Vermicomposting of agro-industrial waste by-product of thesugar industry

Abstract

The objective of the study was to investigate the survival of earthworm Eisenia fetida duringvermicomposting of Sugar Industry wastes. These wastes are called Decanter sludge (DS) andPress filter waste soil (PKF). To achieve the objective a laboratory-based experiment wasperformed 12 weeks under controlled conditions. Eleven different mixtures were preparedby mixing DS, PKF and farmyard manure (FYM) in different ratios. During the incubationtime, earthworms survived in treatments which included less than 50% DS or 50% PKF. Thenumber of earthworms increased significantly in all treatments from 6 to 90 (P