Use of vermicompost and vermiwash to produce bagged rubber plants in nurseries: A profitable technique in Côte d'Ivoire

 Corresponding author: Jean Lopez ESSEHI Copyright © 2025 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0. Use of vermicompost and vermiwash to produce bagged rubber plants in nurseries: A profitable technique in Côte d’Ivoire Jean Lopez ESSEHI 1, *, Mahyao Germain ADOLPHE 2, Pulcherie N’guessan Kan KOUAKOU 3 and et Samuel OBOUAYEBA 4 1 National Centre for Agricultural Research, Central Laboratory for Soil, Water and Plants, Sustainable Soil Management and Water Control Programme. 2 National Centre for Agricultural Research, Gagnoa Research Station, Agricultural Systems and Sustainable Development Programme. 3 National Centre for Agricultural Research, Food Crops Research Station, Market Gardening and Protein Crops Programme. 4 National Centre for Agricultural Research, Bimbresso Research Station, Rubber Tree Programme World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2025, 27(02), 652-666 Publication history: Received on 27 June 2025; revised on 02 August 2025; accepted on 05 August 2025 Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2025.27.2.2808 Abstract The profitability of using vermicompost and vermiwash made from poultry droppings in rubber tree nurseries was evaluated in Côte d'Ivoire as part of the project ‘’ Organic waste recycling in rubber tree nurseries by vermitechnology ‘’. The experimental design used for the demonstration test comprises three treatments (vermicompost-VC, vermiwashVW and farmer practice-Control T) carried out at the Research Station (CNRA/Bimbresso) and at rubber tree nurseries in Abengourou, Alépé and Daoukro. The Cost-Benefit analysis revealed that the use of VW treatment is more profitable. For every 100 F CFA invested, the gain varied from 42 to 70 F CFA. The benefits of VW ranged from 7,525,556 to 7,977,667 F CFA/ha/year. Profits from VW ranged from 7,525,556 to 7,977,667 F CFA/ha/year. The VC was profitable only in the Station (4,984,484 F CFA/ha/year), which may reflect the nurserymen's lack of knowledge of this technology. Training in the production of vermiwash and vermicompost from poultry droppings should be reinforced for rubber tree nursery producers in Côte d'Ivoire. Keywords : Profitability; Vermicompost; Vermiwash; Hevea brasiliensis; Nurserie; Côte d'Ivoire 1. Introduction The rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis Muell Arg.) is a latex plant of the Euphorbiaceae family, from the Amazon basin in Brazil (Bouychou, 1963; Compagnon, 1986). Hevea cultivation was introduced in Côte d'Ivoire in the 1950s as part of a policy of crop diversification (Canh, 1999). Since 1997, Côte d'Ivoire has become Africa's leading latex producer. With a production of 1,332,636 tons of latex in 2022, i.e. 80% of the continent's production, the country ranks 4th in the world with one of the best yields in the world, i.e. 1,650 kg/ha/year (Kéli et al., 1997). The creation of a rubber plantation involves the important step of installing a nursery to guarantee the quality of the planting material and the sustainability and profitability of the operation. However, rubber tree nurserymen are being confronted with a reduction in the availability of topsoil, the humus-bearing surface horizon used to fill nursery bags (Essehi et al., 2021). This situation has encouraged rubber tree nurserymen to make increasing use of various types of chemical fertilizers to accelerate the vegetative growth of seedlings and promote plant growth once they have been transferred to the field. While fertilizers increase crop yields, they are also responsible for soil degradation and pollution of the surrounding water table (Bado, 2002). Chemical fertilizers could affect the biological balance