Meet the editors

Marcelo L. Larramendy, Ph.D., serves as a Professor of molecular cell biology at the School of Natural Sciences and Museum (National University of La Plata, Argentina). He is an appointed Senior Researcher of the National Scientific and Technological Research Council of Argentina and a former member of the Executive Committee of the Latin American Association of Environmental Mutagenesis, Teratogenesis and Carcinogenesis.

He is the author of more than 450 contributions, including scientific publications, research communications and conferences worldwide. He is also the recipient of several national and international awards. Prof. Larramendy is a regular lecturer at the international A. Hollaender Courses organized by the IAEMS and former guest scientist at NIH (USA) and University of Helsinki (Finland). He is an expert in genetic toxicology and has been referee for more than 20 international scientific journals. He was a member of the International Panel of Experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, WHO, Lyon, France) in 2015 for the evaluation of DDT, 2,4-D and Lindane. Presently, Prof. Dr. Larramendy is Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics and Genotoxicology at the UNLP.

Sonia Soloneski has her PhD in natural sciences and is a Professor Assistant of molecular cell biology at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Museum of La Plata, National University of La Plata, Argentina. She became a member of the National Scientific and Technological Research Council (CONICET) of Argentina in the genetic toxicology field. Presently, she is a member of the Latin American Association of Environmental Mutagenesis,

Teratogenesis and Carcinogenesis (ALAMCTA), the Argentinean Society of Toxicology (ATA) and the Argentinean Society of Genetics (SAG). She has authored more than 350 scientific publications in the field, including scientific publications in research papers, reviewed journals and conferences worldwide. She is a referee for issues related to genetic toxicology, mutagenesis and ecotoxicology.

Contents

*by Jozef Visser*

Composting

Analysis

Organic Substances

Opening History: Gaining Perspectives

*by Niladri Paul, Utpal Giri and Gourab Roy*

*by Sharipa Jorobekova and Kamila Kydralieva*

Compost Tea Quality and Fertility *by Gaius Eudoxie and Micah Martin*

*by Pawlin Vasanthi Joseph*

**Preface III**

**Chapter 1 1**

**Chapter 2 23**

**Chapter 3 43**

**Chapter 4 63**

**Chapter 5 79**

**Chapter 6 105** Efficacy of Different Substrates on Vermicompost Production: A Biochemical

**Chapter 7 115**

Plant Growth Biostimulants from By-Products of Anaerobic Digestion of

The State of the Soil Organic Matter and Nutrients in the Long-Term Field Experiments with Application of Organic and Mineral Fertilizers in Different

Soil-Climate Conditions in the View of Expecting Climate Change

*by Ladislav Menšík, Lukáš Hlisnikovský and Eva Kunzová*

Organic Fertilizer Production and Application in Vietnam *by Pham Van Toan, Ngo Duc Minh and Dao Van Thong*

## Contents


Preface

Years ago, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations predicted that the world population will be over 9.1 billion people by the middle of the 21st century. Accordingly, food production will have to rise about 70% above current levels to maintain pace with demand. One plausible method for obtaining this enhancement in food production would be to increase the amount of land available for agriculture. However, the conversion of natural forests and/or other wild habitats engenders a number of well-known negative impacts on climate change and global bio-diversity. Furthermore, it is accepted worldwide that such an expansion of agriculture could be responsible for approximately 12% of global warming. Regardless of its implications, sustainable agriculture must be based on providing optimal growing conditions for plants in order to achieve optimal crop production from the land over a season. To not only optimize crop yield but also to reduce the negative impacts that agriculture can exert on the environment, it is mandatory that farmers adopt the best agricultural practices. Agriculture in the 21st century faces several challenges, including: producing meat without raising animals, better irrigation management for agricultural processes, the development of genetic engineering for drought-tolerant and higher-yielding crops, the improvement of agricultural precision and aquaculture, the sustainable development of biofuels, and the promotion of organic agriculture around the world. However, intensifying food production must be achieved in an environmentally safe manner through ecological intensification to increase the yield per unit of land, approaching the maximum available yield of farming systems, with minimal or no negative environmental impact. It is evident, then, that fertilizer selection, as well as its rational use,

Perhaps the most important of the major objectives of farmers, members of National Administrations, and the suppliers of agricultural inputs is to both stimulate the use of appropriate agricultural practices and to guarantee the availability of suitable fertilizers in the market. Techniques such as crop rotation, minimum tillage, and crops grown under cover tend to maintain the structure and quality of soils. The correct selection and application of fertilizers is directly determined by

the correct dose, the right place , and the right time to use the product.

By definition, a fertilizer is the name given to any material, either of natural or synthetic origin, that is applied to soils or to plant tissues to supply at least one, but often more, of the nutrients essential for plant growth. The majority of fertilizers employed in commercial farming provide the three main soil fertilizers (namely, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash). These fertilizers are extracted from minerals (e.g., from phosphate rock) or produced industrially (e.g., ammonia). In contrast, the other type of product employed is the organic fertilizers, which are derived from animal matter, animal excreta (manure), human excreta, and vegetable matter (e.g., compost and crop residues). Naturally-occurring organic fertilizers include animal wastes from meat processing, peat, manure, slurry, and guano. Dependence on organic nutrient sources is a central characteristic of organic agriculture, which uses nutrients derived from sources such as livestock and green manure and even several types of compost to meet crop demands in intensive cereal production. One of the

is key to meeting this challenge.
