literature review for vermiculture

Suitability of vermicomposting for different varieties of organic waste: a systematic literature review (2012–2021)

• Published: 02 November 2022
• Volume 12 , pages 581–602, ( 2022 )

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• Kishor Kumar Maharjan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8421-1475 1 , 2 ,
• Prakrit Noppradit 1 &
• Kuaanan Techato 1  

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The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of vermicomposting for various types of organic waste based on earthworm growth and reproduction as well as nutrient content in final vermicompost. The study was also focused on the kinds of earthworms employed in the research, the countries where vermicomposting research was done, and fundamental operating conditions. To fulfill these aims, we developed research questions and used two reputable databases, namely, SCOPUS and Science Direct. We developed inclusion and exclusion criteria and the papers were taken from the years between 2012 and 2021. This study identified the majority of vermicomposting research related to waste management was conducted in Asian countries (55%) where India has the highest number of paper publications (35%). Research in the field of vermicomposting grew continuously from 2017. Furthermore, Eisenia fetida is a commonly used species for vermicomposting. The majority of vermicomposting experiments were conducted on animal waste, followed by sewage and industrial sludge. According to existing literature, almost all organic wastes can be used for vermicomposting. However, before being used as earthworm feed, these wastes should be pre-composted and should mix with secondary waste in proper proportions. Eighty percent of the papers suggested the importance of pre-composting or treatment before the actual vermicomposting starts.

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This research was supported by Graduate School, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, for which the authors highly acknowledge. Authors are grateful to Prince of Songkla University for necessary library facilities.

Financial support was received from Graduate School, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.

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All authors had contributed to the study. The contributions were as follows:

Kishor Kumar Maharjan: conceptualization, methodology, writing—original draft, data curation, formal analysis. Prakrit Noppradit: review and editing, supervision. Kuaanan Techato: review and editing, supervision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Maharjan, K.K., Noppradit, P. & Techato, K. Suitability of vermicomposting for different varieties of organic waste: a systematic literature review (2012–2021). Org. Agr. 12 , 581–602 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-022-00413-2

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1. Introduction

Not to be confused with a book review, a  literature review  surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings, reports) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work. The purpose is to offer an overview of and background on significant literature published on a topic.

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Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages:

• Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being explored
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• Analysis and interpretation—discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature

Literature reviews should comprise the following elements:

• An overview of the subject, issue or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review
• Division of works under review into categories (e.g. those in support of a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative theses entirely)
• Explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others
• Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research

3. Definition and Use/Purpose

A literature review may constitute an essential chapter of a thesis or dissertation, or may be a self-contained review of writings on a subject. In either case, its purpose is to:

• Place each work in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the subject under review
• Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration
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• Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort
• Point the way forward for further research
• Place one's original work (in the case of theses or dissertations) in the context of existing literature

The literature review itself, however, does not present new  primary  scholarship. 

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Meriam Library | CSU, Chico

OVERVIEW OF EARTHWORM CASTS AND A COMPARISON WITH COMPOST

WASTE PROCESSING BY EARTHWORMS

Optimal conditions for earthworm activity

·   Cool temperature: between 0 and 35 o C

·   Not too much water (85% moisture)

Mineralization in the earthworm gut

·   As feed passes through the earthworm gut the material is mineralized and plant nutrients are available.   The grinding effect of the gizzard and the passage through the gut leads to the formation of a granule (15) (16) .

·   Casts have a structure that is similar to a slow release granule: it has an organic matter core and a clay casing (1) .

Casts benefit to plants  

·   Casts contain the necessary nutrients for plant growth: when added in sufficient amounts, as in   4 -10 Kg casts / m 2 , casts can out-yield NPK fertilizers (100 Kg N / m 2 ) (13) .

·   Casts increase plant dry weight and N, P, Mg and K uptake from the soil (12) .

·   The presence of earthworms increases plant growth and N uptake as opposed to unfertilized soil (19) .

·   Casts have a hormone-like effect that increases germination and growth rate (14) .

