Control of plant diseases with composts

Abstract

Composts, obtained through the biological process of composting, frequently show the capacity to reduce or eliminate plant diseases – supressivity or supressive capacity- that increases the interest for its use in agriculture. After a short characterisation of composting, the mechanisms of suppressivity are discussed, as well as the conditions to obtain supressive composts and the methods to determine and quantify the suppressive capacity. Some supressive composts, used as substrate components or soil amendments, are mentioned. More research on supressivity is needed, due to the high potential for the use of composts towards a more environmental friendly and sustainable agriculture.