COMMERCIAL PLANT PRODUCTION AND PROTECTION PRODUCTS FROM VERMICOMPOSTED DAIRY MANURE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: SMALL BUSINESS GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0218902
• Grant No.: 2009-33610-20277
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $350,000.00
• Proposal No.: 2009-01136
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2009
• Project End Date: Feb 28, 2012
• Grant Year: 2009
• Program Code: [8.2]- Plant Production and Protection-Biology

Recipient Organization
RT SOLUTIONS LLC
32 HERITAGE DRIVE
Geneseo,NY 14454-1188

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
RT Solutions, LLC (RTS) has built a unique process-controlled "state-of-the-art" earthworm composting facility that process and transforms large volumes of dairy manures into a user friendly and unique plant production product with established horticultural consumers. This environmentally friendly technology known as vermicomposting uses earthworms in an engineered system to consistently produce a little understood class of organic plant production products. There are a multitude of peer-reviewed studies reporting the benefits of vermicompost in agriculture including disease suppression, but to date little has been done to identify the actual mechanisms or how they work. RTS, along with our collaborator Cornell University have preliminary results showing significant suppression of a seedling disease in a laboratory system. The three objectives of this project are to (1) develop an understanding of the mechanism of disease suppression for vermicompost, (2) develop a test that can rapidly predict suppression in vermicompost products and (3) develop a new family of liquid vermicompost extract products for use in commercial applications. RTS was founded to promote professional vermicomposting and develop vermicompost products for use in production agriculture. We are committed to bringing a quality, consistent, and scientifically based product into commercial applications. The information developed in this SBIR project will increase the value of vermicompost products to growers and further develop this environmentally sustainable manure management technology.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
205	1499	1020	20%
212	1499	1170	10%
205	2199	1020	10%
212	2199	1170	20%
212	4020	1102	40%

Knowledge Area
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants; 205 - Plant Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1499 - Vegetables, general/other; 2199 - Ornamentals and turf, general/other; 4020 - Fungi;

Field Of Science
1102 - Mycology; 1020 - Physiology; 1170 - Epidemiology;

Keywords

vermicompost

pythium

dairy manure

disease suppression

earthworm

Goals / Objectives
The central goal of this project is to develop plant protection products for horticultural production based on earthworm composted dairy manure produced from a uniquely engineered production system. Earthworm composting known as vermicomposting performed by RT Solutions (RTS) produces a new class of microbially active products with verified disease suppressive properties. This project will study and develop materials from (RTS) vermicomposting facility located on a 1,600 head dairy farm that produces commercial quantities of certified organic plant growth products. Materials from this state of the art operation have been proven to suppress the pathogen Pythium Aphanidermatum on cucumber in a model experimental system at Cornell University. This project is designed to (1) explore the mechanisms behind the observed disease suppression (2) develop infrastructure at the vermicomposting facility for production of disease suppressive products (for study at Cornell), (3) examine the ability of the vermicompost to be consistently suppressive, and (4) develop methods to determine if suppressiveness in vermicompost can be assessed in advance. In particular a new extraction system and various methods will be prototyped at the vermicomposting facility to produce a liquid product for testing and development. In the portion of this project devoted to the investigation on mechanisms for disease suppression, work will be performed towards (1) quantifying the disease suppressive capacity of vermicompost, (2) confirming the biological nature of the mediated disease suppression, (3) determine the time frame during which disease suppression occurs, and (4) determine the microbiological mechanism - i.e. are specific bacterial, fungal or oomycete seed-colonizing species associated with suppression.

Project Methods
At the vermicomposting facility, RT Solutions (RTS) will design, test and use an extraction system to produce commercial quantities of a liquid product based on their vermicompost materials. The liquid extract is commonly called a tea, and the end goal is to develop a consistent, quantifiable and reliable disease suppressive product for use in organic agriculture. The tea will be bioassayed in house for phytotoxicity, seed germination rates and seedling growth (biomass). Large scale system design of the extract system will be done and in-house facilities will be constructed. Multiple batches of 200 - 500 gallons of extract will be made to verify product consistency and refine production and handling methods. Extract samples will be sent to commercial labs to determine basic physical and chemical properties. Prior to bioassay and Cornell mechanism studies, the large batches of vermicompost extract will be stored in sealed conditions to replicate holding time between production and use by targeted horticulturalists. An engineering and agronomic analysis will be made of the extract and multiple derivative products from the extracts (seed treatment, soil drench and foliar feed). In particular, soil drench and seed treatment products will be examined, in terms of: (1) equipment needs, (2) production requirements, (3) product registration (biopesticide route). At Cornell University, the Nelson plant pathology lab has developed a disease suppression bioassay that controls for the environmental factors of temperature, light, moisture (including soil matric potential), and inoculums. This experimental system and statistical design will be used to measure the disease suppressive abilities of multiple batches of vermicompost from RTS, as well as a variety of non-aerated vermicompost extracts. Regarding the time frame analysis, previous work in the Nelson Lab has shown that compost mediated suppression can be explained by the presence of a seed-colonizing microbial community that develops only after a certain period of germination in the suppressive media. We will determine this time frame by removing germinating seeds from our known suppressive medium and transplanting them to a sterile medium before challenge with the pathogen in the experimental apparatus. We will take two complimentary approaches to investigating the mechanism of vermicompost-mediated disease suppression. A set of functional assays will determine if the suppressive seed-colonizing microbial consortia are modifying seed exudate in such a way that it no longer serves as an attractant for Pythium zoospores. We will also pursue a taxonomic approach, using molecular techniques to identify taxonomic groups present in the suppressive seed-colonizing microbial community. Based on available information on the groups present, and a comparison with seed-colonizing microbial consortia from materials that do not suppress disease, hypotheses on potential mechanisms can be developed.

