Abstract
This chapter examines the suppression of soil-borne phytophathogens by compost. Compost is used in agriculture and horticulture as a fertilizer or to improve the physical structure of soil, including potting soil mixtures. Compost-amended soil has been found to show enhanced suppression of plant diseases caused by soil-borne nematodes, fungi and bacteria, in various cropping systems. The maturity and stability of compost are important for the degree of disease suppressiveness of soil that can be achieved. In stable compost, easily degradable carbon sources have been used by the microflora present, leading to a stable microbiological system. The microbial succession during the composting process can be separated into different phases, as guided by the temperature regime. The spiking of compost with disease-suppressive microorganisms is a method that may enhance the disease-suppressive properties of compost. During the thermophilic phase of the composting process, many organisms are killed. The correlation between compost-amended soil microflora and disease suppression is also discussedin the chapter.
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