Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-mp689 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T06:11:03.568Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Insect-based compost and vermicompost production, quality and performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2018

Jaime C. Piñero Open the ORCID record for Jaime C. Piñero [Opens in a new window] ,
Traron Shivers ,
Patrick L. Byers  and
Hwei-Yiing Johnson
Jaime C. Piñero*
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research and Extension, Lincoln University, 900 Chestnut Street, Jefferson City, MO65101, USA
Traron Shivers
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research and Extension, Lincoln University, 900 Chestnut Street, Jefferson City, MO65101, USA
Patrick L. Byers
Affiliation:
Cooperative Extension Service, University of Missouri, Marshfield, MO, USA
Hwei-Yiing Johnson
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research and Extension, Lincoln University, 900 Chestnut Street, Jefferson City, MO65101, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Jaime C. Piñero, E-mail: jpinero@umass.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In an attempt to utilize large amounts of Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) that were captured using a mass trapping system, compost using Japanese beetle carcasses was prepared with the layer method. Carbon sources included shredded paper, wood chips and leaves, while the sole nitrogen source was frozen Japanese beetles. In addition, Japanese beetle-based vermicompost was prepared in the greenhouse by mixing the Japanese beetle-based compost with sphagnum peat moss and moist shredded paper and exposing this mixture to composting earthworms (Eisenia fetida). Chemical analyses of the Japanese beetle carcasses indicated that 10.8% of their body weight is nitrogen (N). Analyses of the resulting Japanese beetle-based compost and vermicompost indicated that both types of materials are good quality soil amendments. Greenhouse studies were conducted to quantify the effects of varying proportions of Japanese beetle-based vermicompost and compost mixed with a potting medium and varying dosages of synthetic fertilizer 20-0-0, on mean fresh and dry weight of lettuce shoots and leaf area. Japanese beetle-based compost and vermicompost increased lettuce biomass to an extent that was comparable with the addition of synthetic N-based fertilizer. A mixture of 15 and 30% of each compost type with potting media significantly increased plant weight and leaf area compared with potting medium alone. Results indicate that composting and vermicomposting insect carcasses are a simple, effective and affordable method to augment fertilization in support of organic production.

Keywords

Compostinsect carcasssoil amendmentsustainable agriculturevermicompost
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 102 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

Present address: Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.

References

Al-Batainaa, B, Young, TM and Ranieri, E (2016) Effects of compost age on the release of nutrients. International Soil and Water Conservation Research 4, 230–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alvarenga, P, Mourinha, C, Farto, M, Santos, T, Palma, P, Sengo, J, Morais, MC and Cunha-Queda, C (2015) Sewage sludge, compost and other representative organic wastes as agricultural soil amendments: benefits versus limiting factors. Waste Management 40, 44–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Amlinger, F, Götz, B, Dreher, P, Geszti, J and Weissteiner, C (2003) Nitrogen in biowaste and yard waste compost: dynamics of mobilisation and availability – a review. European Journal of Soil Biology 39, 107–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, AV and Bryson, GM (2006) Nitrogen. In Barker, AV and Pilbeam, DJ (eds), Handbook of Plant Nutrition. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, pp. 21–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bess Dicklow, M and McKeag, L (2018) 2018–2019 New England Region Vegetable Management Guide. New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine and MassachusettsExtension Vegetable Programs.Google Scholar
Bottoms, TG, Smith, RF, Cahn, MD and Hartz, TK (2012) Nitrogen requirements and N status determination of lettuce. HortScience 47, 1768–1774.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brito, LM, Monteiro, JM, Mourão, I and Coutinho, J (2014) Organic lettuce growth and nutrient uptake response to lime, compost, and rock phosphate. Journal of Plant Nutrition 37, 1002–1011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Das, A, Baiswar, P, Patel, DP, Munda, GC, Ghosh, PK, Ngachan, SV, Panwar, AS and Chandra, S (2010) Compost quality prepared from locally available plant biomass and their effect on rice productivity under organic production system. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 34, 466–482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeLuca, TH and DeLuca, DK (1997) Composting for feedlot manure management and soil quality. Journal of Production Agriculture 10, 235–241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diacono, M and Montemurro, F (2010) Long-term effects of organic amendments on soil fertility: a review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 30, 401–422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Egel, D, Foster, RE, Maynard, E, Weinzierl, R, Babadoost, M, O'Malley, P, Nair, A, Rivard, C, Cloyd, R, Kenelly, M, Hutchison, W, Piñero, JC, Welty, C, Doohan, D and Miller, S (2015) Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Extension Publication ID-56.Google Scholar
El-Sayed, GK (2015) Some physical and chemical properties of compost. International Journal of Waste Resources 5, 172.Google Scholar
Epstein, E (1997) The Science of Composting. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press LLC, p. 504.Google Scholar
Evanylo, G, Sherony, C, Spargo, J, Starner, D, Brosius, M and Haering, K (2008) Soil and water environmental effects of fertilizer-, manure-, and compost-based fertility practices in an organic vegetable cropping system. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 127, 50–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fageria, NK (2016) Nitrogen Management in Crop Production. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, p. 436.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2015) World Fertilizer Trends and Outlook to 2018. Rome, Italy: Bernan Distribution / Food and Agriculture Organization.Google Scholar
Gaskell, M and Smith, R (2007) Nitrogen sources for organic vegetable crops. HortTechnology 17, 431–441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haug, RT (1993) The Practical Handbook of Compost Engineering. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: CRC Press, LLC, p. 752.Google Scholar
Illera-Vives, M, Seoane Labandeira, S, Iglesias Loureiro, L and López-Mosquera, ME (2017) Agronomic assessment of a compost consisting of seaweed and fish waste as an organic fertilizer for organic potato crops. Journal of Applied Phycology 29, 1663–1671.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mahlangu, RIS, Maboko, MM, Sivakumar, D, Soundy, P and Jifon, J (2016) Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth, yield and quality response to nitrogen fertilization in a non-circulating hydroponic system. Journal of Plant Nutrition 39, 1766–1775.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Majtan, J, Bilikova, K, Markovic, O, Grof, J, Kogan, G and Simuth, J (2007) Isolation and characterization of chitin from bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 40, 237–241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Academy of Sciences (2010) Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century. Washington, DC, USA: Committee on Twenty-First Century Systems Agriculture Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources Division on Earth and Life Studies. National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Ozimek, L, Sauer, WC, Kozikowski, V, Ryan, JK, JØrgensen, H and Jelen, P (1985) Nutritive value of protein extracted from honey bees. Journal of Food Science 50, 1327–1329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Piñero, JC and Dudenhoeffer, AP (2018) Mass trapping designs for organic control of the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Pest Management Science 74, 1687–1693.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rynk, R and Sailus, M (1992) On-Farm Composting Handbook. Ithaca, NY, USA: Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service, NRAES-54. Cooperative Extension.Google Scholar
StatSoft (2001) STATISTICA (data analysis software system), version 6. Available at http://www.statsoft.com.Google Scholar
Studier, EH and Sevick, SH (1992) Live mass, water content, nitrogen and mineral levels in some insects from south-central lower Michigan. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 103A, 579–595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar