By
Saurav KR. Mishra
The use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture degrades soil
quality and affects the environment adversely. Such fertilizers contain
toxic elements that lower soil fertility.
To prevent such degradation of
soil and improve crop yield in an eco-friendly way, farmers are using
non-toxic organic farming products. They are using worm compost instead
of chemical fertilizers.
Worm compost is organic manure, which is
rich in nutrients and serves as a soil conditioner. It enhances the
growth of crops and raises soil quality. Worm composting is the process
of making this manure.
In this process, worms develop a
nutrient-rich fertilizer from organic waste. Commonly used worms for
this process are earthworms, white worms and red wigglers.
The resultant
manure obtained from this process has greater content of nutrients than
other types of fertilizers. It is a means of balanced nutrients for
plants, unlike other types of fertilizers.
The key benefits of using worm compost in agriculture are:
Organic:
The
compost is completely organic as earthworms produce it. It does not
contain any harmful chemicals. You do not need to mix the manure with
any other fertilizer.
Nutritious:
The nutrients in the
manure promote plant growth. The roots of crops absorb the compost
nutrients very easily. The worm mucus present in the compost prevents
flushing of the compost from the soil. Hence, plants can get the manure
nutrients for a long time.
This is one of the benefits of the manure,
over chemical fertilizers. In chemical fertilizers, the fertilizer
flushes away quite easily from the soil.
Healthier Plants:
The
compost makes plants healthy, thereby reducing pesticide need. The
reduced use of pesticides helps soil to recover rapidly and initiates an
improvement cycle in the soil. On the other hand, use of chemical
fertilizers continuously, deteriorates soil quality.
They do not cause
any improvement in plant health. They result in build up of salts and
ammonia, which decrease plants' resistance to diseases.
Crop Growth:
Earthworm
compost consists of growth hormones for plants that promote plant
growth. These hormones enhance seed germination and result in stronger
plants. Chemical fertilizers have no such growth hormones. Use of the
compost results in growth of healthy roots and improves yield of crops.
Water Retention:
The
worm compost organic manure is a colloid and retains a large amount of
water. This characteristic of the manure is quite helpful to plants in
times of dry weather. As the water is present at the organic level, it
evaporates quite slowly. This allows plants to use the water for a long
time.
Slow Release of Nutrients:
Chemical fertilizers have a
large amount of nutrients, but rain washes them away quite easily.
Hence, the nutrients are not available to plants. In case of worm
compost, the manure does not drain easily.
It retains the nutrients and
releases them slowly. This enables the crops to get the essential
nutrients for a long time.
The earthworm compost is extremely
beneficial for crop growth and soil fertility. Owing to the advantages
of the manure, farmers are using it widely for agricultural purposes
throughout the world.
Saurav Kr Mishra writes articles on agricultural techniques and products. In this article, he/she has written about
worm compost organic manure, which is a great source of
balanced nutrients for plants.