Compost Tea Research Articles

The compost tea on hydroponics system used to increase understanding of Sustainable Development for high school student in Adiwiyata program

Compost tea is made from compost extracts that contain nutrients needed for plant growth and development. Hydroponics is a planting system that depends on the availability of organic nutrients in the planting medium so that it produces plants that are ready for consumption that are safe and nutritious. This is the basis for providing an understanding of Sustainable Development for high school students in the Adiwiyata program. Adiwiyata is a program that aims to create good conditions for schools to become a place for learning and awareness of school residents (teachers, students, and other workers), to encourage efforts to save the environment and Sustainable Development. The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of Sustainable Development in high school students in the Adiwiyata program. This study uses one high schools in the Adiwiyata program. Before and after the activity of literacy a hydroponic system using compost tea for safe and nutritious food security and healthy environment, then students were given questions about Sustainable Development. The results showed an increase in understanding of Sustainable Development.

EFFECT OF MINERAL NITROGEN AND BIOFERTILIZER APPLICATION ON NODULATION EFFICIENCY AND GROWTH OF PEANUT PLANTS GROWN ON A SANDY SOIL TREATED WITH ORGANIC FERTILIZERS

A field experiment was carried out on a sandy soil of Experimental Farm, Ismailia Research Station, Soils, Water and Environment Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt, during two successive growth summer seasons, i.e. 2016 and 2017 on peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Giza 5 cv., to study the individual and combined effect of applications of mineral N fertilization levels (25 and 40 kg N / fed., ammonium sulphate, 20.3 % N).Four resources of organic fertilizers (farmyard manure “FYM” , solid plant compost “SPC” , enriched compost tea “ECT” and FYM+ECT) and two different mixtures of biofertilizers (B1 and B2) on nodulation efficiency and growth of peanut plants. B1 consists of Azospirillum braselinse (local strain) +Bacillus megatherium (local strain) +Azotobacter chroococcum (local strain); while B2 consists of Bradyrhizobium.sp ( strain (USDA 3456)) + Serratia marcescens ( strain MH6) +Psuedomonas fluorescens (strain IFO 2034). Application rate of SPC, FYM were 5 ton / fed., while ECT was 75 L/fed (fed is 0.42 ha). The treatment of FYM+ECT was carried out at a rate of 2.5 ton FYM / fed. + 37.5 L ECT/ fed. The layout of the experiment was a split-split-plot design, with the main plots arranged in a randomized complete blocks design, with three replicates. The results showed that, a marked significant increases in both nodules (number and dry matter) formed on the roots of peanut plants as well as the dry matter of shoots of peanut plants owing to the used fertilization treatments as compared to the control. The highest values of nodulation (number and weight) and shoots dry weights were found in the plants fertilized by triple combinations of mineral N, organic and biofertilizers followed by those found duo to the dual combinations. Data also showed a superior increase of applied B2 and addition of ECT than that obtained for B1 and either of than other organic fertilizers on nodules number as shoots dry weight of peanut plants at growth period of 45 days. Generally, data showed an importance role of mineral N and bio-fertilizers application on sandy soil fertility of sandy soil treated with organic fertilizers and its productivity of peanut plants.

Utilization of rice straw and tea composts for strawberry and tomato production

The use of agricultural waste is of great interest to sustainable agriculture. An investigation was carried out to evaluate the effects of compost and compost tea made from agricultural waste rice straw on the yield and quality of two horticultural crops strawberry and tomato. In strawberry experiment, six treatments were considered which wereT1: 100% soil (as a control), T2: 80% soil + 20% compost, T3: 60% soil + 40% compost, T4: 40% soil + 60% compost, T5: 20% soil + 80% compost & T6: 100% compost. Results revealed that number of fruit, fruit yield and total sugar (%)was increased with the increasing level of compost up to 80% after that decreased at 100% compost. The treatment T5: 20% soil + 80% compost gave the best results among the treatments to grow strawberry with good yield (185.3 g/plant) and sweetness (total sugar 5.19%). On the other hand, six treatments i.e. T1: Control, T2: Compost (5 t/ha), T3: Compost tea (50% concentration), T4: Compost (5 t/ha) + Compost tea (50% concentration), T5: Compost tea (100% concentration) and T6: Compost (5t/ha) + Compost tea (100% concentration) were considered in tomato experiment. As a result, it was observed that combined application of compost (5 t/ha) along with compost tea (100% conc.) (T6) gave the highest yield of tomato than not only control (T1) but also single application of compost or compost tea (T2, T3, T4&T5). Level of compost tea concentration also showed significant effect on fruit yield of tomato. Comparing between treatment T4 and T6, fruit yield was found higher (1027.67 g/plant) in treatment T6: Compost (5t/ha) + Compost tea (100% conc.) than 961.3 g/plant in T4: Compost (5 t/ha) + Compost tea (50% conc.). So, it could be summarized that use of rice straw as compost and compost tea affects positively both in two experiments. The results of this study confirm the beneficial effects of compost to increase the yield and sweetness of strawberry and combination of compost and compost tea to increase the yield of tomato.
 Progressive Agriculture 30 (4): 335-343, 2019

COMPOST PRODUCTION FROM CATTLE AND POULTRY DEBRIS UNDER DIFFERENT AERATION TECHNIQUES.

