Editing Compost (section)

==== {{anchor|Compost tea}}Compost tea ====
Compost tea is made up of extracts of fermented water leached from composted materials.<ref name=":6" /><ref name="Sinha2">{{cite book|last1=Gómez-Brandón, M|title=Advances in Fertilizer Technology: Synthesis (Vol1)|last2=Vela, M|last3=Martinez Toledo, MV|last4=Insam, H|last5=Domínguez, J|date=2015|publisher=Stadium Press LLC|isbn=978-1-62699-044-9|editor1-last=Sinha, S|pages=300–318|chapter=12: Effects of Compost and Vermiculture Teas as Organic Fertilizers|editor2-last=Plant, KK|editor3-last=Bajpai, S}}</ref> Composts can be either aerated or non-aerated depending on its [[fermentation]] process.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=St. Martin |first1=C. C.G. |last2=Brathwaite |first2=R. A.I. |date=2012 |title=Compost and compost tea: Principles and prospects as substrates and soil-borne disease management strategies in soil-less vegetable production |url=https://solvita.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Compost-and-compost-tea-Principles_Martin-et-al_2012.pdf |journal=Biological Agriculture & Horticulture |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=1–33 |doi=10.1080/01448765.2012.671516 |bibcode=2012BioAH..28....1S |issn=0144-8765 |s2cid=49226669}}</ref> Compost teas are generally produced from adding compost to water in a ratio of 1:4–1:10, occasionally stirring to release [[microbes]].<ref name=":02" />

There is debate about the benefits of aerating the mixture.<ref name="Sinha2" /> Non-aerated compost tea is cheaper and less labor-intensive, but there are conflicting studies regarding the risks of [[phytotoxicity]] and human pathogen regrowth.<ref name=":02" /> Aerated compost tea brews faster and generates more microbes, but has potential for human pathogen regrowth, particularly when one adds additional nutrients to the mixture.<ref name=":02" />

Field studies have shown the benefits of adding compost teas to crops due to organic matter input, increased nutrient availability, and increased microbial activity.<ref name=":6" /><ref name="Sinha2" /> They have also been shown to have a suppressive effect on plant pathogens<ref>{{cite book|last1=Santos, M|title=Natural products in plant pest management|last2=Dianez, F|last3=Carretero, F|publisher=CABI|year=2011|isbn=9781845936716|editor-last=Dubey, NK|location=Oxfordshire, UK Cambridge, MA|pages=242–262|chapter=12: Suppressive Effects of Compost Tea on Phytopathogens}}</ref> and soil-borne diseases.<ref name=":02" /> The efficacy is influenced by a number of factors, such as the preparation process, the type of source  the conditions of the brewing process, and the environment of the crops.<ref name=":02" /> Adding nutrients to compost tea can be beneficial for disease suppression, although it can trigger the regrowth of human pathogens like ''[[Escherichia coli|E. coli]]'' and ''[[Salmonella]].''<ref name=":02" />