Vermicomposting leachate as liquid fertilizer for the cultivation of sugarcane (Saccharum sp.)

In vermicomposting, the main product is the worm casts, but a leachate is generated that contains large amounts of plant nutrients. This leachate is normally diluted to avoid plant damage. We investigated how dilution of vermicompost leachate combined with different concentrations of nitrogen (N) - phosphorus (P) - potassium (K) triple 17 fertilizer, and polyoxyethylene tridecyl alcohol as dispersant and polyethylene nonylphenol as adherent to increase efficiency of fertilizer uptake, affected sugarcane plant development. The vermicomposting leachate with pH 7.8 and electrolytic conductivity 2.6 dS m(-1), contained 834mg potassium (K) l(-1), 247mg nitrate (NO3-) l(-1) and 168mg phosphate (PO43-) l(-1), was free of pathogens and resulted in a 65% germination index. Vermicompost leachate did not inhibit sugarcane growth and mixed with 170g l(-1) NPK triple 17 fertilizer resulted in the best plant development. No dispersant or adherent was required to improve plant height and stem development.