Reseach proposal

School of Agriculture Research proposal Chapter 1 Tittle: Comparison of plant nutrient contents in vermicompost from selected plant species residues Names: Ramudzuli Oscar Student #: 11636095 Supervisor: prof JJO Odhiambo 1. Tittle: Comparison of plant nutrient contents in vermicompost from selected plant species residues 2. Introduction into the general topic Many of the agricultural industries start to adopt application of plant residues as a natural fertilizers, this involves application of compost, cattle dug, and other animal waste. The yearly plant residues of different plant species generated by the world population including agricultural industries, it was estimated to be approximately above 3.4 billons tones (Lal,2005). This large amount of different plant residues of different plant species may serve as a source of plant nutrients as an application of vermicompost. Vermicompost is the product of using worms, especially red wiggler, E.Fertida, night crawlers and other earthworms to make heterogeneous mixture of decomposing bedding materials, food waste and vermicast (Applehof, mary.2007).where vermicast is the End-product of breaking down of organic matter by earthworms eg. Worm casting, worm humus and worm manure (Applelhof,mary.2007). vermicompost contains water-soluble plant nutrients which are also rich in organic fertilizers ( Applelhof and mary, 2007). Continuously application of chemical fertilizers may results in poor soil quality, soil may turn into pests habitat and diseases, and it may cause environmental pollution eg. Water pollution and soil’s Acidity (Ismail, S.A. 1992). Therefore vermicomposting recycle organic matter into wealth, improving soil and health of macro-micro-organisms in the soils, and then, this may eliminate application of chemical fertilizers (Ansari, A.A.2008). Most of the area of the fertile soils in this planet has passed through the body of the earthworms (Charles Darwin, John Murray, London, 1881). However, plant residues contains different sizes, palatability, proteins, fiber and some contain special plant metabolites which may influence performance and growth of the earthworms in the composting processes (suthar,2007). These factors may affect the quality of vermicomposting produced. The following plant species residues may be used in vermicomposting processes to produce a matured vermicast, which are Cape Ashe, Muvhale and Avocado plant species leafs. Muvhale ( Eryhtrina Lysistemon), is a delicious tree in the pea family, which originated from south Africa, common names are, Umsints (xhosa), Umsinsi(zulu). It provides food and shelter for variety of birds, animals and insects (Braam van wyk, Piet van wyk. 1997). The analysis of plant nutrients from three different soil type with Eryhtrina plant species residues vermicompost was tested and found that, it contains highest Nitrogen as compared to, Phosphorus, Potassium, magnesium and Calcium as plant nutrients content ( kass et al, 1989, Szott, 1987 and Salazer, 1991). Avocado (persea Americana), is a tree to Mexico Central America, is classified in the flowering plant family. Is a fruit contains only a single seed (The plant list, Version 1. 2010). Is one of the vegetable trees which contains high amount of nitrogen (Thesis worldpress Theme plant list, 2010). Cape Ash ( Ekebergia capensis). Is one of tree of Meliaceae family. It is commonly known as the Cape Ash, it range extends from the eastern cape of south Africa to sudan and Ethiopia(Poeley E,1993). Vermicompost may offer an insight into influence of initial materials on the nutrient status based on the understanding of the different quality of vermicompost produced from selected plant residues. The study would be done to tests plant nutrient contents in vermicomosts of different plant residues namely, Avocado, Cape Ash and Muvhale plant leafs. 3. Problem of statement Low soil fertility is the one of the biggest challenge which faces both extensive and intensive farmer’s holders worldwide. Most farmers’ holders continuously use chemical fertilizers to maintain or balance nutrient status of their soils, and this would harm the soil bit by bit, through soil acidity, pests and diseases, and water pollution as well, and these commercial fertilizers are expensive, mostly in an extensive farmers, they cannot afford to buy them, and are also highly to be leached by heavy rains than vermicompost. The application of vermicomost could be the solution of these problems, through maintaining adequate nutrients status in the soils. Vermicompost is a natural process which would not harm the soils, through soil acidity and the imbalanced of soil nutrient status. 4. Justification The cost of vermicompost is simply low as compared to chemical fertilizers, while it is produced from the cheap raw materils, and then, vermicompost can be produced in farms by all farmers, big and small farmers, while the chemical fertilizers are produced in factories at high economic and environmental cost (Am-Euras j, & environ. 2009). This means that vermicompost can be affordable by all farmers and the worms itself becomes economically valuable products for the farmers to be sold to fishery, poultry, dairy and pharmaceutical industries. Also a vermicompost has an influence on crop yield and production, results in balanced in food security, and eliminates the use of chemical fertilizers, and soil acidity and as well as water pollution (Bingham S, 2007). 5. Research question Which one of the three vermicompost has the highest plant extractable nutrients contents? 6. Hypothesis (a). vermicomposting of Cape Ash leafs has highest plant extractable nutrient content than Avocado and Muvhale vermicomposting plant residues (b). vermicomposting of avocado leafs has highest plant extractable nutrient content than Cape Ash and Muvhale vermicomposting plant residues (c). vermicomposting of Muvhale leafs has highest plant extractable nutrient content than Avocado and Cape Ash vermicomposting plant residues 6.1. Main objective To compare plant nutrients in three different Vermicompost 6.2. Specific objective (a). To examine N:P:K ratio in three different Vermicompost (b). To analyze ph, Ca2+, Mg2+ in three different vermiompost References (1). Lal R (2005). World crop residual production and implications of its use as biofuel. Environ. Int. 31:575-584 (2). Appelhof and mary. (2007). Worms ate my cabbage, 2nd ed. Kalamazoo mich: Howerfield enterprises (3). Ismail, S.A. (1992). Vermitech: The Science of Earthworm Biotechnology.In: Ecotechnology for pollution control and environmental management (eds. R.K. Trivedy and Arbindkumar) . Enviro. Media, Karad., 109 – 113 pp. (4). Ansari, A.A. (2008). Effect of vermicompost and vermiwash on the productivity of spinach (Spinacia oleracea), onion (Allium cepa) and potato (Solanum tuberosum). World. J. Agric. Sci., 4(5) : 554 – 557. (5). Charles Darwin, John Murray, London, 1881; Faber and Faber, London, 1945; Introduction by Sir Albert Howard; 1976. The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms with Observations on their Habits (6). Suthar S (2007). Nutrient changes and biodynamicfs of epigeic earth-worm Perionyx excavatus (Perrier) during recycling of some agricul-tural waste. Bioresour (7). Braam van wyk, Piet van wyk. 1997. Field guide to trees of South Africa. Striuk publisher. (8). Kass, D.L., Barrantes, A., Bermudez, W., Campos, W., Jimenez, M. and Sanchez, J. (1989) Resultados de sies anos de investigacio de cultivo en callegjones (alley cropping) en "La Montana". Turrialba, Costa Rica. El Chasqui 19, 5-14. (9). Szott, L.T. (1987) Improving productivity of shifting cultivation in the Amazon Basin of Peru through the use of leguminous vegetation. PhD thesis, Department of Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA, 168 pp. (10). Salazar, A. (1991) Cultivo en callejones, algunos resultados de investigación en Yurimaguas, Cuenca Amazonica de Peru. Presented at meeting of Red de Investigadores de Suelos del Tropico (RISTROP), San Jose, Costa Rica. (11). The plant list version 1. Royal botanical gardens, kew and Missouri botanical garden 2010 (12). Am-Euras,J.Agric and Environ scie. 2009: Environmental of crop production by vermicompost: Economical and Environmental sustainable over chemical Agriculture. (13). Bingham, S (2007), Pesticides in rivers and groundwater. Environment Agency, UK. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.