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Saneters --anyone have anything to add to this question about compost
and ergot?
-- Cary Oshins Composting Specialist Rodale Institute coshin@rodaleinst.org--------------546025A36D76 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline
Message-ID: <36029986.6C95@rodaleinst.org> Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 10:33:58 -0700 From: Cary Oshins <coshin@rodaleinst.org> Reply-To: coshin@rodaleinst.org Organization: Rodale Institute X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Win95; I; 16bit) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Klaus Wiegand <WIEGAND@LUFA-SP.MHS.compuserve.com> CC: rhartm@rodaleinst.org Subject: Re: composting vs. soil application of organic residues References: <199809180539_MC2-59E0-52A7@compuserve.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Klaus Wiegand wrote: > <snip> > this year we have had quite a lot of ergot in the fields (there were > rye fields with up to 20% !! ergot by weight), we are constantly asked, if > it is possible to compost the cleaning residues with the ergot. > unfortunately nobody seems to know, if the ergot will be inactivated by > composting or if the compost will become one big source of further > infection in the fields. > > most propably the decay will a) be dependant on the temperature reached in > the composting stock and consequently by the size of the stockpile and b) > on the time this minimum temperature is reached. > > are there any experiences with composting ergot ? what temperature is > needed and for how long ? > > *************** > klaus wiegand > > **[Quote of the day, powered by k. wiegand]****************** > * * > * Most people would die sooner than think; * > * in fact they do. * > * Bertrand Russell * > *************************************************************
Klaus, Sounds like you got it right. I would also think that the ergot would be killed, and spores deactivated, in the right compost sytem (generally 55 deg C for 2 weeks with 5 turnings is considered sufficient). It has been shown to eliminate other fungal diseases from crop residues, such as blight in potatoes. I am not aware of specific research on the topic. Without documentation, I would be leary of putting the compost back into a field susceptible to ergot, but I would nbot be concerned with using the compst that was made from infected residues on an alternate field.
Good luck, Cary
-- Cary Oshins Composting Specialist Rodale Institute coshin@rodaleinst.org--------------546025A36D76--
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