The present work was conducted to achieve the following aims: Evaluate of the changes during composting cattle and poultry manures and compost maturity i.e total organic carbon, total nitrogen, C/N ratio, humic substances, humification index, under two aer ation techniques i.e. Forced Ventilation System (FVS) by means of composer pump and Mechanically turned System (MTS) by means of loader. A design of a composting Forced Ventilation System (FVS), is a 2 polyethylene plastic cages (1m length x 0.45 width x 0.6 m height), with 4 inches (10 cm) pipe diameter. Each 4 plastic Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) perforated pipes were laid horizontally and vertically in a cage shape, an about 600 holes/cage). At the end of composting (80 days) all the treatments reached the maturity standard, except for piles of both poultry and cattle manures under FVS, the maturity state were reached at the 65th. Forced Ventilation System (FVS) with the composting of cattle and poultry manures lower in labour cost, sped up the composting pr ocess and got the best compost quality in compared to the MTS. Furthermore, it has been defined as a good method to reduce nitrogen loss by volatilization. However, it has the disadvantage, compared to pile of MTS, of the limited homogenization of the pile. Besides, there is a higher need of watering because of evaporation. The main disadvantages of the MTS are the difficulty in controlling the temperature and the loss of nitrogen during the turnings. Indeed, the present investigation demonstrated that compos t tea quality of the end products compost from cattle and poultry manures under FVS were better quality compared to the same organic manure under the other aeration technique. Overall, considering of the environment, agronomy value, phytotoxicity and effic iency indicators, the method FVS was most suitable for composting practice production.

Spraying Agro-Industrial Compost Tea on Baby Spinach Crops: Evaluation of Yield, Plant Quality and Soil Health in Field Experiments

Compost tea is a liquid fraction extracted from composts, and it is of great interest in sustainable agriculture because it reduces the unsustainable use of chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers. In this study, during two spinach field cycles, we evaluated the potential beneficial effect of the foliar application of a compost tea made from onion and vineyard composts either by itself (CT) or implemented with the beneficial microorganism Trichoderma harzianum T78 (CT + Th) on the “healthy quality” and yield of baby spinach. Results showed that both the CT and CT + Th treatments produced a higher spinach yield than the control, but these treatments did not result in an increase in soil dehydrogenase activity (DHA) or soil nutrient content. Furthermore, CT + Th treatment showed the highest yield, phenolic content, antioxidant capacity and flavonoid levels. Nitrate levels were below legal amounts, and they were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower in the CT and CT + Th treatments than in the control. Data suggest that compost tea extracts from onion waste and vineyard compost and/or enriched with T. harzianum can be used in a sustainable agriculture to increase yield and quality of baby spinach.

Biochemical changes induced by compost tea and seaweed formulation spray inhibiting Alternaria leaf blight of sunflower

Compost tea and seaweed extract were tested against Alternaria blight of sunflower. Foliar spray of compost tea(1:10) @ 30, 45 DAS and propiconazole @ 1 ml/l at 60 DAS was effective in controlling the Alternaria blight ofsunflower with least disease severity which was on par with foliar spray of seaweed formulation at 30, 45 DAS and propiconazole at 60 DAS. The defense enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, secondary metabolites such as phenolics and flavonoids increased in foliar spray of compost tea and also in propiconazole treated plants.

Eco-friendly management of tomato late blight using botanicals, bio-control agents, compost tea and copper fungicides

Tomato is affected by the major disease late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans in Sikkim. In vitro experiment of biocontrol agents, botanicals and organically approved chemicals evaluated against P. infestans revealed that garlic, Trichoderma harzianum, copper oxychloride and copper hydroxide were effective. In field experiment conducted during 2014 and 2015, copper oxychloride @0.25% was found most effective followed by copper hydroxide @0.25% for the management of late blight. The pooled mean yield of tomato treated with copper oxychloride was recorded highest with 8.99 t/ha, 24.50 t/ha and 25.33 t/ha for open, rain shelter and tunnel, respectively followed by copper hydroxide. Hence, copper fungicides can be used for the management of late blight in tomato in organic farming.