of soils by affecting the diversity and activity of beneficial micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi. Given the disadvantages associated with the use of mineral fertilizers, the World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2025, 27(02), 652-666 653 use of organic waste as biofertilizers (vermicompost and vermiwash) through the action of earthworms appears to be a sustainable alternative to produce rubber plants in nurseries. Therefore, any fertilizer product offered to rubber nurserymen should meet the standards of induced yield and profitability that are essential for vulgarization. This research note sets out the technical and economic bases for the profitable production of rubber plants in bagged nurseries in Côte d’Ivoire. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Biological material The GT1 clone of Hevea Brasiliensis was used as rootstock. This clone was selected for its high rate of success in grafting plants (Penot, 2001). The plant material used to graft the plants (scion) varies from one nurseryman to another. These grafts come from the five clones popularized in rural areas in Cote d’Ivoire. 2.2. Study site and Experimental design The study was conducted at Bimbresso (CNRA research station) and in the farming areas of Alépé, Abengourou and Daoukro. Demonstration units were constructed to produce vermicompost and vermiwash (Figure 1). The experimental design includes three (3) treatments (vermicompost-VC, vermiwash-VW and control-T) tested on the vegetative growth of rubber plants in bag nurseries. Treatment Control (T) was fertilized using the chemical fertilizer NPK 10 18 18. For each treatment, 640 plants were considered, with 80 plants per 8 lines. Figure 1 (A) Platform for compost production (pre-decomposition of organic waste) and (B) vermicompost and vermiwash production sub-unit installed at the rubber nurserymen 2.3. Data collection and analysis Agroeconomic data were collected at the four (4) sites to evaluate the profitability of using vermicompost and vermiwash made from poultry droppings compared with the Control (T) fertilized with the chemical fertilizer NPK 10 18 18. At the agronomic level, the parameter measured was the number of transferable plants at field, i.e. the number of grafted plants with a diameter greater than 20 mm after checking the success of the plants that had been successfully grafted. Collar diameter (D) was measured 60 days after grafting. The Transferable Plant Rate (TxT) is obtained using equation 1 below: TxT = (NbPt/ NbPtT) x 100……. (1) With : TxT (%) = Rate of plants transferable to the field after grafting NbPt = Number of grafted plants with a diameter greater than or equal to 20 mm NbPtT = Total number of successfully grafted plants World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2025, 27(02), 652-666 654 The TxT (%) obtained from 640 plants per treatment was extrapolated to the hectare based on 90,000 plants per hectare for a bagged rubber plant in nursery. Figure 2 Measurement of collar diameter of rubber plants (A) and grafting of rubber plants (B) The profitability analysis was based on the determination of the Cost-Benefit Ratio (Ri) (Gittinger, 1985). The Ri ratio is obtained by dividing Profit (Bi) by Production Cost (CTPi). Profit (Bi) is the difference between Income (Rei) and Production Cost (CTPi). The production cost considers fixed costs (CF) (depreciation of equipment) and variable costs (CV) (labour, intrants, etc.) to produce compost based on poultry droppings, vermicompost and vermiwash. Fertilization costs for nursery plants were estimated based on inputs of 0.5 kg/plant, 0.4 liter/plant and 0.9 kg/plant for the VC, VW and T (NPK) treatments respectively. The study considered a cost of 360 F CFA/kg for the purchase of NPK 10 