Abstract
While the control of soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi becomes increasingly difficult without using chemicals, concern over the intensive use of pesticides in agriculture is driving more environmentally sound crop protection managements. Among these approaches, the use of compost to suppress fungal diseases could have great potential. In this study, a multidisciplinary approach has been applied to characterize microbiota composition of two on-farm composts and assess their suppress and biostimulant activities. The on-farm composting system used in this study was able to produce two composts characterized by an antagonistic microbiota community able to suppress plant pathogens and biostimulate plant growth. Our results suggest a potential role for Nocardiopsis and Pseudomonas genera in suppression, while Flavobacterium and Streptomyces genera seem to be potentially involved in plant biostimulation. In conclusion, this study combines different techniques to characterize composts, giving a unique overview on the microbial communities and their role in suppressiveness, helping to unravel their complexity.
Highlights
Soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi are some of the more destructive plant pathogens, affecting different plant portions of a wide hosts range and they can be difficult to control without use of chemicals
This work shows that an on-farm composting system is able to produce green waste composts characterized by an antagonistic microbiota community able to suppress plant pathogens and biostimulate plant growth
Composts are characterized by abundant microbial communities, not all of them are able to control plant disease or to biostimulate in the same way
Summary
Soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi are some of the more destructive plant pathogens, affecting different plant portions of a wide hosts range and they can be difficult to control without use of chemicals. Concerns over the intensive use of pesticides in agriculture are driving increasing interest in more environmentally sound crop protection methods, such as biological control practices. Compost is a mature and stable organic matter derived by the bio-oxidation of several feedstocks, including agricultural green wastes. The composting process is normally performed in industrial plants or, alternatively, in farm based composting plants, using simple agricultural tools already present in the farm [2]. In agricultural management where green waste for composting is recommended, such as organic farming, compost with suppress and biostimulant activities would be helpful to substitute the not eco-friendly chemical managements
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