Progress 09/01/09 to 02/28/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Throughout the SBIR Phase II grant project numerous defined output activities, events and products contributed significantly to the completion of proposed program related goals. While some of these outputs were planned components within the original work plan, others were initiated indirectly from project activities and contacts made during the project period. Output activities included multiple applied research collaborations between RT Solutions, LLC (RTS) the Cornell University's (CU) Department of Plant Pathology through conducting/analyzing project experiments, facilitating internal and external collaboration efforts, and direct mentoring. Direct project experiments and analysis included 1) the development of a Pythium suppressive non-aerated vermicompost extract, 2) investigating the mechanism of Pythium suppression with zoospore mediated infections, and 3) investigating the impacts of vermicompost on zoosporogenesis. CU collaborators worked with RTS to educate potential future collaborators and business partners on the relevance of the ongoing research on disease suppression with vermicomposts. Out of these efforts, two new grant proposals were developed with CU collaborators; NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant "Vermicompost in Containerized Plant Production as an Organic Nutrient Source" (funded) and a SBIR Phase 1 "The use of vermicompost and non-aerated vermicompost extract to control pythium root rot in commercial hydroponic spinach production" (currently under review). Also, successful business relationships were launched with Harris Seeds and other parties. Through the program two grad students and three undergrad students were mentored. Output events included an openhouse held at the RTS facility. Funding agencies, ag professionals, project collaborators and members of the media toured the facility and learned about the ongoing project. Dr. Roger Beachy, at the time head of NIFA, attended. Output products included the development of an outreach website and the development of an educational video that won multiple awards. The website can be found at: http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/vermicompost.htm. The mentioned educational piece won awards from the American Society of Plant Biologists and the American Phytopathological Society. Dissemination efforts were accomplished through multiple media outlets. A few examples include: 1) Munzer, A (2011) "Worm compost can suppress plant disease, regulate nutrients, research finds" CU Chronicle, and 2) a television interview conducted by a Rochester PBS affiliate titled "Innovation Trail - Worm Power: High tech composting". Outreach events included numerous presentations prepared and presented by RTS and Cornell University in a variety of settings. Outreach to the scientific community included multiple seminar presentations. Example: ISME (2010) International Society for Microbial Ecology "Seed colonizing microbes alter zoospore chemotaxis and encystment of the oomycete plant pathogen Pythium aphanidermatum". Outreach to the grower and composting communities included multiple presentations. Example: NCSU Vermicomposting Workshop, "Vermicompost-mediated suppression of Pythium damping off". PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Change in Knowledge: As a result of this project we have a deeper understanding of how vermicompost microbial communities prevent pathogenesis in the seed-infecting oomycete pathogen Pythium aphanidermatum, both by interrupting zoospore chemotaxis and by altering sporangial germination. In the course of our research, we have developed a novel zoospore encystment assay, time lapse microscopy techniques to track sporangial germination and Pythium aphanidermatum specific primers for use in quantitative PCR. Our manuscripts are all currently in preparation as this is an ongoing project, but this knowledge will be shared with the scientific community. Change in Behavior: Our project included the development of a Pythium suppressive non-aerated vermicompost extract, which is now commercially available and marketed to growers and home gardeners as "Worm Power Shower". With the expansion of the Worm Power facility, many regional and national growers are using vermicompost as a component of their transplant media. Mark Elzinga of Elzinga Hoeksema Greenhouses claims he sees a reduction in seed and seedling rots with this material, but without an on-farm component to this project we were not able to investigate anecdotal claims on on-farm disease suppression. Change in Conditions: Understanding how disease suppressive soils and composts work is now a major focus of the rapidly growing field of microbial ecology. This project will add one piece of the puzzle to this larger undertaking.

Publications

• No publications reported this period