Humic acids and compost tea from compost for sustainable agriculture management

In order to prevent soil degradation, it is important to convert conventional agricultural practices to environmentally sustainable management.
To this end, the application of biostimulants could be considered as a good strategy.
Compost is produced by the composting of biodegradable organic matter, and is a source of natural biostimulants, such as humic acids and naturally occurring organic compounds that arise from the decomposition and transformation of organic residues.
Compost-tea is a compost-derived liquid formulate produced by a compost water-phase extraction.
The aim of this work was to evaluate the biostimulant activity of humic acids and compost tea, obtained from green waste compost, on tomato plants (‘Auspicio’) treated at radical and foliar level.
Tests in a climatic chamber showed a main effect after radical treatment with humic acids, with the development of secondary roots.
In vivo experiments, carried out in the open field by weekly foliar treatments with humic acids, showed no effect on tomato production, whereas effects on plant health and vegetative growth were observed.

III International Symposium on Organic Matter Management and Compost Use in Horticulture

R. Scotti, N. D¿Agostino, C. Pane, M. Zaccardelli

tomato, biostimulation, humic substances, organic matter

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1146.15