development of compost tea production method · development of compost tea production method...

©CRIQ – All rights reserved, 2016

Development of compost tea production method

Compost Council of Canada, Niagara Falls, OntarioYves Bernard, eng., project managerSeptember 26-28 2016


Presentation outline

• CRIQ

• Background

• Methodology

• Results


About CRIQ (Center research industrial of Québec)

CRIQ has been an expert in industrial productivity and competitiveness for 45 years now and provides the most extensive range of innovation services available in Québec. Its experts help businesses and organisations from the public sector to find innovative solutions to their industrial productivity, exports, competitiveness, and eco-efficiency challenges.


A state-owned institution created in 1969

• We offer the widest range of innovation services in Québec

• Two facilities: Montréal and Québec

• More than 200 employees

• Multidisciplinary team of expert engineers

• Industries: forest, mining, food, energy, transport including aerospace, telecommunications, etc.

• Industry advisors travelling all across the province

• About 2,950 projects every year

• Over 185 patents and 14 commercial licenses

• Customer and partner satisfaction 90% and 88% year after year


Key ServicesIndustrial Eco-efficiency and Environment

Environmental ProcessesAir treatmentWater treatmentTreatment of waste materials

Formulation for added-value productsRecycling and valorization of various material(Rubber, plastics, and various industrial residues)ExtractionBiomethanization

Product ComplianceChemical analyses, microbiological tests, dismantling report

Developing green processes and technologies

to help businesses reduce their environmental footprint


Compost tea development: Background

• Demand by industry and municipalities for organic fungistatic products;

• Interest in developing compost tea with fungistatic properties;

• CRIQ is interested in developing its knowledge base in order to provide advice and expertise in Québec;

• Lots of empirical information on the Internet. Need for more scientific information;

• Two areas of application of compost teas were identified early in the project: golf greens and potato crops;

• Need to develop simple and effective methods for producing compost tea;



“Dollars spots” on grass caused by Sclerotinia homeocarpa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dollarspot.jpg



Potatoes fungus causes by Pythium ultimum

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=yyAoS8CRkU2ztM&tbnid=2hBgN4l-06Lh-M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/PhotoPages/Impt_Diseases/Potato/Pot_Leak.htm&ei=H0ObU-yNHImXyASggoLIBA&bvm=bv.68911936,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNFzmnkan-fBbfDwsrRcbEuaNCCPWQ&ust=1402770574859143


Methodology

• Literature review :

• identification of compost tea production methods;

• analysis of different methods for different uses of compost tea;

• applications for the use of compost tea.


Methodology: Compost tea production

• Compost tea production parameters:

• proportion of compost to water;

• timing;

• extraction;

• aeration;

• measuring the amount of air during fermentation;

• need for sugar/commercial solution ?


Methodology: Laboratory trials

• Laboratory trials with compost tea

• Chemical and biological analyzes of different composts

• Determination of optimal parameters for production

Soil SoupTM from Soil food web

Commercial molasse


Methodology: Measuring the performance of compost tea

• Measuring the performance of compost tea as a biofungistat (fungalinhibitor)

• Two strains of fungi :

• Sclerotinia homeocarpa (grass)

• Pythium ultimum (potatoes)

• MIC test (minimal inhibitory concentration)


Results: Literature review

• No detailed description of compost tea production methods;

• Many performance tests on biofungicides for plants;

• Seems preferable to aerate the tea during its fermentation to avoid the development of nauseating odors and pathogens;

• The use of a commercial solution with a molasses base seems widespread;

• Fermented tea is made within a day or two (24 to 48 hours);

• No information about how long the tea retains its properties;

• Looking into the more interesting types of compost: manure, SSO, vermicompost, etc.


Results: Literature review

• The use of the TOD method (total oxygen dissolved) is a common technique in fermentation process control.

• A dissolved oxygen concentration of less than 2 mg O2 / L may indicate an O2 deficiency that would limit the reproduction of microorganisms.

• A concentration greater than 4-5 mg O2 / L usually means that a higher O2

intake results in additional energy expenditure (Le Bihan, 2013).


