Municipal manure does the environment good
One of the biggest challenges facing us today is what to do with our growing mountains of rubbish. Recycling has found a solid niche in our households, but how can we help shrink the landfills that number more than 150,000 in Europe? According to researchers in Ireland, compost production may be the answer to our problem. Experts at Teagasc (Ireland's Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and University College Dublin say municipal waste and manures can become an important source of disease-suppressive composting material which keeps plant diseases at bay. Citing the EU Landfill Directive, which aims to prevent or reduce negative effects on the environment and risks to human health from the landfilling of waste during the entire lifecycle of the landfill, Ireland's National Strategy on Biodegradable Waste notes that a large gap exists between projected biodegradable municipal waste production and the maximum amount of landfill permitted for this waste. The focus for EU Member States should be to look for and use alternative treatment methods, and to make organic waste products for use. The researchers point out that composting is one of the best ways of helping decrease the amount of biodegradable municipal waste that ends up in Europe's landfills. 'Composting organic waste has many benefits over landfill, namely, a reduction in the volume of waste,' explained Teagasc's Dr Michael Gaffney. 'Composting is an aerobic process and therefore produces carbon dioxide, whereas landfill is mainly an anaerobic process producing methane; and, compost has the potential to be used as both a fertiliser and a horticultural growing media.' As interest and activity in compost production intensify, Europeans should start looking for the right markets for these products. It is especially important since horticulturalists could increase their use of these products that can keep plants healthy. The researchers pointed out, for example, that composted organic materials can suppress a number of soil-borne diseases. A case in point is oomycete pathogens like Phytophthora, which is easier to suppress than true fungal species such as Rhizoctonia. Thanks to bacteria and fungi present in the compost feedstock, which act as a biocontrol against plant pathogens, disease is suppressed. 'They colonise the root surface, form a commensal relationship with the plant and become a barrier to pathogen colonisation needed for infecting the plant root,' the team said. It should be noted that initial studies discovered variable disease suppression because of the variability in feedstocks. According to the researchers, generating consistent disease-suppressive compost will benefit growers as their costs will drop since they will use fewer pesticides on their crops. Moreover, people are determined now more than ever to protect their plants from further diseases. Adopted in 2006, the EU Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides seeks to set minimum rules for the use of pesticides in the EU, effectively keeping human health and the environment safe and free from pesticides.
Countries
Ireland