Evaluation of Vermicompost Tea Quality as Affected by Short Duration of Brewing Process

Aim—Vermicompost tea improves crop health, productivity, and nutrient properties when used as primary organic fertilizer. Based on literature aerated vermicompost tea can be prepared in 1 to 3 days to maximize oxygen during the extraction process. However, limited literature has been found about the study on the short duration of the brewing process of vermicompost and its effect on the quality of vermicompost tea, hence the short duration of vermicompost tea brewing process has been investigated. Methods—Vermicompost tea was produced from a brewing machine equipped with an aeration and mixing mechanism operating at three different durations of the brewing process (6, 12, and 18 h) to investigate the effect of each treatment on the characteristics of produced vermicompost tea with respect to the level of electrical conductivity, bacterial count, germination index of tomato seeds, pH level and level of dissolved oxygen. Results—Vermicompost tea produced from 12 h and 18 h significantly have higher electrical conductivity (0.973 mS cm-1 & 1.483 mS cm-1), total bacterial count (6.354 log CFU/mL & 6.727 log CFU/mL), and seed germination index (125.67% & 126.53%) respectively. No significant changes happen in the pH level of the produced at three short durations of brewing. Significant reduction of dissolved oxygen level (6.9 mg/L) happens at 18 h of the brewing process. Conclusion—The quality of vermicompost tea significantly improved at 12 and 18 h of the brewing process and therefore a good quality of vermicompost tea can be produced within a short duration of the brewing process. The result of the study indicates that the produced vermicompost tea between 12 h and 18 h can be used as organic fertilizer to improve plant growth and development. Significance/Impact—This study confirmed that a good quality vermicompost tea could be produced in a short duration of the brewing process which saves time and enables the farmer to prepare and apply the produced vermicompost tea quickly as a soil drench or foliar spray.