MANURE

TYPES OF MANURE
:VERMI COMPOSTING :GREEN MANURE
 WHAT IS A MANURE?
Manure is organic matter, mostly derived from animal except in the case of green
manure, which can be used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to
the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that
are utilised by bacteria, fungi and other organisms in the soil. Higher organisms then
feed on the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food web.
 TYPES OF MANURES
GREEN MANURE
Green manures are crops grown for the express purpose of ploughing them in,
thus increasing fertility through the incorporation of nutrients and organic matter
into the soil. Leguminous plants such as clover are often used for this, as they fix
nitrogen using Rhizobia bacteria in specialized nodes in the root structure.
Other types of plant matter used as manure include the contents of
the rumens of slaughtered ruminants, spent grain and seaweed
In agriculture, green manure is created by leaving uprooted or sown crop parts to
wither on a field so that they serve as a mulch and soil amendment. The plants
used for green manure are often cover crops grown primarily for this purpose.
Typically, they are ploughed under and incorporated into the soil while green or
shortly after flowering. Green manure is commonly associated with organic
farming and can play an important role in sustainable annual cropping systems.
 VERMI COMPOSTING
Vermicomposting is the product of the composting process using various species of worms,
usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a heterogeneous mixture of
decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermi cast. This process of producing
vermi compost is called vermicomposting.
Vermicast is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by an earthworm. These castings
have been shown to contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients
than do organic materials before vermicomposting.
Vermicompost contains water-soluble nutrients and is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic
fertilizer and soil conditioner. It is used in farming and small scale sustainable, organic farming.
Vermicomposting can also be applied for treatment of sewage sludge. Furthermore, a variation of
the process is vermifiltration which is used to remove organic matter, pathogens and oxygen
demand from wastewater or directly from blackwater of flush toilets.
 NCERT PART OF MANURE
Manure contains large quantities of organic matter and also supplies small quantities of
nutrients to the soil. Manure is prepared by the decomposition of animal excreta and plant
waste. Manure helps in enriching soil with nutrients and organic matter and increasing soil
fertility. The bulk of organic matter in manure helps in improving the soil structure. This
involves increasing the water holding capacity in sandy soil. In clayey soils, the large quantities
of organic matter help in drainage and in avoiding water logging .
In using manure we use biological waste material, which is advantageous in protecting our
environment from excessive use of fertilizers. Using biological waste material is also a way of
biological material used, manure can be classified as:
(i) Compost and vermi-compost: the process in which farm waste material like livestock
excreta, domestic waste, etc is decomposed in pits is known as composting. The compost is
rich in organic matter and nutrients. Compost is also prepared by using earthworms to hasten
the process of decomposition of plant and animal refuse. This is called vermi-compost.
(ii)Green manure: prior to the sowing of the crop seeds, some plants like sun hemp or guar are
grown and hen mulched by ploughing them into the soil. These green plants thus turn into
green manure which helps in enriching the soil in nitrogen and phosphorus.
 NOW ANSWER THE FEW QUESTIONS

Q1: Write one limitation of manure ?

Q2: Define vermicomposting ?

ANSWERS
ANS1: Manures are bulky material difficult to store and
transport/ Sparingly soluble in water. Hence plant cannot
absorb them easily.
ANS2:The degradation of organic waste through consumption
by the eathworm is called vermicomposting.