From steved@ncatfyv.uark.eduSat Mar 23 12:14:49 1996
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 10:03:19 -0600 (CST)
From: Steve Diver <steved@ncatfyv.uark.edu>
To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Subject: Effects of Compost - Response (fwd)

Forwarded message:
> To: sustag-public@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
> Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 20:16:23 -0800 (PST)
> From: Elisheva Kaufman <elisheva@igc.apc.org>
> Subject: Effects of Compost - Response
> 
> To: Patrick Maddens
> World Sustainable Agriculture Association
> 
> From Elisheva Kaufman
> Project Coordinator;
> Ecological Soil Management Collaborative
> <elisheva@igc.apc.org>
> 
> Patrick,
> There is great interest in this area internationally as well. 
> As coordinator of the Ecological Soil Management Collaborative,
> a proposed project involving US, Palestinian and Israeli
> collaboration for  sustainable agriculture, we will research disease 
> suppression through compost, and integrated soil fertility strategies 
> appropriate for dryland conditions with developing country constraints.
> under the leadership of Dr. Will Brinton, of Woods End, and 
> Dr. Fred Magdoff of the University of Vermont (pending funding).
> 
> Our goal is to restore degraded soils and promote sustainable ag 
> through ecological soil managment practices.  Traditional, small
> farmers need low-tech, effective methods to generate their own on-farm 
> compost high in disease suppressivecapacity and the soil biodiversity 
> that promotes natural bio-controls. Thus the costly, high intensity 
> management and heavy expensive machinery of the Lubke approach is not 
> helpful. The small American farmer operates with similar constraints.
> 
> After much investigation, we found that Woods End could provide us 
> with exemplary compost quality evaluation and standards, a compost 
> management approach adapted to the economic limits and appropriate 
> technology-needs of a developing country, and muncipal and on-farm 
> implementation skills to train the local people for self-suficiency 
> and sustainability.
> 
> We would be most interested in networking with other dryland region 
> researchers, and indigenous peoples, on composting methods for disease 
> suppression, and related soil life/biodiversity/fertility concerns. 
> 
> What other compost researchers are looking are the relationship between
> compost managment intensity and disease suppression; in terms of 
> compost temperature, the nature of the microbial and fungal growth and
> recipes.  It would seem that the closer we recreate the natural humus 
> forming conditions of the forest floor, the low temperature and slow 
> activity over time, the greater the biodiversity potential.  Any thoughts 
> on this?
> 
> Good Wishes in Your Work,
> 
> Elisheva Kaufman
> <elisheva@igc.apc.org>
> 
> PS: I have faxed this conversation to Prof. Said Assaf, the director of 
> the Palestinian National Agricultural Reseach Center, 
> since he is not yet on-line, and emailed it to Dr. Michael Raviv, of 
> the Israeli Ministry of Ag.  Following is Dr. Ravivs response:
> 
> Michael Raviv; 
> Thanks for the interesting discussion on compost effects.
> Right now I'm cooperating with a plant pathologist from another
> research center - in the Negev, on similar problems: they have severe problem
> of Alternaria on potato. I prepared for her several composts with defined
> properties and prepared extracts (what you call tea) from them. We 
> conducted a through chemical analysis (biological one will be done later on) 
> and now we can start linking between compost properties and effectiveness 
> against this disease. results of sterilized teas are good but not impressive,
> suggesting a role also for microorganisms prevailing in the teas.