Physicochemical and biological properties of aerated compost tea versus non-aerated compost tea derived from coir pith compost

This study aimed to look into how aeration (both aeration and non- aeration) affected the changes in physical, chemical, and microbial properties during the production of compost tea from coir pith compost. It also seeks to examine the effectiveness of compost tea in suppressing COLLECTROTRICHUM CAPSICI. The results revealed that aerated compost tea contained significantly more nutrients (N, P, and K), total phenolic compounds, and microorganisms (total bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, fungi, yeast, and actinomycetes) than non-aerated compost tea (p<0.05). Furthermore, aerated compost tea had significantly higher metabolites such as ethanol, acetic acid, butyric acid, and propionic acid throughout the fermentation period when compared to non-aerated compost tea (p<0.05). Aerated compost tea inhibited C. capsici significantly higher than non-aerated compost tea regarding disease suppression. The aerated compost tea's minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and average inhibition zone diameters were 0.005 mg/ml and 11 mm, respectively. The results show that providing aeration during compost tea production significantly increases the quantities of nutrients, total phenolic compounds, organic acids, and microorganism populations in compost tea. It also improves the effectiveness of inhibiting plant pathogenic microorganisms.