Impact of vermicompost derived from different substrates on soil carbon pools in Rhizosphere of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

It is a generally accepted fact that addition of organic manures increases the organic carbon content of soils. However, there is a little information available on contribution of organic manure to different pools of organic carbon in soils. In this study, we tried to work out the contribution of vermicompost to different organic carbon pools in a short term experiment on common bean. Vermicompost synthesized from different substrates; apple pomace, saw dust, dal weed and kitchen waste mixed with different proportions of cow dung was applied to pots under controlled condition. It was found that vermicompost derived from different substrates contributed differently to soil carbon pools. Sawdust based composts reported highest contribution to passive carbon pool i:e 1.77 % and 1.82% for 70% saw dust and 100% saw dust respectively. The highest active pool (0.84%) of organic carbon was reported for compost containing 50% of apple pomace and 50% cow dung. There was a significant increase in total carbon pool compared to control experiment implying the importance of short term management practices on soil carbon sequestration.