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With a garbage thief on the loose in New Mouse City who is stealing organic waste, Hercule and Geronimo enlist the head of the Recycling Center to help, then discover that the thief has good intentions.

Three composts were tested for their ability to suppress root and stem rot caused by the soil borne fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum (FORC) on cucumber. Two of the composts were prepared from separated dairy solids either by windrow (WDS) or vermicomposting (VMC) while the third, obtained from International Bio-Recovery (IBR), was prepared from vegetable refuse using aerobic digestion. Three sets of potting mixes were prepared by mixing the composts with sawdust at varying ratios, and seeded with cucumber cv. Corona. After 14 days of growth in the greenhouse, inoculum of FORC (20 mL of 5 × 10 6 micro-conidia per mL) was applied to each pot at three different times (14, 21, and 35 days). In unamended inoculated pots, the pathogen caused stunted growth and reduced flowers. Amendment of WDS in the potting mix suppressed these symptoms, while VMC and IBR had no effect. All three composts reduced the FORC colony forming units (cfu) at the end of the experiment (10 weeks). There was a large increase of fluorescent bacteria near the vicinity of roots particularly in WDS amended potting mixes. When water extracts of the composts were plated onto acidified potato dextrose agar (APDA), only IBR contained a potent thermostable inhibitor to FORC. This inhibitor was removed by activated charcoal but was not partitioned into petroleum ether at acid, basic, or neutral pH. Inhibition of FORC by IBR was not due to electrical conductivity or trace elements in the compost. Contrasting effectiveness of the WDS and VMC made from the same waste suggests that composting method can influence the disease suppression properties of the finished compost.Key words: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum, biological control.

\"Composting\" is a way to purposefully use the process of decay to break down organic materials in a location where the resulting mixture can be harvested for enriching garden soil. The large body of literature about the science of composting provides many options for early childhood educators to choose from to incorporate into their teaching. This column discusses resources and science topics related to students in grades preK to 2. This month's issue introduces students to the concept of decomposition and the process of composting. An activity on observing decomposition involving fruits and vegetable is presented.

Cotton gins in Arkansas, western Tennessee, and western Mississippi were sampled for weed seed contamination of gin trash in fall 2007. A total of 473 samples were collected, with 453 samples from Arkansas. The objectives of this research were to determine the weed species most frequently found in gin trash and determine what means gin operators are using to dispose of gin trash. There were 25 weed species found in the gin trash samples—11 grass and 14 broadleaf weeds. Grass and broadleaf weeds were present in 41.4 and 8.5% of the samples, respectively. The most frequently found species were large crabgrass (19.0%), barnyardgrass (14.0%), goosegrass (12.9%), red sprangletop (8.2%) and Palmer amaranth (4.2%). Viable seeds of barnyardgrass, large crabgrass, Palmer amaranth, and prickly sida were present in the surface layer (0- to 25-cm depth) of gin trash piles after 1 yr of composting. Viable Palmer amaranth seeds were present in the surface layer of gin trash piles after 2 yr of composting, but no germinable seeds were found deeper than 25 cm following 1 yr of composting. Gin trash disposal involved application of the material to crop fields during the fall or winter months; composting followed by application of the compost as mulch or a soil amendment to gardens, flower beds, or crop fields; use as cattle feed; and coverage for landfills to reduce erosion and encourage growth of vegetation. Because of the demonstrated potential for weed seed dispersal via gin trash, including composted material, development of technologies to ensure disposal of a gin-trash product free of viable weed seed are justified. Nomenclature: Barnyardgrass, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. ECHCG; goosegrass, Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. ELEIN; large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. DIGSA; Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats AMAPA; prickly sida, Sida spinosa L. SIDSP; red sprangletop, Leptochloa panicea (Retz.) Ohwi LEFFI; cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L.

