Vermicompost

A Living Soil Amendment

The short 9-minute film “Vermicompost: a Living Soil Amendment” is a general introduction to the vermicomposting process as a technology that transforms organic wastes into resources and the uses of vermicompost for plant nutrient management and the suppression of plant diseases.

A 3-minute version of the video won the Grand Prize in the American Phytopathological Society's Office of Public Relations and Outreach 2010 contest and second prize in the ChloroFilms plant video contest.

The film can be viewed below and a higher resolution version is available as a free download.

More detailed reports from a series of studies carried out at Cornell in the Sections of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology and Horticulture are linked below. Teaching resources and links to other vermicompost related sites are also included.

Play

Our project team found limited benefits associated with direct soil applications of vermicompost. However, we did find that vermicompost can be an important component of potting media for producing vegetable transplants without synthetic fertilizers. Temperature is a significant factor in the performance of potting media containing vermicompost and we investigated optimal temperature ranges for a variety of vegetable crops. We found that vermicompost from a specific facility protects cucumbers from Pythium aphanidermatum, a seed-infecting pathogen. Through an ongoing project, we’re investigating the microbial mechanisms that prevent infection from occurring to increase our understanding of the biological control of plant diseases.

Vermicompost use for plant nutrient management

On-farm field and greenhouse trials
Cornell field and greenhouse trials
For additional information on vegetable production:
- www.organic.cornell.edu
- www.vegetables.cornell.edu

Suppression of plant disease with vermicompost

Public outreach posters: Development of biocontrol products from vermicomposted dairy manure
American Society for Phytopathology presentation 2008
- Annotated slides
Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease Conference 2010
- Poster
Organic Farming Research Foundation
- Final report
Mid-West Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) 2010
- Annotated slides
Zoospore behavior
- 1-minute video clip, view on YouTube

Additional resources

Teaching resources

Vermicompost lab exercises for college level soil science course
Additional video microscopy footage of vermicompost microarthropods and earthworms
Vermicompost research in the news
- Business keeps worms 'fat, dumb and happy' - DemocratandChronicle.com
- Worm power putting earthworms to work - InnovationTrail.org

Extension resources

Appropriate Technology Transfer to Rural Areas (ATTRA) 2010 Vermicomposting fact sheet (http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/vermicomp.html) This fact sheet focuses on the production of worms for the bait and vermicomposting markets.
NC State Vermicomposting Resources & Workshops page. NC State hosts an annual workshop for professional vermicomposters http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/people/professionals/sherman/).
Cornell Waste Management Institute (CWMI) generates a broad range of extension and education resources on composting.
Tompkins County Cornell Cooperative Extension Compost Education Program (http://ccetompkins.org/gardening/composting/compost-resources).

Collaborators

Dr. Eric Nelson: Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology
Dr. Anu Rangarajan: Department of Horticulture
Dr. Charles Nicholson: Department of Applied Economics and Management
Jean Bonhotal: Cornell Waste Management Institute, Soil and Crop Sciences
Tom Herlihy: Worm Power, LLC