The survival rate of Phytophthora ramorum was assessed when introduced at high rates into composts of varying provenance and curing time, produced by both “turned windrow” and “forced air static pile” techniques. Survival in some compost media was high and statistically indistinguishable from positive controls (P<0.01), while other sources were statistically indistinguishable from negative cont...

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the residual effect of rock phosphate and waste mica enriched compost on phosphorus and potassium supplying capacity under soybean crop grown after wheat in a Typic Haplustept. Enriched compost prepared using rice straw, rock phosphate, waste mica and Aspergillus awamori had higher chemical (total P, K, Ca, Mg and micronutrients) as well as biologica...

A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effect of compost and bio-fertilizers on the growth, yield and oil constituents of marjoram (Majorana hortensis L.). Forty five days old seedling were transplanted in soil treated with 15 and 30% aqueous extracts of compost and/or biofertilizers (mixture of Azospirillum brasilienses, Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus polymyxa & B. circulans) in ad...

Phytoextraction of mercury-contaminated soils is a new strategy that consists of using the higher plants to make the soil contaminant nontoxic. The main problem that occurs during the process is the low solubility and bioavailability of mercury in soil. Therefore, some soil amendments can be used to increase the efficiency of the Hg phytoextraction process. The aim of the investigation was to u...

Oil palm fibres are easy to degrade, eco-friendly in nature and once composted, they can be categorized under nutrient-enriched biocompost. Biocompost is not only a good biofertilizer but also a good biocontrol agent against soil-borne pathogens. In this research, experimental works on the composting of empty fruit bunches (EFB) from the oil palm industry were conducted using two potential Tric...

Composting has been used for disposal of poultry carcasses and manure following outbreaks caused by avian influenza virus (AIV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), but methods are needed to test for survival of the viruses in compost to ensure biosecurity. Methods developed in the present study include extracting viruses from compost and purifying viral RNA. The extracted viruses were detected b...

A composting process was conducted under optimal conditions for 150 d, obtaining three biomasses at different levels of maturity: raw material (RM), fresh compost obtained after 11 d of composting (FC), and evolved compost (EC) obtained after 150 d of composting. During the composting process, HAs were extracted and fully characterized by mass balance, DRIFT, and 1H and 13C-nuclear magnetic res...

In this study, odorous volatile compounds (OVCs) from market−ready, commercial composts supplied by 14 different producers were compared using a recently developed method involving solid−phase microextraction (SPME) of headspace volatiles followed by GC analysis. The products analyzed were derived from a cross−section of the wide array of compost feedstock ingredients used in the U.S. (e.g., bi...

This study evaluates the feasibility of using the grass species Rendlia altera, Monocymbium ceresiiforme, Cynodon dactylon, and amendments (compost and lime) for the phytostabilisation of soils contaminated by Cu in the province of Katanga (Democratic Republic of Congo). Species were grown on control and Cu-contaminated plots (artificially contaminated with 2,500 mg kg(-1) Cu) unamended (NA), a...

A microarray consisting of oligonucleotide probes targeting variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene was designed and tested for the investigation of microbial communities in compost. Probes were designed for microorganisms that have been previously reported in the composting process and for plant, animal and human pathogens. The oligonucleotide probes were between 17 and 25 bp in length and inclu...