Results: Compost analysis

PARAMETERSTYPE OF COMPOST

LOMBRICOMPOSTCOMPOST SSO

TUNNEL INSIDE

COMPOST SSO

WINDROW OUTSIDE

COMPOST

MANURE

Moisture content (%) wet basis 45 52 32 / 26.2 57.3

Organic matter (%) dry basis 29 33 40 / 38.1 76.5

C/N ratio 11.83 13.36 N/A 13.90

Density (kg/m3) 803 979 576 N/A

Conductivity (mS/cm) 4.9 3.1 N/A 5.3

pH 8.0 8.2 N/A 7.7

Respiration rate (mg O2 / kg S.V.-h) 209 264 349.1 186.5

Nitrites-Nitrates (mg/kg) d.b. 767 62 N/A < 2.0

NTK (g/100 g) d.b. 1.23 1.24 N/A 2.75

N-NH3 (g/100 g) d.b. 0.0037 0.0484 N/A 0.0044

Salmonella Absent Absent Absent Absent

Fecal coliforms (NPP/g) 5 400 < 10 < 10 < 10

E. Coli (NPP/g) 5 300 < 10 < 10 < 10

Calcium (µg/g) d.b. 4 644 4 128 N/A 4 933

P2O5 (µg/g) d.b. 138 103 N/A 293

K2O (µg/g) d.b. 2 151 1 520 N/A 545

Mg (µg/g) d.b. 508 149 N/A 482

NO3-N (nitrate) (µg/g) d.b. 122 40 N/A N/A

SO4 (µg/g) d.b. 108 30 N/A 97

Active bacteria (µg/g) 49.7 (excellent) 46 (excellent) 12.7 (low) 30.6 (excellent)

Total Bactéria (µg/g) 311 (good) 209 (good) 75.7 (low) 2 910 (good)

Active Fungus (µg/g) 61.7 (excellent) 136 (excellent) 2.47 (low) 11.3 (low)

Total Fungus (µg/g) 304 (excellent) 3 728 (excellent) 286 (good) 523 (excellent)

Flagellates (#/g) 8 283 (low) 100 791 (high) 0 (low) 134 078 (high)

Amobeas (#/g) 2 492 (low) 32 772 (high) 14 056 (high) 3 229 (low)

Ciliates (#/g) 827 (high) 3 276 (high) 0 (low) 323 (high)

Nematodes (#/g) 0.81 (low) 13 (low) 0.03 (low) 6.50 (low)

Soil food web

laboratory


Results: Compost tea production methods

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Ta

ux

aé

rati

on

(m

L/m

in)

Oxy

gè

ne

Dis

sou

s (m

g/L

)

Temps (h)

Bad fermentation

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Ta

ux

aé

rati

on

(m

L/m

in)

Oxy

gèn

e d

isso

us

(mg/

L)

temps (h)

Good fermentation


Results: MIC test for fungus control

Pythium ultimum: Potatoes Sclerotinia homeocarpa : Grass


Results: MIC test for fungus control

Measuring the impact of fungal inhibition by autoclaved compost tea

Tea acts through microbial activity


Other results

• The MIC test with autoclaved teas shows that the fungistatic effect of tea comes from microbiological properties rather than its physical and chemical characteristics;

• It is necessary to aerate and add a sugar solution to achieve meaningful fungal growth inhibition (more than 70% inhibition rate);

• The performance of compost tea does not seem related to the use of a commercial solution or molasses;


Conclusions

• The parameters of production methods for compost teas that effectively inhibit the growth of harmful fungi in two types of plants are better defined;

• The importance of aerating compost tea during production;

• The importance of identifying a suitable aeration rate which increases the performance of a liquid compost extract biofungicide that is likely to have a meaningful impact (performance of 70 to 90%);

• Recommended use of mature compost containing no pathogens;


Conclusions

• Dissolved oxygen is a quite reliable and simple

parameter for the production of tea;

• Minimum of 24 hours of aeration after the liquid is

extracted;

• The commercial solution would have provided the best

performance with Scerotitinia homoecarpa;

• A proportion of one volume of compost to five volumes

of water would be a good dilution for effective mixing;

• Compost tea does not appear to retain its properties for more than 6 days;


Results: Other investigations

• Does the tea retain its long-term fungicidal properties as a result of its preparation?

• Otherwise, are there ways to preserve these properties?

• Does the use of Soil SoupTM versus molasses have an advantage at this level?

• Which tea dosage should I use to have a significant impact on crops covered by a tea application (interesting dilution)?

• Would the same method (with the same production parameters) of compost tea preparation allow for control of other pathogens?

• Does the origin or composition of the compost have an effect on the ability of tea to control pathogens (fungi)?

• Could the basis of the solution used for the preparation of tea just come from processing residues in the food industry (sugar production, for example)?

• Do mediums other than compost (e.g. forest soil) yield good results?


Work Team: Thank you !

• Yves Bernard, engineer, project manager

• Yann Le Bihan, microbiologist, Ph. D.

• Marie-Andrée St-Pierre, microbiologist, M. Sc.

• Éric Légaré, technician,

• CRIQ laboratory technician,

• Valérie Gravel, agro. Ph. D., U. McGill, plant control disease

• Yves Desjardins, agro. Ph. D., U. Laval, grass expert

• Soil food web laboratory


Thank you !www.criq.qc.ca

It will be a pleasure to take one Tea or more with you after this presentation

development of compost tea production method · development of compost tea production method...

Documents