18 18 fertilizer and 2,000 F CFA/man-day for farm labour. The economic analysis was carried out under the Ceteris Paribus hypothesis, assuming that all other things are equal for the cost elements (shed construction, purchase of nursery bags, filling of bags, watering of plants, grafting, etc.) common to the treatments. The economic parameters (Rei, Bi and Ri) are obtained from equations 2, 3 and 4 below: Rei = TxPT x 90,000 x PVPt (2) Bi = Rei - CTPi (3) Ri= [Bi/ CTPi] (4) With: Rei = Revenue (in F CFA/ha/year) CTPi = Total Production Costs (in F CFA/ha/year) Bi = Profit (in F CFA/ha/year) TxPT = Rate of plants transferable to the field after grafting (in %) PVPt = Price of transferable plants in the field (450 F CFA/plant) (unsubsidized price) i = Treatment (VC and VW) 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Production costs, income and benefits of Vermicompost and Vermiwash The production costs, income and profits evaluated according to the treatments (VC, VW and T) are presented by site/locality (tables 1 to 4 in the appendix). Analysis of Table 1 shows that the production costs for VC and VW were 353 F CFA/kg and 413 F CFA/kg respectively at the CNRA Bimbresso station. The production costs of rubber plants in the nursery were lower with VW (14,883,721 F CFA/ha/year) and VC (15,873,016 F CFA/ha/year) than with NPK (29,160,000 F CFA/ha/year). The rate of plants transferable to the field was, however, higher with NPK (52,200 plants/ha) than with VW (48,600 plants/ha) and VC (46,350 plants/ha). Income from NPK was high, but in terms of production costs, organic fertilizers (VW and VC) were more profitable (6,986,279 F CFA/ha/year and 4,984,484 F CFA/ha/year). Table 2 shows the analysis for Abengourou site. The production costs of VC and VW in this locality were respectively 658 F CFA/kg and 461 F CFA/kg. The production costs of rubber plants in the nursery were 29,631,746 F CFA/ha/year for VC, 16,593,778 F CFA/ha/year for VW and 29,160,000 F CFA/ha/ha/year for NPK. The rates of plants transferable to the field were 63,720 plants/ha with VC, 62,820 plants/ha with VW and 62,460 plants/ha with NPK. The use of fertilizer products (VC and VW) was beneficial with VW (11,675,222 F CFA/ha/year). At Alépé, the production costs for VC and VW were 634 F CFA/kg and 443 F CFA/kg respectively (Table 3). The production costs of rubber plants in the nursery were 28,507,937 F CFA/ha/year World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2025, 27(02), 652-666 655 for VC, 15,964,444 F CFA/ha/year for VW and 29,160,000 F CFA/ha/year for NPK. The rates of plants transferable to the field were 63,720 plants/ha with VC, 62,820 plants/ha with VW and 62,460 plants/ha with NPK. Fertilizer use was profitable with VW (7,525,556 F CFA/ha/year). At Daoukro, VC and VW production costs were 760 F CFA/kg and 532 F CFA/kg respectively (Table 4). The production costs of rubber plants in the nursery were 34,209,524 F CFA/ha/year for VC, 19,157,33 F CFA/ha/year for VW and 29,160,000 F CFA/ha/year for NPK. The rates of plants transferable to the field were 38,250 plants/ha with VC, 60,300 plants/ha with VW and 49,950 plants/ha with NPK. The use of vermitechnology products was beneficial with VW (7,977,667 F CFA/ ha/year). Overall, it was found that VW and VC were profitable on the station and that the use of VW was beneficial in all the localities in the study. The survey of nurserymen revealed a better appreciation of VW compared with VC and chemical fertilizers (NPK, urea). 