Waste preparation for processing by earthworms

·   Organic debris are more palatable to earthworms if it’s fresh or incubated for up to 2 weeks.   The particle size of organic matter doesn’t matter (23) .

·   Earthworms have less requirements than microbes in processing carbon and nitrogen (24) .   The   C:N ratio which results in the most stable earthworm casts is 25 ( Ndegwa and Thompson, 2000).

·   High salinity levels and alkalinity harm earthworms. Earthworms are also sensitive to pesticides (25) .

Types of earthworms used

·   Earthworms are chosen for their resistance to extreme conditions and feeding and reproductive rate.   They also need to survive handling.

·   Eisenia foetida is the most efficient in waste processing, while Eudrilus eugeniae is large, fast growing, reasonably prolific and would be ideal for protein production Eudrilus eugenia (17) .

CASTS OR COMPOST?

Both are organic products which provide the plant with nutrients, good soil aeration and other un-identified advantages (the “organic matter effect”) (10) .

Comparison as to plant nutrients

·   Plants treated with compost may still show N deficiency, even when synthetic fertilizer is added.   His is due to N immobilization: microorganisms in compost use N for their metabolism (3) .

·   More decomposition ( Lignolysis ) occurs and higher levels of Nitrogen are reached when waste is fed to worms than in composting.   Casts also increase protein synthesis in plants (7) .

·   Compost can be an incomplete fertilizer, most plants have a an increase in yield with the addition of compost, organic N sources can cause a short term yield decrease (18) .

Comparison as to the timing of nutrient release

·     Slow nutrient release is more synchronized with plant needs, and leads to higher yields (9) .

·   In my master’s thesis ( Chaoui   et al, 2003) I showed that casts show a slower nutrient release rate than   compost, possibly explaining the higher plant weight to nutrient content ratio.

Comparison as to salinity level

·   Ammonium is the main contributor to salinity levels.

·   High salinity levels cause osmotic drought.

·   NH 4 levels are high in fresh casts but casts stabilize after 2 weeks of aging through nitrification.   The acidity level in casts is slightly low, which reduces denitrification (5) . Salinity levels are moderate in casts, since passage through the earthworm gut does not increase the level of some salts (Ca, Mg, Na ) (2) .

·   Some composts have high concentrations of ammonium or soluble salts (6) .   There are larger amounts of NH 4 than NO 3 in composted domestic waste.   High Levels of NH 4 are due to non-stabilized substances (4) .    Immature (unfinished) compost can stunt or kill plants, and reduce germination and growth (11) .  

Comparison as to pathogens

·   Recycling organic waste through earthworms also results in a product with a lower pathogen level than compost (8) .

·   Since high temperature are not part of the earthworm cast production process disease suppressing microorganisms that may be present in this material survives in the absence of heat (20) .

·   Some composts are suppressive of plant pathogens but heating them to 60 o C for five days reduced suppressiveness . This is why some composts need to be inoculated with disease suppressing microorganisms.    Adding nutrients (i.e. reducing competition) also reduces disease suppression by composts (21) .

Comparing Earthworm Casts and Compost as to their processes

Comparison as to time and volume requirement

·   Earthworms eat 75% of their weight daily ( Ndegwa , 1999) and the speed or earthworm casts production can be increased by increasing the amount of earthworms.   The layer of waste needs to be 1 ft or thinner to prevent anaerobic conditions which hinder earthworm activity.

·   A compost pile needs to be 3 cubed feet to hold heat in winter and takes 3-4 months to be cured (22) .

Comparison as to odor problem

·   Odorous gases are emitted as compost piles heat up. Specific layering of composting material needs to be used to prevent odor.

·   Earthworms don’t require heat to process waste (heat is actually detrimental).   In the correct waste to worms ratio fermentation and heat can be prevented, and also odor or flies.

Aeration requirements

·   Compost needs aeration (and labor) to maintain aerobic conditions for microbial activity.

·   Worms dig canals (burrows) as they process waste which indirectly aerates the processed material.

Literature review on which the above outline is based:

      References: