ROHINI GUPTA AND TEJPAL DAHIYA*
Department of Zoology, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Chaudhary Charan Singh Agricultural University, Hisar-125001 Haryana, India
*(e-mail : dahiyahau@gmail.com)
(Received : 9 April 2026; Accepted : 19 June 2026)
SUMMARY
Earthworms play an important role in the ecosystem which can decompose any kind of biodegradable waste. A large amount of rice straw is generated every year which is usually burnt in the field and causes a lot of air pollution, climate change, loss of soil fertility and many health-related problems. Due to this reason, the present study was carried out to determine the nutrient status of vermicompost produced from rice straw using Eisenia fetida and its effect on growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum) crop. Rice straw was mixed with cow dung as: 10% rice straw + 90% cow dung, 20% rice straw + 80% cow dung, 30% rice straw + 70% cow dung and only cow dung. The maximum growth and reproduction of E. fetida occurred in 10% rice straw with 90% cow dung mixture. Hence, it can be concluded that vermicompost is an appropriate alternative to chemical fertilizers.
Key words: Eisenia fetida; rice straw; vermicomposting; Growth; fecundity; reproduction; population