| Aerated and nonaerated compost tea extracts (CT) prepared from seven composts were applied to two tomato cultivars in greenhouse experiments. CT from hay compost significantly decreased early blight disease severity compared to the control in one experiment. Mushroom CT increased disease severity in most experiments. The cultivar 'Brandywine' had significantly higher disease severity (P=0.0001) than 'WV '63'.; In a compost rate field experiment, disease severity was lower in the control and compost at 10 and 20 tons/acre treatments than at 2.5 and 5 tons/acre.; In a second field experiment, yield and early blight disease severity varied significantly among composts from varied feedstocks (P=0.0068), but CT made from these composts had no significant effects.; In a third field experiment, compost soil amendments had a significant effect on yield but not on disease. Foliar disease severity varied significantly among five CT treatments (P=0.0493), but no single CT treatment differed from the control. |
