Vermiculture as an important component of ecologically tolerant agricultural ecosystems

Abstract

The special attention should be paid to vermiculture in the development of alternative agriculture. Its essence is the use of earthworm Eisenia fetida to obtain from various organic substances of environmentally friendly fertilizer – biohumus containing a complete set of macro- and trace elements for agricultural plants. The research, which results are described in this article, continues the work on the development of separate technologies of ecologically balanced nature use in crop and livestock production; development of methodological bases of the theory of agricultural ecosystems as primary units of the noosphere. The experimental work of the research was carried out in 2009-2017 on the research field of the scientificproduction department of Uman National University of Horticulture. The article shows main methodological and technological methods for maintaining Eisenia fetida population under the conditions of experimental farming, as well as the use of vermiculture products in the cultivation of some vegetable crops. The future direction of the vermiculture development is associated with its active use in the cultivation of not only vegetable, but also fruit and ornamental plants, which can create a specific basis in artificial agrophytocenoses, if they are grown in private farms. In general, we consider vermiculture as the future basis for agricultural ecosystems resistant to man-made pressures.