Effect of Nano-Fertilization and Some Bio-Fertilizer on Growth, Yield and Fiber Quality of Egyptian Cotton.

Two field experiments were conducted at Nubariya Research Station, Cotton Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center Giza, Egypt during the two summer growing seasons, 2017 and 2018. The aim of the present investigation was to study the effect of bio-fertilization Cyanobacteria extract, plant Growth promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) extract and Tea compost, nano-fertilization (NPK mixing) and their combination among 50% nano fertilization+ PGPR extract, 50%Nano fertilizers+ tea compost, 50% Nano +Cyanobacteria extract and 50% Nano+ PGPR extract+ tea compost+ Cyanobacteria extract and untreated one (control) on growth, seed yield , lint yield , and fiber properties of Egyptian cotton Giza 94 cultivar. The most important results can be summarized as follows: the combined treatment which contains half dose of both the nano-fertilizer and the some biofertilizers gave the highest values for, i.e. plant height (cm), number of fruiting branches per plant, number of open bolls per plant, boll weight (gm), lint percentage, seed index, seed cotton yield (Kentar/fed.), lint cotton yield (Kantar/fed.), micronaire value, fiber maturity ratio (MR), upper half mean (UHM)mm, fiber uniformity index (UI), and fiber strength (g/tex), followed by the treatment of 100% nano then the recommended dose of mineral fertilizer NPK. On the other hand, the lowest values of all the above traits, were recorded from the half does of nano NPK fertilizer in 2017 and 2018 seasons, respectively .While, There were no significant differences between the means of the fiber elongation % due to the treatments applied during the study in 2017 season .It's worthily to mention that, the percentage of fiber elongation had no constant trend due to fertilizer transactions applied on the adopted genotype during` 2018 season. But, it seems to be that nano-fertilizer is boosting the fiber elongation percent.

Compost tea production methods affect soil nitrogen and microbial activity in a northern highbush blueberry system

ABSTRACT The use of compost tea has increased in organic agriculture as a substitute for herbicides and inorganic fertilizers, but the relative effects of compost tea produced via different methods are largely unknown. We examined the effects of compost tea on soil and plant chemistry and microbial community enzyme activity on an organic blueberry farm in Minnesota, USA. We randomly assigned plants to one of three compost tea treatments: aerated compost tea under ambient temperature, heated and aerated compost tea, and a control treatment. Heated and aerated compost tea increased soil percent nitrogen compared to the other treatments, and decreased activity of β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase, an enzyme involved in chitin degradation, compared to the aerated-only treatment. We propose that the production method of compost tea has a significant effect on its efficacy as an organic soil amendment.

Ecological nutrient solutions on yield and quality of melon fruits

Due to health benef its, organic food products have increased their demand in recent years. The objective was evaluating the effects of three ecological nutrient solutions, (Tea of compost, vermicompost, and leachate of vermicompost), on yield and quality of melon plants. As a control, an inorganic nutrient solution was used. Our results showed that compost tea promoted fruit yield equivalent to the inorganic nutrient solution. Plants fertilized with compost tea yielded fruits with the highest value of soluble solids content (9.98 ºBrix). Regarding antioxidant capacity, fruits fed with compost tea and vermicompost leachate obtained higher values than fruits fed with nutrient solution, fruits fed with vermicompost leachate obtained statistically higher values than fruits fed with chemical nutrient solution. Concerning to total phenolic content plants fed with vermicompost leachate obtained the highest value statistically similar to control plants fed with the Steiner nutrient solution.

Suppressive effect of compost /pomegranate peel tea combination against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lupini, and Rhizoctonia solani as an alternative synthetic fungicide

Plant diseases continue to cause severe damage to most agricultural crops resulting in heavy losses of both yield and quality. In addition the agricultural wastes cause real problems to get rid of them. Therefore, intensive concern was directed toward compost utilization, as they are available for no cost no side effect. So, in this study different suggested formulations of aerated compost tea in combination with pomegranate peel powder were evaluated for the possibility of using them as an environmentally safe alternative to fungicides. In vitro antifungal activity as well as, the in vivo probability of these combinations to suppress damping-off and wilt diseases caused by R. solani and F. oxysporum was done. Pathogens were isolated from diseased lupine plants with root rot and wilt symptoms. In vitro experiment results illustrated that high inhibition linear growth was obtained by compost/sour pomegranate tea prepared using alkaline water by up to 60% and 70% for F. oxysporum and R. solani respectively. Meanwhile, under field condition all tested combinations showed significant reduction in disease severity over un-composted control, indicated by low wilting and high survival % of lupine plants, no significant differences were detected between treatments. All compost treatments, in the field experiment, performed significantly better than the un-composted control in terms of growth parameters, NPK accumulation, yield and its components with no significant differences. Findings of this study suggest that mixture of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peels extract with compost tea might be a promising combination for controlling phytopathogenic fungi and can be used as effective natural fungicide against two of the most dangerous soil-borne fungi looking for reducing the dependence on the chemical fungicides.

