Vermicomposting of crop residues and cattle dung with Eisenia foetida

We studied vermicomposting with Eisenia foetida of mustard residues and sug arcane trash mixed with cattle dung in a 90-day composting experiment. Verm icomposting resulted in significant reduction in C:N ratio and increase in mineral N, after 90 days of composting, over treatments uninoculated with e arthworms. Microbial activity, as measured by dehydrogenase assay, increase d up to 60 days and declined on further incubation. There was more total N in the compost prepared by earthworm inoculation. However, the differences were not significant. Total P, K and Cu contents did not differ in compost prepared with earthworm inoculation from the uninoculated treatments. (C) 2 000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.