of information on the potential of integrating microbial inoculants like phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) during vermicomposting as a way of improving vermidegradation, and the release of nutrients from igneous RP-amended composts. This study evaluated the potential of using Eisenia fetida and Pseudomonas fluorescence in enhancing the vermidegradation, and nutrient release in igneous RP- amended cow and pig manure-based vermicomposts at a C/N ratio of 30. Compost maturity, nutrient and phytotoxicity parameters were measured to determine vermicompost quality. Final vermicompost results showed that the pig manure treatments achieved greater maturity as indicated by lower C/N of 10.3, high humification index (HI) of 7.6%, and humification ratio (HR) of 12.89% in the treatment with E. fetida and P. fluorescence. The inclusion of E. fetida alone in cow manure treatment resulted in the highest Olsen P of 2600 mg/kg, followed by the pig manure treatment with E. fetida only (2246.15 mg/kg). In conclusion, both E. fetida and P. fluorescence are necessary in the vermicomposting of RP-enriched pig and cow manure for efficient vermi-degradation and nutrient release. Full article