Mineralization and nutrient release pattern of vermicast-sawdust mixed media with or without addition of Trichoderma viride

Abstract

A combination of vermicast and sawdust mixed medium is commonly used in horticulture, but the added benefit of microbial inoculation and mechanism of nutrient availability are unknown. This study was done to determine nutrient mineralization and nutrient release patterns of different combinations or a mix of vermicast-sawdust growing media amended with or without Trichoderma viride (105 spores/g). The mixed-media treatments were (1) 80% vermicast+20% sawdust; (2) 60% vermicast+40% sawdust; (3) 40% vermicast+60% sawdust; (4) 20% vermicast+80% sawdust; and (5) sawdust alone (control). Total dissolved solids, electric conductivity and salinity increased with each sampling time following submergence in deionized. Nutrients released from media without T. viride were significantly higher than the corresponding media with added T. viride. Overall, the starting total nitrogen of the different media did not change during the incubation period, but nitrate-nitrogen was reduced to a negligible amount by the end of day 30 of incubation. A repeated measures analysis showed a significant effect of Time*T. viride*Treatment on total dissolved solids. Redundancy analysis demonstrated a positive and strong association between media composed of ≥40% vermicast and ≤60% sawdust with or without T. viride and mineral nutrients released, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids and salinity. These findings suggest that fast-growing plants may benefit from 40% to 60% vermicast added to 40% to 60% sawdust without T. viride while slow-growing plants can benefit from the same mixed medium combined with the addition of T. viride. Further investigation is underway to assess microbial dynamics in the mixed media and their influence on plant growth.

Growth and Yield of Kale, Swiss chard, Amaranth, and Arugula microgreens in response to different growing medium substrates

“…In agreement with our results, it previously shown that application of mushroom compost enhanced germination rate and seedling growth in cucumber and lettuce plants. 17,18 Furthermore, Lin 16 demonstrated that growth parameters including plant height, leaf number, fresh and dry mass of Swiss chard, pak choi, and kale were drastically enhanced when grown in the mixed media formulated with 60% vermicast + 40% sawdust. [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]…”

“…Mahboub Khomami et al 15 demonstrated that the application of vermicompost-sawdust extract caused a significant increase in yield and mineral nutrients of Syngoniumpodophyllum. A recent study by Lin et al 16 indicated that a combination of 60% vermicast + 40% sawdust mixed growing media noticeably enhanced growth factors including fresh/ dry weight, plant height, and leaf number in Swiss chard, pak choi, and kale microgreens. It was shown that the enhanced growth factors were linked to the positive effects of vermicast-vermicast mixed media on growing media physicochemical factors including enhanced microbial activities and nutrient mineralization.…”

Fungi That Promote Plant Growth in the Rhizosphere Boost Crop Growth

“…In addition to this, Aspergillus awamori and Penicillium digitatum were also reported to solubilize phosphate [ 65 ]. Moreover, T. viride demonstrated how to promote the content of P, N, K, and organic carbon in the soil [ 66 ]. Among the PGPF, Trichoderma sp.…”

Impact of Vermicomposting on Greenhouse Gas Emission: A Short Review

“…This leads to slow nutrient release for an extensive time period. The availability of scientific literature regarding nutrient mineralization and pattern of release is limited [62]. Despite many studies on the effect of earthworms on the soil microbial community, it is still not clear whether the earthworm has its own microbiota or if it originates from the soil.…”