Composting process management and compost benefits for soil fertility and plants

Composts are recycled fertilizers with potential. They can influence the soil quality at different levels: supply of nutrients, enhancement of humus content in soil, improvement of soil structure and water hold capacity, reduction of erosion, and stimulation of biological activity. Compost can also suppress plant diseases. However, an optimal management of the composting process, from the choice of the raw materials used up to the storage of the final products is necessary to obtain such positive results. Different factors play a role in the compost production, and consequently the characteristics of the produced composts are considerably diverse. It is also important to choose the compost that is adapted to the target application. To consider here are factors such as climatic conditions, culture, soil type and season of application. With an adapted practice strategy, composts become helpful products for the plant growers, especially in organic production systems.