COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF (VERMI)COMPOST USING LUMBRICIDAE UNDER CONTROLLED CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
The indoor arrangement with low temperature heating by means of a concrete slab floor, allows for total control of temperature and humidity, two factors of important influence on conversion rate, growth rate and reproduction For temperate climates this method of vermicomposting presents itself as the only one guaranteeing a constant production rate and a product of consistent, well converted quality. Side benefits include protection against predators and the absence of weed seeds and other impurities.
Analysis showing elevated levels of available plant nutrients as compared to other composts will be presented, as well as the results of tests indicating high microbial contents. Beneficial effects on plant growth, tentatively ascribed to this microbial activity, are illustrated with growth experiments.
Besides the horsemanure and cowdung used for the productionline, various other substrates are experimented with on a small scale. These include roughly sieved municipal solid waste, waste from the food processing industry, organic household refuse collected separately and the affluent of a methane digestor. The latter in view of future prospects of the combination of methane digestion and vermicomposting in the handling of solid city refuse and piggery waste.
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1985.172.26
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1985.172.26