The results are presented of assays carried out to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of several non-aerated compost teas obtained from four agricultural wastes (spent mushroom substrate, olive oil husk + cotton gin trash composted and mixed with rice husk, grape marc compost and cork compost) in controlling the mycopathogen Vertidllium fungicola. Compostrwater ratios of 1:4 and 1:8 (w/v) were used and extraction periods of 1, 7 and 14 days. The aqueous extracts obtained were used untreated, autoclaved or microfiltered and were assayed against three V. fungicola isolates. The results suggest that the non-aerated compost teas made with no prior sterilisation treatment obtained the same percentage of inhibition as the positive control using prochloraz. The compost teas obtained by autoclaving or microfiltration lost much of their activity and had little effect on mycelium growth of the isolates tested. As regards the extraction times, a period of 1 to 7 days can be considered adequate, while the 1:4 dilution provided slightly better results than the 1:8 mixture. Die in-vitro-Wirkung verschiedener nicht belüfteter Extrakte von vier verschiedenen Komposten aus landwirtschaftlichen Abfällen (Zuchtpilzsubstrat, mit Reisschäl-Rückständen gemischte, kompostierte Olivenöl-Pressrückstände + Baumwollentkörnungs-Rückstände, Traubentrester-Kompost und Korkkompost) wurde gegenüber dem Mykopathogen Verticülium fungicola untersucht. Zu diesem Zweck wurde Kompost im Verhältnis 1:4 und 1:8 (w/v) gemischt und 1, 7 und 14 Tage extrahiert. Die Wirksamkeit der so gewonnenen wässrigen Extrakte wurde unbehandelt, autoklaviert oder mikrofiltriert gegenüber drei Isolaten von V. fungicola getestet. Nicht autoklavierte und nicht mikrofiltrierte Kompostextrakte hemmten das Wachstum des Mykopathogens ähnlich stark wie das Fungizid Prochloraz, während autoklavierte oder mikrofiltrierte Extrakte das Mycelwachstum kaum beeinflussten. Extraktionszeiten von 1 und 7 Tagen sowie ein Kompost-Wasser-Verhältnis von 1:4 zeigten eine höhere Wirksamkeit gegenüber V. fungicola als die anderen untersuchten Varianten.

The goal of this study was to measure the As, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn contents of soils amended with municipal solid waste (MSW) and MSW-biosolids compost and to determine the long-term transport of these metals to lower soil horizons. Lead, Cu, Cd and Zn contents in the composts were 3-20 times more concentrated in the compost compared to the soil at the Calverton, NY, U.S.A. farm. As a result, Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn were elevated in the upper 5 cm soil layer following compost application and the metal enrichment was proportional to the amount of compost applied (21-62 Mg ha super(-1)). In addition, Pb, As and Cu contents of the non-compost amended Calverton soils were enriched above the tillage depth (20-25 cm). Cu, Pb and As enrichment was attributed to the historical use of sodium arsenite, lead arsenate and copper sulfate insecticides and fungicides. Results of the metal analyses of soil cores collected 16 and 52 months following compost application showed that Cu, Zn and Pb remained confined to the upper 5 cm soil layer. The low water extractable fraction of these metals in MSW and MSW-biosolids compost was a major factor limiting the transport of these metals to lower soil horizons. In contrast, Cd leaching from the upper 0-5 and 5-10 cm soil layers was continuous over the 52 month study period and was attributed primarily to the presence of soluble Cd in phosphate fertilizer initially applied to the Calverton farm soil.

The organic fraction of municipal wastes has been composted on the laboratory scale. In the obtained compost the content of cadmium, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc were determined, as well as the speciation i.e, the form of their occurrence, making use of Rudd's method of sequential extraction. The investigations also concerned the way of removing these metals from the compost by means of leaching with solutions of sulphuric and nitric acid, as well as by electrochemically separating the metals from the solution after the compost had been leached with sulphuric acid. It has been found that the application of the electrochemical method with varying pH values of the leaching solution within the range of 6.8-2.8 allows for the separation of 83.5% Cd, 55.0% Co, 65.4% Cu, 59.4% Mn, 70.3% Ni, 90.5% Pb and 56.2% Zn.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

To calculate the correct nitrogen fertilizer rate for crops and the possibility of using, municipal solid waste (MSW) compost as an organic amendment, nitrogen mineralization rates were studied by laboratory incubation and field measurements in a soil in central Spain. Nitrogen mineralization rates were studied in a 2.50-day laboratory soil incubation with two treatments: with and without compost, incubated at 28 degrees C and a moisture content of 70% of field capacity. Three phases are described: (1) no increase in the mineral nitrogen content, (2) a linear increase in the mineral N fraction and, finally, (3) a linear, parallel increase in both mineral N and easily mineralizable organic N fractions. Incubation data were fitted to three different equations. The exponential model proposed by Stanford and Smith (1972) was selected to predict field N mineralization rates. The field experiment was performed using a crop of maize with three treatments: compost applied in February (before sowing), compost applied during sowing and a control (without compost application): sampling was carried out over 14 months. Soil water content was measured periodically. Soil with compost applied in February showed 1.9 and 1.4 times more available nitrogen than soil without compost and compost at sowing, respectively, for the month of maximum accumulation. These results suggest that compost amendments must be applied before sowing. Compost applications were shown to supply the available nitrogen for spring crops. A simulation model showed satisfactory agreement with field data, after correction for soil temperature and water content.