The use of compost teas is of great interest to sustainable agriculture. Aerated compost tea (ACT) and aerated vermicompost tea (AVT) originating from garden waste have been analytically characterized and tested in vitro and in vivo on tomato plants to determine their suppressive effect on Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. The nitrogen (N, 3840 ppm) and potassium superoxide (K₂O, 5800 ppm) contents were relevant in ACT. Both ACT and AVT were shown to contain indoleacetic acid IAA (80 - 20 mg L⁻¹), salicylic acid (5.85 - 1.33 ng L⁻¹) and humic acids (190 - 140 mg L⁻¹). Direct confrontation assays against the pathogens showed that ACT had a high suppressive effect on F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (relative growth of the pathogen [RG]: 12 %) and AVT had a high suppressive effect on R. solani (RG: 18 %). These suppressive effects have been confirmed by tests performed in vitro and on potted tomato plants. Results of plants growth assays showed that both teas can be applied, in their concentrated forms, to the growth medium. The analysis of the growth effect of the teas on tomato plants clearly indicated that both ACT and AVT, when applied weekly, produce a positive effect on shoot and root dry weight (dry weights were tripled), chlorophyll content and stem diameter compared to untreated plants. These results support the use of ACT and AVT as potential alternatives to the application of synthetic fungicides, and as plant promoters in crop production, for attaining environmental sustainability for farming and food safety.

Compost teas (CTs) are organic solutions that constitute an interesting option for sustainable agriculture. Those that come from garden waste have been applied in vitro and in vivo on pepper plants to determine its suppressive effect against both Phytophthora capsici and Rhizoctonia solani. The studied CT showed relevant content in NO₃⁻, K₂O, humic acids, and microorganisms such as aerobic bacteria, N-fixing bacteria, and actinobacteria, which play a role in plant growth and resistance. This rich abundance of microbiota in the CT induced a reduction in the relative growth rate of both P. capsici and R. solani (31.7% and 38.0%, respectively) in in vitro assays compared to control. In addition, CT-irrigated plants displayed increased growth parameters and showed the first open flower one week before those treatments without CTs, which suggests that its application advanced the crop cycle. Concerning pathogen infection, damage caused by both pathogens became more apparent with a one-week inoculation compared to a four-week inoculation, which may indicate that a microbiological and chemical balance had been reached to cope with biotic stresses. Based on these results, we conclude that CT application induces plant growth and defense in pepper plants against P. capsici and R. solani because of its relevant soluble nutrient content and microbiota richness, which provides a novel point for plant nutrition and protection in horticultural crops.

Thirty-one traditional cultivars (26 sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), four duke cherry (Prunus x gondouinii Rehd.), and one sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)) from Sierra de Francia and Arribes del Duero in Central-Western Spain were surveyed and characterized agromorphologically. A total of 37 descriptors, mainly defined by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants were used to describe flowers, leaves, fruits and the tree itself over a 3 consecutive years. This made possible the unequivocal identification of 25 cultivars. A dendrogram gave a clear separation between the sour, duke and sweet cherry cultivars and showed existing synonymies and homonymies. This work is an important step in the conservation of genetic cherry resources in the province of Salamanca (Spain), which show distinctive and interesting agronomical characters such as low susceptibility to fruit cracking, high levels of soluble solids, early fruit maturity and great rusticity.