Compost Tea Essay

Studies on Compost Tea and Its Utility as a Plant Growth Stimulator

K Sahithya, G Selvakumar* and A N Ganeshamurthy

Division of Soil Sciences and Agricultural Chemistry,

Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, India [e-mail] Lack of adequate nutrient supply and poor soil structure are the principal constraints to crop production under low input agriculture systems. The aim of the study was to evaluate the utility of the compost tea prepared from grass residue compost and ridge gourd residue compost as a plant growth stimulator. The two different compost were collected and analysed for their physical, chemical and biological properties. The obtained results suggest that the composts are mature and stable. The six different actinobacteria isolated from the two different compost were studied for their PGP attributes. The higher ammonia excretion and IAA production was

The test plants used in the study were cabbage (Brassica oleracea), palak (Spinacia oleracea) and amaranth (Amaranthus spinosus), were used as test crops. Individual crop seedlings/ seeds were planted/sown in plastic pots containing a soil, sand and compost mixture (1:1:1 ratio). The compost tea treatments were imposed twice a week as foliar sprays. While palak and amaranth plants were harvested on the 40th day of planting, cabbage plants were harvested on the 50th day of planting and plant growth parameters/dry weights and nutrient contents were estimated. The shoot and root lengths of individual plants were measured and the plants dry weights were recorded after oven drying at 70˚ C. In the case of cabbage the number of leaves was also recorded. The content of major nutrients viz., nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in the plant tissues were analyzed after wet acid digestion and the nutrient uptake was