A comparative study on the effects of using select animal manure as vermicomposting bedding and vermicast for the growth of Eudrilus eugeniae (African night crawler) and Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis (pechay)

Vermicomposting is a waste management practice that uses earthworms to digest and decompose organic materials such as manure and compost (food or plant) to create vermicast. Vermicast is a better alternative to chemical fertilizer because it increases soil fertility without negatively affecting soil and water quality. The present work focused on determining which among the manures of cow, goat, and pig is able to produce vermicast that is best for the cultivation of Brassica rapa susp. chinensis (Pechay) while increasing the biomass of Eudrilus eugeniae. Statistical analysis using one - way ANOVA showed that E. eugeniae in pig manure was able to increase in worm biomass post - vermicomposting (F (1, 4) = 7.36, p = 0.05), while pig manure vermicast when used as a bedding medium (50 % vermicast : 50 % garden soil) was able to cultivate pechay with bigger leaf height (M = 6.39, SD =0.89) and width (M = 6.78, SD = 0.87) upon post hoc analysis using Tukey’s HSD. Moreover, physical observation of B. rapa on the 36th day after sowing grown in pig vermicast had bigger and greener leaves when compared to the samples grown using cow and goat vermicast. The results present that pig manure is a better bedding medium than cow and goat manure because it was able to enhance important parameters of vermicomposting namely, worm biomass and growth of crops