Chapter 13
Evaluating Method of Mica Waste
Application in Earthworm Cast-Treated
Soil for Enhancing Potassium Availability
to the Plants with Reference to Tea
Prabhat Pramanik , Chayanika Kalita, Pallabi Kalita,
and Anup Jyoti Goswami
Abstract Potassium (K) is an essential plant nutrient, and deficiency in the availability of K limits plant growth. Organic amendment in agricultural fields is required
to sustain soil health; however, maintaining K availability is a major challenge in
organic matter-treated soil. In this context, mica waste, a high potassium-containing
mineral, could be an alternative K source for arable soil. In this study, a series of
experiments were conducted to evaluate how mica waste could be applied with
vermicompost for improving K availability in organic-amended soil. It was observed
that vermicomposting of mica waste-amended organic substrates did not increase
total K content in the final vermicompost, though earthworms harbour potassiumsolubilizing bacteria in their guts. Hence, application of vermicompost, prepared
from mica waste-amended organic substrates, did not increase K availability in soil.
However, combined application of conventional vermicompost with mica waste was
effective to increase K availability in soil, and that was effective to achieve better
plant growth and higher K uptake in tea. In this study, combined application of
vermicompost and mica waste (at 10% weight of vermicompost) was effective to
increase plant growth and K availability in soil.
Keywords Mica waste · Earthworms · Plant nutrients · Bacteria
P. Pramanik (*)
Department of Soil Science, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, Jorhat,
Assam, India
Department of Soil Science, North Bengal Regional R&D Centre, Tea Research Association,
Nagrakata, West Bengal, India
C. Kalita · P. Kalita · A. J. Goswami
Department of Soil Science, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, Jorhat,
Assam, India
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to
Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
S. A. Bhat et al. (eds.), Earthworm Assisted Remediation of Effluents and Wastes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4522-1_13
209
Evaluating Method of Mica Waste
Application in Earthworm Cast-Treated
Soil for Enhancing Potassium Availability
to the Plants with Reference to Tea
Prabhat Pramanik , Chayanika Kalita, Pallabi Kalita,
and Anup Jyoti Goswami
Abstract Potassium (K) is an essential plant nutrient, and deficiency in the availability of K limits plant growth. Organic amendment in agricultural fields is required
to sustain soil health; however, maintaining K availability is a major challenge in
organic matter-treated soil. In this context, mica waste, a high potassium-containing
mineral, could be an alternative K source for arable soil. In this study, a series of
experiments were conducted to evaluate how mica waste could be applied with
vermicompost for improving K availability in organic-amended soil. It was observed
that vermicomposting of mica waste-amended organic substrates did not increase
total K content in the final vermicompost, though earthworms harbour potassiumsolubilizing bacteria in their guts. Hence, application of vermicompost, prepared
from mica waste-amended organic substrates, did not increase K availability in soil.
However, combined application of conventional vermicompost with mica waste was
effective to increase K availability in soil, and that was effective to achieve better
plant growth and higher K uptake in tea. In this study, combined application of
vermicompost and mica waste (at 10% weight of vermicompost) was effective to
increase plant growth and K availability in soil.
Keywords Mica waste · Earthworms · Plant nutrients · Bacteria
P. Pramanik (*)
Department of Soil Science, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, Jorhat,
Assam, India
Department of Soil Science, North Bengal Regional R&D Centre, Tea Research Association,
Nagrakata, West Bengal, India
C. Kalita · P. Kalita · A. J. Goswami
Department of Soil Science, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, Jorhat,
Assam, India
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to
Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
S. A. Bhat et al. (eds.), Earthworm Assisted Remediation of Effluents and Wastes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4522-1_13
209