Farmers perceive that the application of vermicompost enhances plant growth and strengthens resistance to diseases

Resumen

Objective: To identify the factors influencing growers in the municipalities of Fresnillo, Río Grande, and Zacatecas to either incorporate or refrain from incorporating available cattle manure into vermicompost production, trade, and use.

Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire comprising 59 items was designed to assess human, social, physical, and economic factors related to vermicompost use in agricultural plots. The questionnaire was administered to 30 growers. The resulting dataset was analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA) to identify dominant factors and to classify growers.

Results: Both PCA and CA enabled the identification of key factors within each domain and facilitated the classification of growers.

Limitations on study/implications: The sample size is relatively small due to the limited number of growers using vermicompost in the study region.

Findings/conclusions: Among growers using vermicompost, three distinct groups were identified: the first group (10 growers) perceives improvements in soil fertility and contamination reduction; the second group (9 growers) values enhanced plant nutrition and increased soil microorganism activity; and the third group (11 growers) reports better plant growth and greater disease resistance.