Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
microbial diversity in compost teas provides some buffering capacity for efficacy
over a wider range of environmental conditions.
Relative to homogenous biocontrol formulations, compost teas are likely to re-
sult in greater within and among-season variation in the level of disease suppression
because of batch-to-batch variation in biological, chemical and physical characters.
This variation results, in part, from variation in materials and conditions during
open-windrow composting. These features of commercial compost production can-
not be controlled in practice or experimentally.
Standards and standard procedures for characterising the chemical, physical and
biological characters of compost and compost tea would at least provide customers
and consumers with reliable information on product quality and safety. Without
these, there is the risk that teas produced under certain conditions might allow hu-
man pathogens to proliferate. It is less clear whether or not some teas can stimulate
the growth of the plant pathogens targeted for control. Data on consistency in crop
protection over multiple sites and for more than one or two growing seasons are
needed.
Despite what might be seen as limitations by those who have access to and value
synthetic fungicides, compost teas have the potential to fulfill the needs of those
farmers and food producers seeking lower-cost, environmentally-friendly options
for disease management that allow utilisation of materials that might otherwise be
considered to be organic waste. With additional testing and cost-benefit analyses,
compost teas may well prove to be a valuable tactic for integration with other forms
of biological and cultural controls to meet the practical needs of farmers, the de-
mands of customers and consumers, and to sustain crop yields, produce quality and
rural livelihoods.
References
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Anonymous (1999) Environmental impacts of animal feeding operations. In: U.S Environmental
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http://www.epa.
gov/guide/feedlots/envimpct.pdf.
Accessed 26 Oct 2013.
Anonymous (2006) Overview of compost tea use in NSW. In: Recycled Organics Unit.
http://www.
recycledorganics.com/publications/reports/composttea/composttea.pdf.
Accessed 20 Oct 2013.
