Zoologists prepare crop-specific organic fertilizer in Uttar Pradesh

Gorakhpur, July 10(ANI): Zoologists in Uttar Pradesh's Deen Dayal Upadhyaya University have prepared a crop-specific organic fertilizer or vermicompost to get one of the best options available for the treatment of organics-rich solid wastes.

Vermicomposting technology is one of the best options available for the treatment of organics-rich solid wastes.

The vermicompost has been prepared with the help of earthworm (Eisenia foetida), which are adapted to decaying organic material and are generally used for vermicomposting.

While speaking to mediapersons, Keshav Singh, project spokesperson of the zoological department of the University said that vermicompost is a bio-fertiliser that are produced as the vermicast by the earthworms, which feeds on biological waste material such as plant residues, agricultural wastes.

"We have taken dung of various animals like cows, buffaloes, sheep, and added the agro waste of crops like paddy and grams, and further added the vegetable wastes and prepared a vermicompost," Singh said.

"When we used this compost for different crops, we found that different types of the combination of vermicompost has some special types of combination, which are very useful for the growth, flowering and productivity of particular crops," he added.

The specific combination of vermicomposting like the combination of the agro waste of gram and buffalo dung are effective for the productivity of wheat, whereas the combination of cow dung and vegetable wastes are useful for the yield of paddy crops.

Vermicomposting is non-hazardous and eco-friendly.

"We can train the youths of below poverty line (BPL) or the weaker sections of the rural areas. We can prepare vermicompost for them and also we can guide them about the marketing and production of these compost so that they can earn money and thus it could help them in improving their socio-economic condition," Singh said.

He added that the extract taken out from the compost is called 'vermiwash' and acts as a pest infestation.

The compost consists of several micronutrients, which is preferred nutrient source of organic farming and are thus essential for plant growth. (ANI)