COMPOST TEAS ARE UNTRADITIONAL BIOAGENTS AGAINST FUNGAL AND BACTERIAL PATHOGENS

Various compost extracts were experimented for antimicrobial activity against a number of fungal and bacterial candidates. All the compost-borne bacteria isolated from the different composts showed antifungal activity towards seven pathogenic fungal strains, B. cinerea and S. cepivorum were the most susceptible. The influence of such bacteria was very limited on five tested bacterial strains. The genome sequencing of compost-borne bacteria showed the probability for the majority of isolates to be Bacillus, besides Brevibacterium, Geobacillus and Streptomyces. Three different compost teas were evaluated as bioagents against a varity of pathogenic fungi. The antifungal activity of grass tea towards A. strictum, F. culmorum and F. austroamericanum increased with time to reach 100% after 4 days brewing and decreased thereafter. The antagonistic effect of tamarix tea increased with brewing reaching the maximum at the 2nd day with S. cepivorum and F. austroamericnaum and after 5 days in case of A. strictum and Phyt. cactorum. The lowest antifungal activity of the mixture of mountain mahogany tea of 47% was recorded with the fungus P. expansum after 7 days. The impact of water ratio, dilution rate, heating, autoclaving as well as compost maturity and iron supplement on antifungal activity of compost teas was discussed.