In organic sweet cherry orchards and in vineyards, farmers are frequently facing the challenge to efficiently manage soil fertility and crop production quality, at the same time solving residues and by-products disposing problems, in a circular economy perspective. The solution proposed is to carry out a sustainable valorization of farm wastes (e.g. cover crops residues and pruning residues), at a low cost, by easily producing and applying “compost tea” at farm level. Compost tea is a liquid suspension generally obtained from the oxygenation of compost soaked in water. It can allow to manage soil fertility in organic farming, since organic molecules and inorganic elements (N, P, K and other ions) in solution can produce a quick nutritional effect. This is combined with the effects of biostimulation, induced by molecules with hormone-like activity. Compost tea can also have suppressive effects against crop pathogens, mainly due to antagonistic microorganisms.

This practice abstract was elaborated in the frame of the OLTRE.BIO project (PSR Puglia - Misura 16 Cooperazione Sottomisura 16.2 Sostegno a progetti pilota e allo sviluppo di nuovi prodotti, pratiche, processi e tecnologie). The project is running from August 2020 to February 2024, and is to contribute to manage soil fertility, in organic cherry orchards and vineyards, by using green manure, compost and compost tea produced on-farm.