Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Principles of Compost-based Plant Diseases
Control and Innovative New Developments
Catello Pane and Massimo Zaccardelli
Abstract
Compost is considered one of the different available sustainable
approaches that may be used to prevent, mitigate or to control plant diseases. This is
possible through the exploitation of the compost suppressive properties. This chap-
ter aims to address the several aspects of compost suppressivity in order to derive
the key principles of this phenomena. In particular, will be elucidate the concepts
of compost suppressivity, the mechanisms governing it and the ecological aspects
that lead it. Finally, will be reported how compost can be exploited in plant disease
management both directly and as suitable source of plant protectants.
Keywords
Biological control
·
Soil-borne pathogens
·
Disease ecology
·
Plant
resistance inducer
·
Suppression mechanisms
8.1
Introduction
Plant pathogens and diseases can be well controlled with composts by exploiting
their suppressive properties. This actual fact, perceived already in empirical ancient
agriculture (Parr and Hornick
1992
), has been rigorously studied by scientists since
1970s (Bonanomi et al.
2007
). To date, the findings produced by research groups
worldwide, have contributed to advance the knowledge on this topic and to en-
courage the compost applications in agriculture, also with aim of plant protection.
However, it is needless to say, right from the beginning dissertation, that suppres-
sive composts are not fungicides that able to give standard performances. But, their
increasing utilization, as we will see later, will be able to drastically reduce the
needs for external inputs in crop protection management. Therefore, although dis-
ease control effectiveness by compost can be variable (Termorshuizen et al.
2007
),
the economic and environmental benefits deriving from its use can win any form of
distrust that could hover on operators.