Integration of Some Bio Compounds with Compost Tea to Produce Sweet Corn without Mineral Fertilizers

Integration of Some Bio Compounds with Compost Tea to Produce Sweet Corn without Mineral Fertilizers

Effect of vermicompost tea on rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) growth and rhizosphere microbial diversity under field conditions

Increasing demand for rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) requires producers to increase production in a sustainable manner. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of applying vermicompost tea (VCT) (100 and 500 L ha–1 month–1) and tap water drenches on one-year old rooibos nutrient uptake, and tea yields and rhizosphere microbial diversity under field conditions in the Nieuwoudtville region. The application of VCT solutions had no significant effect on rooibos survival or tea yields compared to the same volume of tap water. The application of tap water with or without VCT resulted in significant increases in plant survival (23–31% higher), resulting in lower tea yields (38–66% lower) likely due to increased plant competition. The application of VCT drench applied at 5 times the supplier’s recommendations (500 L ha–1 month–1) significantly enhanced foliar P and Fe and reduced foliar Al, attributed to the organic acids in VCT. VCT application at 100 L ha–1 significantly enhanced bacterial species diversity and decreased dominance. Further research is needed to identify which bacterial species are increasing with addition of vermicompost tea. Application of compost tea with higher mineral N content would likely be more beneficial for enhancing yields.

Effect of the application of a compost tea in the production of baby leaf lettuce in a floating system

Effect of the application of a compost tea in the production of baby leaf lettuce in a floating system

English

Currently, sewage waste management is a serious environmental problem and one of the major growing concerns for urban areas all over the world. Utilization of biosolids (BS) for crop production may be a sustainable waste management strategy. The present study evaluated the physico-chemical and biological characteristics of biosolids from sewage ponds at Egerton University, Kenya. This was to determine its suitability for crop production. Biosolids were evaluated separately then as mixture with forest soil at rates of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60% and compared with tea compost (TC) and coco peat (CP) in a completely randomized design experiment with four replications. Data collected included: macro-elements, micro-elements, heavy metals, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), bulk density (BD), water holding capacity and biological properties. Results showed that total organic carbon (0.03%), total organic nitrogen (2.0%) and Molybdenum (22 mg kg-1), in biosolids were significantly (p < 0.05) higher compared with forest soil, but not significantly different from tea compost. For heavy metals, Hg (0.33 mg kg-1), As (5.9 mg kg-1), Cr (31.1mg kg-1), Cd (0.38 mg kg-1), Ni (16.3 mg kg-1) and Zn (127 mg kg-1) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in biosolids but within the allowable limits according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. bulk density (1.2 to 1.5) g cm-3 and pH (5.4 to 5.8) units, but high organic matter (195 to 230) g kg-1, water holding capacity (35 to 42 %) and EC (2.6 to 5.4) µSm-1). For microbial load, total viable count (TVC) and colony forming units (CFU) registered 5 ×10-7 and 6.5×10-7 respectively. However, Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp. and Staphylococcus sp. were not detectable in the fully composted biosolids. Similar trend of these results were subsequently observed in the substrates formed in the mixture of biosolids and forest soil and this provide insight on the potential of biosolids as substrate for crop production and a reliable alternative to soil alone. Key words: Biosolids, forest soil, organic amendment, substrate.

Effects of Bacteria and Compost Tea Applications on Fruit Characteristics, Yield and Nutrient Content on Salihli Sweet Cherry Variety

