Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

Section 5 • Integrated Disease Management
Exercise No. 5.18 208
USING COMPOST TEA TO MANAGE DISEASES OF
ORGANICALLY-GROWN VEGETABLES
BaCKGroUND aND raTIoNalE
‘Compost tea’ is a concentrated microbial solution (‘brew’)
produced by extracting beneficial microbes from compost.
This ‘brew’ is produced by adding compost materials to water
in a container and suspending in solution. The extraction
process could take at least 24 hours. The ‘tea’ or ‘soup’ is
applied in various ways, much like a fungicide, to control
target plant pathogens. There are many potential benefits of
compost tea (CT). Aside from providing direct nutrition, it
also makes available microbial functions, such as competing
with disease-causing microbes, degrading toxic pesticides and other chemicals, producing plant
growth hormones, mineralizing plant available nutrients, fixing nitrogen and beneficial microbes,
leaving no room for pathogens to infect plant surfaces. In addition, CT helps create a balanced soil
food web.
Compost tea is used for managing various plant diseases such as anthracnose disease of watermelon,
powdery mildew on roses and apples, gray mold on green beans, strawberries, grapes, and geraniums,
root rot on potatoes, tomatoes, and grapes, fusarium wilt of peppers and cucumbers, and dampingoff
of pea seedlings. Locally, compost tea has been proven to be effective in preventing damage
of two soil-borne pathogens (Sclerotium rolfsii Curzi and Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn) to tomato and
pechay seedlings.
The technology is a potentially sustainable endeavor for any interested individual as production cost
is low and materials are readily available. The CT technology is a cheap, easy, and environmentfriendly
endeavor that farmers could readily adapt. It does not require a lot of capital nor is labor
intensive. Its trade-off is its short shelf-life - meaning that it cannot be stored for a long time, unless
it is frozen or refrigerated. The compost tea products could be marketed to fellow farmers using
recycled mineral water or soft drink bottles. Brewing containers could range from plastic pails to
water impounding structures.
208 Ebuega, M.E. and C.L. Padilla. 2005. Compost tea for managing tomato diseases. Paper presented during a Workshop on Integrated Production and Pest
Management in Processing Tomato: Issues and Prospects held on July 2005 at Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. 9p.
311
when is this exercise most
appropriate?
ɶ In FFS, TOT, and VST
sessions, prior to or
during land preparation
and as component of topic
on ‘Integrated Disease
Management’; and
ɶ When farmers want to
learn innovative practices
in using compost tea to
manage many diseases
of organically-grown
vegetables.