3.2. Cost-benefit ratios for vermicompost and vermiwash Figure 3 shows the cost-benefit ratios of VC and VW compared with mineral T fertilization (NPK 10 18 18) in the rubber plant nursery. The graph shows that the cost-benefit ratios were positive for the VW in all the study sites (0.7 at Abengourou, 0.47 at Alépé and Bimbresso and 0.42 at Daoukro). These ratios indicate that for every 100 CFA francs invested, the use of VW offers a profit of 70 CFA francs at Abengourou, 47 CFA francs at Alépé and Bimbresso and 42 CFA francs at Daoukro. On the CNRA Bimbresso site, the ratio obtained with the VC is 0.31, i.e. a profit of 31 CFA francs per 100 CFA francs invested. The analysis also revealed that the use of VC was not profitable for nurserymen, nor was the use of NPK fertilizers (900 g/plant, i.e. 300 g/plant in 3 applications) in rubber plant nurseries. The advantage of VW is that the production cost per plant (0.4 liter/plant) is lower for nurserymen than for other fertilizers (VC and NPK). Figure 3 Cost-benefit ratio for the use of vermicompost and vermiwash in rubber plant nurseries 4. Conclusion The profitability of using biofertilizers (vermicompost and vermiwash) based on poultry droppings was evaluated in comparison with chemical fertilizer T (NPK 10 18 18) to produce rubber plant in nursery at Côte d'Ivoire. The analysis reveals that the use of VW brings a gain ranging from 42 F CFA to 70 F CFA per 100 F CFA invested. The use of VC was profitable only on research stations (4,984,484 F CFA/ha/year), which could reflect the nurserymen's poor mastery of Vermitechnology. Training in the production of vermicompost and vermiwash needs to be stepped up for nurserymen. Compliance with ethical standards Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Fonds Interprofessional pour la Recherche et le Conseil Agricole (FIRCA) and the Association des Professionals et Manufacturers de Caoutchouc (APROMAC) of Côte d'Ivoire for their technical and financial support for this study. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2025, 27(02), 652-666 656 Disclosure of conflict of interest The authors declared no conflict of interest Statement of informed consent All contributing authors read and approved the final manuscript for publication. References [1] Bado BV (2002). Rôle des légumineuses sur la fertilité des sols ferrugineux tropicaux des zones guinéenne et soudanienne du Burkina Faso, Thèse de doctorat, Université Laval, 197p. https://corpus.ulaval.ca/jspui/bitstream/20.500.11794/17788/1/20487.pdf [2] Bouychou JG (1963). Manuel du planteur d’hévéa : la biologie de l'hévéa. Société editions techniques continentales. [3] Compagnon 1986. Le caoutchouc naturel. Coste R. ed, G.P. Maisonneuve et Larose, Paris, 595 p. [4] Canh TV (1999) Recherche pour le secteur Hévéicole en Côte d'Ivoire. Plantation, Recherche, Développement, 6, 102-106. [5] Cattan P, Letourmy P, Zagre B, Minougou A, et Compaoré E (2001). Rendement de l'arachide et du sorgho en rotation sous différents itinéraires techniques au Burkina Faso. Cahiers agricultures, 10(3), 159-172. [6] Essehi JL, Soumahin EF, Yao GF, Obouayeba S, and Yao-Kouamé A (2021) Improving the Quality of Rubber Plants in Bagged Nurseries Using Compost-Based Culture Substrates. Open Journal of Soil Science, 11, 567-585. doi: 10.4236/ojss.2021.1111028 [7] Gittinger, JP (1985). Analyse économique des projets agricoles. The World Bank. [8] Kéli ZJ, Kpolo DM, Déa GB, Boa D et Allet-Don A (1997). L’hévéaculture en Côte d’Ivoire : Situation actuelle et perspectives. Plantations, Recherches, Développement 4(1): 5 – 11. