Microbial respiration and nitrogen mineralization in soil amended with different proportions of vermicompost and coir dust

Abstract

The effect of different combinations of vermicompost and coir dust on microbial respiration and nitrogen mineralization in soil was studied under laboratory conditions. Treatment with 75% vermicompost and 25% coir dust (T2) demonstrated the highest carbon mineralization and NH+4-N contents followed by treatment T1 (100% vermicompost) and T3 (50% vermicompost and 50% coir dust). Despite the varied NO3-N contents at the initial stages of incubation, the NO3-N content steadily increased for all the treatments at day 49 onwards. The highest NO3-N content was observed in T1 followed by that in T2 and T3. Such studies need be conducted under field conditions to reach a definite conclusion. Key Words: Vermicompost; coir dust; mineralization. DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v34i4.5830Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 34(4) : 537-543, December 2009

Effect of Vermicompost and Nitrogen on N, K, Na Uptakes and Growth of Sugarcane in Saline Soil

“…In contrast, the soil contains very high EC (4.12 dS/m) and exchangeable sodium (1.68%). The high EC value of the soil might be due to irrigation or intrusion of Copyright © 2020 Universitas Brawijaya sea water. The site of collected soil sample is part of northern Java Sea and the distance is about 0.5 km from the sea.…”

“…High salt content in soil elevates high osmotic potential of the soil solution that inhibits water and nutrient uptake (Maie Mohsen, Abo-Kora, & Abeer Kassem, 2016). Many researchers reported the role of vermicompost in alleviating negative characteristics of degraded saline soil Copyright © 2020 Universitas Brawijaya (Deng, Meng, Li, Wu, & Li, 2018;Oo, Iwai, & Saenjan, 2015;Sandoval, Martínez, & Torres, 2015) which resulted in increasing growth of many crops (Akhzari, Pessarakli, & Khedmati, 2016;Elayaraja & Singaravel, 2017Thiruneelakandan & Subbulakshmi, 2014.…”

Effects of Fertigation and Water Application Frequency on Yield, Water and Fertilizer Use Efficiency of Chili (Capsicum annuum L.).

“…Coir dust has been reported to improve soil water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and reduce bulk density of the soil [2] because it can absorb 8 times of water relative to its weight [3]. Incorporating coir dust at 2% of the soil weight was able to increase soil water holding capacity by 40% [4].…”

Evaluation of Proportions of Vermicompost and Coir in a Medium for Container-Grown Swiss Chard

“…The coir and other plant-and/or animalbased feedstocks can be combined during the vermicomposting process (Vijaya et al, 2008), or vermicompost can be added to the coir substrate (Walpola and Wanniarachchi, 2009). Although there is evidence confirming the efficacy of vermicompost on plant growth and yield (Edwards, 1998), information on variations in physicochemical properties of media with different proportions of vermicompost and coir and their comparative effects on plant growth is scarce.…”

“…They recommended further studies to standardize the ratio of vermicompost and coir dust in a medium for optimum plant growth. Walpola and Wanniarachchi (2009) determined the microbial respiration and nitrogen mineralization in mixtures of vermicompost and coir dust in varying proportions but did not evaluate their physical properties or effects on plant growth. This study was undertaken to determine the proportion of vermicompost and coir mix providing the most suitable plant nutrient-air-water condition for growing potted greens.…”