An Assessment on Microbial Quality of Produced Vermicomposts in Yazd City in 2015

Introduction: Organic fertilizers are beneficial to maintain and improve structure of the soil nutrients; however, in case of presence of pathogenic microbial agents and pathogens inside them, it will result in health problems and disease transmission. Therefore, present study aimed to determine microbial quality of produced vermicomposts in Yazd city. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytical work where 10 % of vermicomposts production centers which were using cow manure were randomly selected in Yazd city and sampling was conducted in spring. In doing so, the desired microbial indices were measured and ultimately compared to the standard A of Iranian compost. Three samples were prepared from each center and in each sampling; 50 g of sample was picked. Finally, total number of taken samples was 30. The tests included determination of the probable number of fecal coliform bacteria and parasite eggs. Results: According to the results of present study, the mean fecal coliform andparasite eggs for all centers were 1272 in confidence interval of 95 % (441-2102) and 0.73 in confidence interval of 95 % (0.32-1.13), respectively. Therefore, themean fecal coliform and parasite eggs in derived vermicomposts were in class A standards range of Iranian compost. Conclusion: Production of vermicomposts by animal fertilizers in Yazd city not only decreases these wastes but also gives rise to manufacture a strategic and valuable product which is in range of determined standards and is suitable for soil improvement and fertility.

Keywords:

Vermicompost , Microbial Quality , Waste Management , Yazd City