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2025, 27(02), 652-666 657 Appendixes Table 1 Production costs, revenue and benefits from the use of vermicompost in rubber tree nurseries at site of CNRA Bimbresso / Côte d'Ivoire FIXED CHARGES Unit Quantity Unit cost (F CFA) Total cost Depreciation (years) Annual cost Composting Shovel - 2 2 500 5 000 1 5 000 Bucket - 2 2 500 5 000 1 5 000 Subtotal Composting equipment 10 000 Vermicomposting Table for 6 tanks with taps table 4 25 000 100 000 5 20 000 Tanks with taps tank 21 11 200 235 200 3 78 400 Drainer box 21 200 4 200 2 2 100 Box of 25 L box 42 500 21 000 2 10 500 Sand (Ø ≥ 2 cm) wheelbarrow 4 3 000 12 000 3 4 000 Sea sand sand 1 25 000 25 000 3 8 333 Subtotal vermicomposting material 123 333 VARIABLES COST Unit Quantity/Cycle Unit cost (F CFA) Total cost /Cycle Number of Cycle/years Annual cost Composting (4-month cycle) Inputs Plastic meter 20 500 10 000 3 30 000 Poultry manure sac 24 500 12 000 3 36 000 Manpower Device assembly (Spreading manure on plastic) HJ 2 2 000 4 000 3 12 000 Turning and watering HJ 16 2 000 32 000 3 96 000 World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2025, 27(02), 652-666 658 Subtotal Composting 174 000 Vermicomposting (2-month cycle) Inputs Earthworms 4 200 0 0 1 0 Manpower Collecting earthworms HJ 5 2 000 10 000 1 10 000 Device assembly HJ 4 2 000 8 000 1 8 000 Water supply and collection vermiwash and vermicompost ver HJ 16 2 000 32 000 6 192 000 Subtotal Vermicomposting 210 000 TOTAL PRODUCTION COST Unit Annual Cost Compost (C) F CFA 184 000 Vermicompost and vermiwash (VC and VW) F CFA 333 333 PRODUCTION OF ORGANIC FERTILIZERS Unit Quantity/Cycle Number of Cycle/years Annual total Quantity of Compost (C) Kg 840 3 2 520 Quantity of Vermicompost (VC) Kg 158 6 945 Quantity of Vermiwash (VW) Liter 134 6 806 UNIT COST PER PRODUCTION Compost F CFA/Kg 73 Vermicompost F CFA/Kg 353 Vermiwash F CFA/Liter 413 PRODUCTION OF HEVEA PLANTS COST OF PRODUCTION OF HEVEA PLANTS Quantity of Fertilizer/plant Cost of Fertilizer (F CFA/Kg-L) Number Plants/ha Unit Cost (F CFA/plant) Annual total World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2025, 27(02), 652-666 659 VC F CFA/ha/an 0,500 353 90 000 176 15 873 016 VW F CFA/ha/an 0,400 413 90 000 165 14 883 721 NPK 10 18 18 (Control Treatment) F CFA/ha/an 0,900 360 90 000 324 29 160 000 REVENUE Number of Plants Rate of transferable to the field Number of Plants /ha Unit Price (F CFA/plant) Annual total VC F CFA/ha/an 160 0,515 46 350 450 20 857 500 VW F CFA/ha/an 160 0,540 48 600 450 21 870 000 NPK 10 18 18 (Control Treatment) F CFA/ha/an 160 0,580 52 200 450 23 490 000 PROFIT (B) Total Annuel VC F CFA/ha/an 4 984 484 VW F CFA/ha/an 6 986 279 NPK 10 18 18 (Control Treatment) F CFA/ha/an -5 670 000 Source : Survey data, 2021 Tableau 1 Production costs, revenue and benefits from the use of vermicompost in rubber tree nurseries at site of Abengourou /Côte d’Ivoire FIXED CHARGES Unit Quantity Unit cost (F CFA) Total cost Depreciation (years) Annual cost Composting Shovel 2 2 500 5 000 1 5 000 Bucket 2 2 500 5 000 1 5 000 Subtotal Composting equipment 10 000 Vermicomposting Table for 6 tanks with taps table 3 30 000 90 000 5 18 000 Tanks with taps tank 18 10 000 180 000 3 60 000 Drainer box 18 200 3 600 2 1 800 Box of 25 L box 36 500 18 000 2 9 000 Sand (Ø ≥ 2 cm) wheelbarrow 4 3 000 12 000 3 4 000 World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2025, 27(02), 652-666 660 Sea sand sand 1 25 000 25 000 3 8 333 Subtotal vermicomposting material 101 133 VARIABLES COST Unit Quantity/Cycle Unit cost (F CFA) Total cost /cycle Number of cycle/years Annual cost Composting (4-month cycle) Inputs Plastic meter 20 500 10 000 3 30 000 Poultry manure sac 21 500 10 286 3 30 857 Manpower Device assembly (Spreading manure on plastic) HJ 2 2 000 4 000 3 12 000 Turning and watering) HJ 16 2 000 32 000 3 96 000 Subtotal Composting 168 857 Vermicomposting (2-month cycle) Inputs Earthworms 3 600 0 0 1 0 Manpower Collecting earthworms HJ 5 2 000 10 000 1 10 000 Device assembly HJ 4 2 000 8 000 1 8 000 Water supply and collection vermiwash and vermicompost HJ 16 2 000 32 000 6 192 000 Subtotal Vermicomposting 210 000 TOTAL PRODUCTION COST Unit Compost (C) F CFA 178 857 Vermicompost and vermiwash (VC and VW) F CFA 311 133