Vermicomposting from empty fruit bunch (EFB) using eisenia fetida and the effect to plant growth of spinacia oleracea and ipomoea reptans

Palm oil mill waste (POMW) consist of empty fruit bunches contributes the largest portion of agricultural waste in Malaysia. Poor agricultural waste management may cause environmental problems and overflowing of landfill. Therefore, vermicomposting can be an eco-friendly way to convert these wastes into biofertilizer using Eisenia fetida which can be useful for sustainable agricultural practices. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of vermicomposting from empty fruit bunches using Eisenia fetida and its application to the growth of Ipomoea aquatica and Spinacia oleracea plant. Vermicomposting was conducted for 10 weeks using different media in duplicate (A1, A2 and A3) and (B1, B2 and B3). Meanwhile, plant growth was conducted for 30 days using three treatments [control, vermicompost and chemical fertiliser] each having two replications for each plant. The outcome shows A2 with ratio 50:50 (EFB: FW) can retain a higher amount of moisture content, lower electrical conductivity value with the most steadily drop pH of 7.2. Moreover, maximum weight increase (5.11 g) of E. fetida with highest growth rate (0.0725 ± 0.00070) and the highest total number of cocoons (16 cocoons) were observed in B1. Furthermore, vermicompost has a significant effect on the growth of Ipomoea aquatica and Spinacia oleracea plants which resulting in plants with better plant height, number of leaves and length of roots. Finally, the results indicated that the A2 with 50:50 ratio of EFB: FW has the best ratio of vermicomposting for physical parameters and B1 with 150 g media per 5 earthworms has the most efficient ratio for earthworms’ growth performance. As for the plant growth of Ipomoea aquatica and Spinacia oleracea, the arrangement was in order of the best; vermicompost treatment > chemical fertilizer treatment > control treatment.