ISHS Acta Horticulturae 819: International Symposium on Growing Media 2007
COMPOSTING OLIVE MILL WASTE AND ASSESSMENT OF ITS HORTICULTURAL VALUE |
| Authors: | M. Raviv, S. Medina, A. Krassnovsky, Y. Laor, I. Aviani |
| Keywords: | composting, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., Olea europaea L., olive mill wastes, suppressiveness |
| Abstract:
The consumption of olive oil is constantly increasing due to its culinary and proven health benefits. Unfortunately, both solid and liquid olive mill wastes (OMWs) pose environmental concerns due to their toxic nature. The wastewater cannot be directly discharged to municipal sewage systems and require dedicated engineering solutions. Co-composting of solid and liquid OMW is a promising approach which aims to achieve two goals: 1. Recycling waste that otherwise poses environmental hazard; and 2. Production of a relatively stable and risk-free product, of substantial horticultural value. In this paper we present the results of a composting cycle performed during 2005-6. Three feedstocks were selected to produce high grade compost with the following properties: absence of residual toxicity, suppression against soil-borne pathogens and obtaining a compost of good physical properties. Adding 30% of cow manure to the mix was compared to only 10%. In addition, wetting the compost with liquid OMW was compared to its wetting with fresh water. The process was relatively long and took about 9 months. By the end of the composting period phytotoxicity of all treatments was reduced considerably and they showed significant suppressiveness against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis. Tomato plants were grown in peat moss amended with 20% (V:V) OMW compost (OMWC). Unamended peat served as a control. All media were fertilised according to commercial recommendations. Media amended with OMWC that contained 10% manure and wetted with liquid OMW was somewhat inferior while the other 2 media were somewhat superior to the control (although not statistically significant). | |
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