Assessment of different organic supplements for degradation of Parthenium hysterophorus by vermitechnology

Globally, there are a number of treatments indicated for the control of invasive alien plant species like parthenium. The production and use of vermicomposts from weeds or other wastes in agriculture is economical and eco-friendly. The unique advantage of using vermicomposting is that it helps to build and sustain soil condition and fertility for sustainable agricultural activities. The present study was an attempt to produce the vermicompost from Parthenium, farm and animal wastes and to analyze its nutrient content and suitability to be used as manure. The raw materials Parthenium, farm and animal wastes were collected and decomposed by tank method using Eisenia foetida. There were four different treatments in three replications of parthenium mixed with farm wastes and animal manures @10:1:1 ratio. The pH, organic carbon, organic matter, macro and micro nutrients and exchangeable bases were analyzed by standard methods. Addition of different farm and animal wastes helped to degrade the Parthenium and improve the nutrient value. Different treatments have shown improvements in the degraded product in terms of pH, organic carbon, organic matter, macro and micro nutrients and exchangeable bases. The vermicompost was found to have a good quality comparable to any organic manure. The results revealed the economic feasibility of the vermicompost (the organic manure) production as it uses the locally available materials and eco friendly nature of its technology. This methodology can be adopted by farmers to improve the crop productivity and maintain the soil fertility using the locally available organic waste materials.