How is green manure produced? Differentiate between compost and vermicompost.

Hint:Manure and compost are both natural methods of fertilising the ground. They can be categorised depending on the starting raw materials or the method of production or use of these fertilisers.

Complete answer:
Manure is made from waste materials. The most commonly known manure comes from animal waste products like cow dung. When this manure is mixed with kitchen and garden waste, it is called compost manure. Manure helps improve water infiltration into the soil as well as its water holding capacity.

Green manure is made entirely from plant waste. When a crop is harvested, the plant is then directly chopped and mixed back into the field as it is being ploughed. If the plant was a legume, then green manure would add a rich source of nitrogen to the soil.

In composting, waste materials undergo a process of decomposition. Through this waste organic materials which would otherwise go into sewage are recycled.

Composting can be done by allowing the process to occur over time naturally or by adding bacterial solutions to speed it up. When this process is done by adding earthworms to the mix, it is known as vermicomposting. The earthworms digest the waste material and excrete it as usable compost.

Note:Composting helps increase the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi, creating humus, and helping suppress plant pathogens. Unlike the waste materials it may be produced from, compost is not foul-smelling. Vermicomposting has the added benefit that it can be used directly in sewage treatment.