[compost_tea] Compost Tea 'Data' from Yale

From: Peter <peter_at_compostwerks.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:22:17 -0000


Hi folks;

I just came across a published paper entitled "Closing the Loop:
Alternative Land Management at Yale". The paper's root is located at
http://environment.yale.edu/hixon/student-research/student-research-inte\
rns/
<http://environment.yale.edu/hixon/student-research/student-research-int\
erns/>

The paper is located here;
http://environment.yale.edu/hixon/files/pdf/2010_Emily_Stevenson.pdf
<http://environment.yale.edu/hixon/files/pdf/2010_Emily_Stevenson.pdf>

Does anyone else find this paper a bit shocking? Here's another case of
flawed methodology and misunderstanding on how biological systems
perform in the real world.

There seems to be a complete disconnect on how compost tea is made.

    * Too many foods (certainly an anerobic tea they're referencing here)
    * No testing of compost tea
    * No mention of brewer design aside from a 'bubbler'
    * No DO data

No testing on their 'food waste' compost.

No mention of microscopy...at all.

Flawed methodology in before/after soil testing. Only bacteria are
measured using narrow range of foods. Where's the data on fungi,
nematodes and prots??

There's a misunderstanding of organic matter accumulation in soils. Can
we expect appreciable increase in OM using 1,500 grams of compost,
making tea, diluting 1:1 and applying multiple times in a 6 X 6 meter
area?

There's a major disconnect as to how to apply CT on a large scale and
even the basics of equipment involved. It reads as though they're quite
resistant to changing there current chemical system.

I see lots of logarythmic scatter gram but not much in the way of
science.

I'd expect to see somthing more substantial. This is a dissapointment
from an institution as fine as Yale.




Received on Mon Feb 14 2011 - 19:29:04 EST

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