The Hindu Business Line : `Vermiculture research must be made multi-disciplinary'

Coimbatore June 4 With awareness on vermiculture rising globally, studies on earthworms should be broadened by adopting inter-disciplinary approach to harness the benefits from application of vermicomposting technology, an international workshop on vermitechnology here was told.

Association of zoologists to record the distribution of different species of earthworms in a country would be as important as microbiologists and agronomists in studying the needs and utilities of vermiculture as a technology to address the issues, including tackling environmental pollution and solid waste management through vermicomposting, said Ms Radha D Kale, an expert in vermitechnology and faculty from the Centre for Scientific Research and Advanced Learning, Bangalore.

Study on earthworms

Making a presentation at the four-day Indo-US Wokshop on `Vermitechnology in human welfare' organised at the Kongunadu Arts and Science College here, she felt the need for the different branches of scientists coming together for undertaking comprehensive study on earthworms.

Inaugurating the workshop which has attracted experts in the field from US, China and the Philippines, the Vice-Chancellor of Bharatiyar University, Dr G. Thiruvasagam, said in a country like India, which accounts for generation of staggering volumes of solid wastes and agro waste, vermitechnology assumed greater need.

Waste disposal

Coimbatore region, housing more than 3500 industries and an equal number of hospitals, had to find ways to effectively handle waste disposals. The Vice-Chancellor suggested that colleges in the region run vocational training for students and housewives on vermiculture.

Mr C.A. Edwards from the Ohio State University (Entomology), speaking on the occasion, said India, which showed great interest in development of vermitechnology, had scope to improve its technology and products for commercial application as world-wide extreme engineering methods were being adopted in earthworm research and application of vermitechnology.

US funding

The Secretary and Director of the college, Dr M. Aruchami, said this is the second time his college won funding from the US science forum for holding this meet after its collaborative meet on controlling bollworm pests in cotton years ago.

Being an institution promoted with the help of 16,000 farmers in the area, Kongunadu Arts and Science College took active interest in earthworm related studies which would broadly benefit the peasants and rural community in the region.

The workshop is being supported by various funding agencies, including the UGC, DRDO, Nabard and CSIR.

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