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

Section 5 • Integrated Disease Management
steps
1. Divide participants in small groups and ask them to conduct field walks and observe learning
and adjoining fields with organically-grown vegetables lightly or moderately infected with
diseases. Interview other farmers, if necessary. List down all observations related to pest and
disease occurrence, kind of crops planted, crop stand, etc.
2. Go back to processing area, brainstorm in small groups and present output to big group. Conduct
participatory discussions to allow sharing of experiences among participants and facilitators. As
a wrap-up session, agree in big group how to improve some procedures provided below:
Compost tea preparation:
5 Gathering compost source.
Compost sources are varied, and so are their microbial compositions. Garbage composts
are easily available and cheap, but health risks always come with it. If contaminants are
eliminated through strict quality control, then it is a good source of compost tea due to
its varied compost make-up. Tree, grass, or any plant-based compost specially when
composted using Trichoderma or bacterial inoculants, are also excellent raw materials
for compost tea brewing. Animal manures are good materials, too. Vermi-culture or
earthworm compost is a superb compost tea material as well. Any compost materials such,
as sugarcane bagasse, hay, coffee, and the like could also be tried. Just make sure that they
are clean and free from plant diseases.
5 Extracting the compost tea.
Place compost materials in plastic bags or containers to prevent contamination. Place
compost in a pail, or any suitable container. For every kilogram of compost, add one liter
of water. Brew mixture by letting it stand for one to three days. Get tea by using a nylon
or metal fine net. Separate solid compost from liquid portion. The liquid portion is the tea
that can be applied like a fungicide. Use compost tea for watering plants or apply it as a
foliar spray to control soil-borne pathogens.
Compost tea application:
5 Using compost tea as water for irrigation to control soil-borne pathogens.
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