The incorporation of organic matter has been used to manage of diseases caused by soilborne pathogen, but there is a gap in the use of coffee residues on disease supressiveness. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of organic matter sources against cassava root rot caused by F. solani CFF109. Fertilization with coffee residue (CR), cattle manure (CM), earthworm excrements (EE) and goat manure (GM) resulted in suppression of cassava root rot. The treatments of CR and CM presented higher reduction in the cassava disease severity. There were changes in the soil microbial community structure by organic matter incorporation, mainly in total fungi and Gram-negative bacteria populations. The total organic carbon and magnesium are negatively associated with disease severity. The microbial quotient, alkaline and acid phosphatase activities were positively and the biomarker a-15:0 was negatively associated with disease severity. This study indicated that agro-industrial residues can be recycled for providing organic matter and nutrients with effect for management of plant diseases by suppressing soilborne pathogens. This is the first evidence that the industrial residue of coffee can be use in the management of cassava root rot, caused by F. solani.

The conversion of native forests into intensive agricultural cropping affects soil quality and ecosystem functionality in tropical dry areas. Although many indicators have been used to assess soil quality, the most sensitive indicators are biochemical attributes. Absolute enzymatic activity (fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, dehydrogenase, (-glucosidase, urease, arylsulfatase, and acid and alkaline phosphatases), soil organic C (SOC), microbial biomass C (MBC), and specific enzymes per unit of SOC and MBC were measured in forests and perennial (tomato, pangola grass, cotton passion fruit, and cashew nuts) and annual (bean, cabbage, pigeon pea, and fennel) crops. The changes in soils covered with perennial crops differed from those covered with annual crops as regards biochemical soil attributes. The multivariate analysis grouped the Entisols covered with annual crops far from the forest soils, which indicated that intensive management results in drastic changes in the biochemical quality of Entisols in tropical dry areas. The absolute (-glucosidase activity varied from 18.3 to 100.6 (g p-nitrophenol g^-1 soil h^-1. The tomato areas showed higher dehydrogenase activity with a value of 181.5 (L H g^-1 soil. The absolute (-glucosidase, arylsulfatase, and alkaline phosphatase activity and the specific fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis/SOC, (-glucosidase/SOC, arylsulfatase/SOC, acid phosphatase/SOC, (-glucosidase/MBC, and acid phosphatase/MBC can be used as quality indicators of Entisols cultivated with perennial and annual crops. In addition, pasture soil could have a similar biochemical quality as forest soils in tropical dry areas.

Banana crops require large amounts of fertilizers to maintain nutrients levels and achieve satisfactory yields. The use of biological fertilizers combined with organic waste is an efficient and sustainable option for agricultural production. Therefore, this study evaluated the use of a biological fertilizer combined with sewage sludge to make nutrients available in banana crops. We conducted a field experiment in a randomized block design, with four blocks and five repetitions per block in a subdivided plot scheme. The experiment lasted two years. We performed the soil and plant chemical analysis and we also assessed the plant biometric data. The lowest dose of biological fertilizer combined with sewage sludge increased P content in the soil in the first and second collections, but decreased in the third collection. The highest nutrient levels in the soil and plant were attained when biological fertilizer was applied with sewage sludge; however, high Ca content caused an imbalance of exchangeable bases in the soil solution.

The application of biochar is extensively recognized as an effective strategy to enhance soil ecosystem services. However, its combined effect with beneficial microorganisms, such as Trichoderma, still requires further investigation to understand its impact on soil microbiota and nutrient cycling processes. To address this gap, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of biochar produced from on-farm winery waste, specifically grape stalks (GSB) and grape fermentation residues (GFB), generated after wine production, when co-applied with Trichoderma aureoviride URM 5158 and Trichoderma hamatum URM 6656 in soil cultivated with Malbec grapevines. Our findings reveal that both types of biochar and Trichoderma promoted changes in soil properties. The application of GSB biochar combined with T. hamatum increased grape productivity, while GFB biochar enhanced soil enzymatic activities, particularly those expressed per unit of microbial biomass carbon. Additionally, biochar applications increased pH, phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon, and microbial biomass carbon of the soil. Soils treated with the GFB + T. hamatum treatment exhibited an increase of 569.23% in microbial biomass carbon compared to the control. The results of this study provide substantial evidence that biochar and Trichoderma can be used to improve the chemical and biological properties of vineyard soils, increasing nutrient availability, especially carbon. These effects may contribute to soil fertility by promoting a more favorable environment for microbiota development and grapevine growth. This is the first field study to investigate the impact of on-farm winery waste transformed into biochar, combined with Trichoderma isolates, on Malbec grapevines.