Abstract
AbstractOrganic matter water extract, or so-called ‘tea’, may be used to correct nutrient deficiencies in crops or enhance their defense systems. Such tea mixtures are prepared locally by Mediterranean farmers to offset a multitude of constraints, particularly a scarcity of organic manure or high synthetic input costs. However, the diverse range of tea production and usage practices and farmers' underlying rationales have yet to be thoroughly studied. Yet locally they constitute real alternatives that allow farmers to maintain their income levels while reducing reliance on chemical inputs. The main objective of this study was to gain insight into farmers' rationale and practices regarding the production of homemade dry manure tea (HMT) in North Africa, while also highlighting the benefits perceived by farmers. Nearly 50 interviews with farmers were thus conducted in three irrigated cropping areas in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Our results showed that HMT is widely used in intensified family horticultural cropping systems that usually rely on drip irrigation and chemical fertilization. The analysis of farmers' practices revealed that HMT was generally made from aged manure that was pure or consisted of a mixture of sheep, cow or poultry dung. The production protocol varied in terms of drenching techniques, maceration time, container volume and type, and filtration techniques. Farmers applied the derived tea via the drip irrigation system, regularly or with a limited number of applications. The analysis of farmers' rationales and perceptions regarding HMT clearly highlighted that they felt that these practices played a positive role. HMT was considered to improve vegetative growth, yield and, to a lesser extent, soil properties. These benefits could in turn lead to decreased use of synthetic fertilizers by farmers, while boosting their income. The increased understanding of HMT and the underlying rationales showcased in this study could help scientists better analyze and assess these practices in the future. The findings could also facilitate improvement and wider dissemination of these practices to achieve more sustainable irrigation systems in the intensified irrigated cropping areas that abound in North Africa.
Highlights
Compost tea—the result of water extraction from composted organic matter of different origins and of known properties and age (Brinton et al, 1996)—has long been used in agricultural applications (Eden, 1938; Rodale, 1967; Koepf, 1992)
This study focused on three intensively irrigated agricultural zones in North Africa: the Saiss plain in Morocco, the Upper-Cheliff plain in Algeria, and the Merguellil plain in Tunisia (Fig. 1)
Application of manure in an irrigation bowl at the base of fruit trees followed by gravitational irrigation and basal applications in regularly irrigated green market gardening systems is widespread
Summary
Compost tea—the result of water extraction from composted organic matter of different origins and of known properties and age (Brinton et al, 1996)—has long been used in agricultural applications (Eden, 1938; Rodale, 1967; Koepf, 1992) This tea has more recently become popular for use in organic farming systems (Scheuerell and Mahaffee, 2002). Studies have documented the impacts of compost and vermicompost tea in suppressing pests and diseases (Scheuerell and Mahaffee, 2002) This tea can have positive effects on crop physiology, growth and yield (Benitez et al, 1996; Pant et al, 2009; Gutiérrez-Miceli et al, 2011; Chaichi et al, 2018; Arancon et al, 2019; Ibrahim et al, 2019, and many others). This tea can have positive effects on crop physiology, growth and yield (Benitez et al, 1996; Pant et al, 2009; Gutiérrez-Miceli et al, 2011; Chaichi et al, 2018; Arancon et al, 2019; Ibrahim et al, 2019, and many others). Pant et al (2012) directly linked increased pak choi plant growth
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