Amaç: Bu çalışmada, Salihli kiraz çeşidinde bakteri ve kompost çayı uygulamalarının meyve özellikleri, verim, gelişme ve besin elementi içeriklerine etkisinin araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Materyal ve Metot: Araştırmada P. mahaleb anacına aşılı Salihli kiraz çeşidi bitkisel materyal olarak kullanılmıştır. Pantoae agglomerans strain C9/1 ve Pseudomonas fluorescens strain A506 bakterileri ağaçlara 3 farklı dönemde (tam çiçeklenme, çiçeklenmeden 15 ve 30 gün sonar) kompost çayı ise 15 günlük periyotlarda (yapraklanma - meyvelerde renk dönüşümü) uygulanmıştır. Sürgün uzunluğu, meyve özellikleri, makro ve mikro besin elementleri ve verim incelenmiştir. Bulgular: A506 bakteri uygulaması ile sürgün uzunluğu ve sap kopma kuvveti artış göstermiştir. Bakteri ve kompost çayı uygulamalarında, meyvelerin koyu kırmızı renkli olduğu belirlenmiştir. Uygulamalara bağlı olarak, P, K, Na ve Fe içeriği bakımından farklılık ortaya çıkmıştır. Sonuç: Sürgün uzunluğu ve meyve özellikleri bakımından A506 ve C9/1 bakteri uygulamalarının kontrole göre etkili olduğu görülmüştür. Kompost çayı uygulamasında besin elementi içeriği en yüksek değere ulaşmıştır. Tüm uygulamalar verimi olumlu yönde etkilemiştir.

English

English

Effectiveness of different nutrition sources and magnetic fields on lettuce grown under hydroponic system

The study aimed to investigate the effect of magnetic fields and different nutrient solutions on growth of lettuce plants under hydroponic system. The experiment was carried out in the Laboratory of the Soils and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt, during the winter season of 2018. Six treatments were used: three nutrient solutions (mineral - control, organic - compost tea and C.T, and mix of mineral and organic 50:50 v/v) were treated with and without magnetic field, a randomized complete block design in a split-plot design, with three replications. A magnetic treatment device with its magnetic field of approximately 14500 gauss was used to evaluated the growth parameters and nutrient contents. The results showed that the different nutrient solutions with magnetic fields treated had significant increases in all plant parameters. In particular, the mix-nutrient (mineral and organic 50:50 v/v) treated with magnetic fields statistically showed significant increases in all values of growth parameters (plant height, number of leaves/plant, total-chlorophyll, diameter stem and leaf area) and nutrient contents (N, P and K), with mean values of 40.33 cm, 25.00, 41.33 mgg tissue, 1.49 cm, 13759.33 cm2/plant and 6.03, 0.21 and 1.86%, respectively. This study suggests that the effects of magnetic field treatments act as a protective application of organic nutrition solution in the hydroponic organic system.

Compost tea-mediated induction of resistance in biocontrol of strawberry Verticillium wilt

In vitro and in vivo trials were conducted to assess the biocontrol efficacy of the tea prepared from maize straw compost against Verticillium wilt of strawberry caused by Verticillium dahliae and the mechanisms involved in suppression of the phytopathogen. The compost tea used in the present study inhibited the mycelial growth and conidial germination of V. dahliae by 90.60% and 78.24%, respectively. However, sterilization of compost tea by autoclaving diminished the inhibitory effect, suggesting that microflora in the compost tea play a pivotal role in the prevention of Verticillium wilt. The elongation of germ tubes was suppressed by filter-sterilized compost tea and revealed the presence of thermolabile and low molecular weight antifungal substances in the compost tea. Greenhouse trials indicated that preventive application of compost tea on strawberry plants exhibited control efficacy of 41.85% against Verticillium wilt. Moreover, the compost tea treatment could induce resistance in the primed state, which led to enhanced production of defense-related enzymes in strawberry plants upon pathogen attack. Our results demonstrated that direct inhibition of V. dahliae by microorganisms and induction of plant defense response are main mechanisms involved in compost tea-based disease suppression.

Influence of organic pre-sowing seed treatments on germination and growth of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.)

ABSTRACTRosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is an important medicinal and aromatic herb, used by various pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries. For most species, seed-based multiplication is effective and convenient, but for rosemary, seed germination is a problem due to the mucilaginous seed coat, and sometimes the germination is no more than 10–20% resulting in non-uniform crop establishment. This investigation was carried out to improve seed germination by using low-cost organic seed priming techniques. Eleven pre-sowing seed treatments were tested, based on locally available resources, including: soaking seeds in water (cold and hot), bovine urine (5%, 10%, 15% and 20% concentration), bovine dung slurry, buttermilk, compost tea and Agnihotra ash, and comparing with an untreated control. All the pre-sowing seed treatments increased the percentage of seed germination in rosemary compared with the control, except buttermilk, which had an adverse effect. Among the different treatments, seed germination was significantly increased to 46.7% for seeds treated with bovine dung slurry and to 42.0% for seeds treated with bovine urine5.0%, compared with those in the control where the germination was 9.7%. The bovine dung slurry treatment also recorded uniform and early germination (9 days for initiation and completion at 43 days) resulting in a significantly higher rate of germination (1.4) than the control. The number of leaves, the root length and the seedling vigour were also recorded to be the highest for seeds treated with bovine dung slurry, followed by bovine urine5.0%.