Compost: Advantages and Disadvantages.
Compost is a natural product resulting from aerobic microbial decomposition of organic matter, offering a range of benefits but also some disadvantages that should be considered. Its advantages include increasing soil organic matter, which improves soil structure, water retention, infiltration, and cation exchange capacity. Compost also enhances microbial diversity and abundance in the soil, promoting microbial activity essential for soil health. It can help suppress soil-borne diseases through microbial competition, production of humic substances, and other indirect effects like healthier plant growth and reduced plant stress. Nutrient availability is improved as microbes mobilize nutrients, making them accessible to plants. Overall, compost contributes to increasing the resilience of soil and plants, helping them better withstand external stresses.
However, there are important considerations regarding quality and contamination. Poor-quality compost, contaminated with plastics, microplastics, or pathogens, can negatively impact soil health and plant growth. Proper quality assessments, including bioindicator tests like the cress test, are necessary before application. Input materials such as sewage sludge are not suitable for organic farming, and contaminated or weed seed-laden compost can introduce pests and pathogens.
Disadvantages mainly relate to availability and costs. Compost is not always accessible, especially in certain regions, and its heavy weight makes long-distance transportation cost-prohibitive. The composting process is technology-intensive, requiring heavy equipment for processing, transport, and application, which adds to the overall costs. Often, farmers hire contractors for these tasks to manage expenses.
In summary, while compost offers significant benefits for soil health and plant resilience, its effective use depends on high-quality input material, proper quality assurance, and consideration of logistical and cost factors.
Compost: Advantages and Disadvantages. (en)
Number of pages: 2
Target countries: Austria, Switzerland
Key takeaways
- Compost significantly enhances soil organic matter and soil health
- Compost's high organic matter content improves soil aggregate stability, water retention, infiltration rate, and cation exchange capacity, leading to healthier soils.
- Microbial diversity in compost supports disease suppression and soil resilience
- The diverse microbial life in compost boosts soil microbial activity, helps suppress soil-borne diseases, and increases the resilience of the soil-plant system against outside stressors.
- Quality and contamination issues can compromise compost use
- Poor quality compost with unbalanced nutrients, contaminants, microplastics, or pathogens can negatively impact plant health and soil safety, emphasizing the need for proper quality measures.
- Compost enhances nutrient availability through microbial activity
- Microbes in compost mobilize nutrients in soil, making them more accessible to plants and supporting plant control over nutrient uptake.
- Availability and transportation of compost are limiting factors
- Due to volume, weight, and cost of processing, compost is not always available locally and is expensive to transport over long distances, potentially limiting its widespread use.
- Costly equipment and processing impact compost use
- The requirement for heavy machinery for composting, processing, and distribution increases costs, often leading farmers to outsource these operations.
Sources
- Compost: Advantages and Disadvantages. - - https://www.best4soil.eu/assets/factsheets/7.pdf
