Harnessing the Growth-Promoting Potential of Vermiwash for Sustainable Agriculture: A Meta-Analysis on Seed Germination Rate, Early Growth Parameters, and Optimal Dilution Ratios

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-648-2_13How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Biofertilizers; Vermiwash; Seed Germination; Sustainable agriculture

Abstract

Meeting the rising food demands of a growing global population requires innovative, eco-friendly agricultural solutions. Biofertilizers like vermiwash provide a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers, promoting plant growth while preserving soil health and minimizing environmental impact. This meta-analysis assesses the effectiveness of vermiwash in enhancing seed germination and early plant development across various crop types. Our findings demonstrate that vermiwash significantly increases germination rate with an effect size of 7.03 and germination percentage with an effect size of 8.89. In early plant development, it demonstrated an effect size of 6.08 for root length and 10.53 for shoot length. Notably, the seedling vigor index also showed marked improvement. The NPK composition of vermiwash varies by source, so farmers aiming to boost germination should select vermiwash made from a mix of leaf litter and cow dung. This blend, especially when prepared using Eisenia foetida and Perionyx excavatus earthworms, typically offers an ideal 1:2:1 NPK ratio that enriches the nutrient profile, supporting both germination and early seedling growth. Moderator analysis indicated that a 100% concentration of vermiwash enhanced germination properties, while dilutions below 25% promoted early growth parameters, supporting balanced nutrient absorption without the inhibitory effects associated with higher concentrations. This analysis also identifies potential publication biases, emphasizing a trend towards studies reporting larger effect sizes. We recommend that future primary studies report comprehensive statistical parameters and experimental details to support more robust meta-analyses. These findings highlight vermiwash’s value as a sustainable bio-stimulant across various plant families, supporting global objectives for enhanced food production and environmental sustainability.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Syed Vaziha Tahaseen
AU  - Susmitha Bhandaru
AU  - S. K. Beebi
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/02/07
TI  - Harnessing the Growth-Promoting Potential of Vermiwash for Sustainable Agriculture: A Meta-Analysis on Seed Germination Rate, Early Growth Parameters, and Optimal Dilution Ratios
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Bio-Based Environment for Sustainable Territory (ICBEST 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 139
EP  - 154
SN  - 2468-5747
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-648-2_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-648-2_13
ID  - Tahaseen2025
ER  -