Open AccessHeavy Metal Contents of Vermicasts Produced in the Visayas Region, Philippines
Author(s) -
Warren Kim Siarot,
Romel B. Armecin,
Jenyrose F. Ang-og
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0119-4909
DOI - 10.47773/shj.1998.151.2
Subject(s) - amendment , fertilizer , organic fertilizer , cadmium , environmental science , soil test , soil fertility , zinc , chromium , soil conditioner , agronomy , soil water , materials science , soil science , metallurgy , biology , political science , law
The Philippine National Standard set a minimum requirement for a soil organic amendment to be classified as an organic fertilizer or soil conditioner. Soil organic amendments have been used through the years and many farmers have developed their own to restore soil fertility and increase the production of food crops. This study was conducted (a) to characterize the physico-chemical properties of vermicast and to determine if they could be classified as organic fertilizer or soil conditioner and (b) to measure the heavy metal content (Cr, Cd, Zn, Fe, and Cu) of the different vermicast produced in the Visayas Region to determine if these are safe to use for farming. Vermicast were collected from different farms from regions 6, 7, and 8 (Visayas Region). Majority of the vermicast were brown to black in color with moisture content ranging from 10-35%. Iron and Zinc were found to be the highest metal concentrations in all samples. Meanwhile Chromium, Cadmium, and Copper were only found in low concentrations based on the criteria set by the PNS (2016).