Compost Tea (PA Technology)

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Last modified by Axel Heinemann on 2014-12-15. This is a wiki so please feel free to update information by clicking on "Edit with form". | Printable version

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Name of technology example:		Type
Compost Tea		☐ Energy Efficiency ☐ Renewable Energy ☑ Alternative Methodology

Description	Compost tea is a liquid extract or a dissolved solution but not simply a suspension of compost. It is made by steeping compost in water for 3–7 days. It was discovered in Germany and became a practice to suppress foliar fungal diseases by nature of the bacterial competition, suppression, antibiosis on the leaf surface (phyllosphere). It has also been used as a fertilizer although lab tests show it is very weak in nutrients with less than 100ppm of available nitrogen and potassium. Other salts present in the tea solution are sodium, chlorides and sulfates. The extract is applied as a spray to non-edible plant parts such as seedlings, or as a soil-drench (root dip), or as a surface spray to reduce incidence of harmful phytopathogenic fungi in the phyllosphere.
Technology for the Application of	☐ Solar ☑ Biomass ☐ Biofuel ☐ Biogas ☐ Wind ☐ Geo-Thermal ☐ Hydro ☐ Energy Efficiency ☐ Other: /
Primarily Relevant for the following Agricultural Value Chain Steps	☐ Mechanization ☐ Efficiency of Operation ☐ Processing ☐ Transportation ☐ Controlled Atmosphere ☐ Controlled Temperature ☐ Mechanical Sorting ☐ Preservation ☑ Other: Cultivation
Primarily Relevant for the following Agricultural Value Chain Activities	☐ Grinding ☐ Hauling and conveying ☐ Sorting ☐ Seedbed Preparation ☐ Milling ☐ Tearing ☐ Planting ☐ Washing ☐ Mixing ☐ Pumping ☐ Heating ☐ Drying ☐ Irrigation ☐ Cooling ☐ Animal feeding ☑ Fertilizing ☐ Venting ☐ Animal health and Welfare ☑ Pest Management ☐ Lighting ☐ Packing and branding ☐ Cutting ☐ Sanitation ☐ Other: /
Primarily Implemented in the following Commodity Groups	☐ Cereals ☑ Fruits and vegetables ☐ Nuts and berries ☐ Forage ☐ Dairy products ☐ Meat products ☐ Oil Seeds ☑ Roots and Tubers ☐ Eggs ☐ Pulses ☐ Fiber Crops ☐ Forestry ☐ Sugars ☑ Stimulants ☐ Spices ☐ Other: /
Region & Country of Development	Region ☐ Africa ☐ South Asia ☐ East Asia & The Pacific ☑ Europe & Central Asia - Germany ☐ Latin America & The Caribbean ☐ Middle East & North Africa ☐ North America ☐ N/A: /
Region & Country of Current Deployment	Region ☐ Africa ☐ South Asia ☐ East Asia & The Pacific ☑ Europe & Central Asia ☐ Latin America & The Caribbean ☐ Middle East & North Africa ☑ North America ☐ N/A: /
Region & Country of Potential Deployment	Worldwide ☑ Africa ☑ South Asia ☑ East Asia & The Pacific ☑ Europe & Central Asia ☑ Latin America & The Caribbean ☑ Middle East & North Africa ☑ North America ☐ N/A: /
Manufacturers	Sustainable Agricultural Technologies, Inc. (http://composttea.com/)
Economics
Technology Development Level	Pilot projects and first implementations;
Required Maintenance Technical Level	Low: Technology to be maintained through its life cycle requires less common tools and/or training is required for maintenance;
Required Infrastructure for Deployment	Low: Technology can be developed with less common tools, low development level supporting technologies and moderately trained personnel; Education and training required;
Required Resources during manufacture	Metal, plastics, electronics, air pump;
Required Resources during operation	Electricity;
Deployment Level	Local availability;
Deployment Capability and Potential	The technology can be deployed worldwide;
Requirements for Deployment	The technology can be widely deployed but resources or material supply and distribution chains are required; Education and training required;
Relevance for Autonomy and Food Security	High;
Environment Impacts (emissions)	Low: no direct emissions (when operated with renewable energies) but indirect emissions; Composting emits CO2, CH4 and N2O, so a composting method with low emissions should be selected;
Conformity with Bio- Cybernetic System Rules	Yes;
Additional information / Comments	No comments.
Internal Reference
Additional Links	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost#Compost_tea http://www.nofanj.org/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=104151 http://composttea.com http://elaineingham.com/ http://compostguide.com/compost-tea/