Understanding the role of vermicompost microbial diversity in agriculture

Soils act as a major reservoir of microbes belonging to different groups, namely bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. Organic matter decomposed by microbial diversity play a significant role in the growth development and yield of plants. Earthworm, which is well known as a farmer’s friend, has a great symbiotic relationship with the microbial flora present in the soil. The presence of earthworms in the soil influences the microbial community and density, which helps in accelerating and improving soil fertility. Microbes, together with earthworms, are more effective in mineralising and humifying organic matter, which is further responsible for a highly fertile soil. A clear picture about the actual microbial diversity in vermicopmpost is yet to be uncovered. Deciphering the native microflora of vermicopost and its specific role in the productivity of crop plants could be the enticing phenomenon. This work was started to figure out the major microbial diversity involved in vermicomposting compared with natural compost and simple soil microflora. The isolation of some specic microbes has been done through plate culture technique. Enumeration, comparative colony phenotyping, and microscopic studies were carried out. The present work provides strong evidence about the involvement of some specific bacteria/microflora with unique characteristics in the process of the decomposition of organic waste during the vermicomposting mechanism. Furthermore, work will be carried forward for the biochemical and genomic analysis of the microbial isolates followed by determining their role in enhancing the productivity of crop plants.