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[compost_tea] Response to a Skeptic



Would anyone care to respond to part of an e-mail I
received in reply to a question I posed to an
accomplished agronomic researcher?  In all honesty, I
don't know enough about our subject matter to properly
respond myself, but I've been interested in hearing
criticism of the theory that surrounds CT, hoping that
such remarks would help me to better formulate my own
opinion concerning it.  Now, can you criticize the
criticism for me, so that I might regard the opinions
of others (proponents and opponents of the benefits of
CT) from a more educated background?  

He says:

  I've read a bit from Elaine Ingham who is 
  quitepopular among the soil biology believers.  I'm 
  very interested in the subject and have done some 
  reading of both anecdotes and replicated data sets. 

  I recently completed a very detailed study of the 
  contribution of soil microorganisms to dormant weed 
  seed decay.

  My present understanding is that microbial 
  communities are very dynamic and very complex; add 
  to that equally dynamic and complex webs at higher 
  trophic levels and you get a very difficult to 
  understand system.  The straight-forward application

  of compost tea to encourage colonization of leaf 
  surfaces with desirable organisms that will preempt 
  the colonization of these surfaces by undesirable 
  organisms is logical and, while variable, clearly 
  substantiated.  Inoculations with Biodynamic 
  preparations have been shown to alter compost 
  deterioration but few other effects have been robust

  enough to detect in the field.  

  Thus, inoculating soils with "good" microbes seems 
  to me to often be a placebo effect for growers; 
  makes you feel good and you will likely see positive

  effects if you want to.  However, due to the 
  complexity and our general lack of understanding of 
  the dynamics and interrelationships among these 
  organisms I am generally skeptical of overwhelming 
  effects of general microbial inoculations.
---

Thanks!

-Marc Kline


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