S06 - Session O8 - Disease suppression in the circular economy using spent mushroom compost.

Authors: Sammar Khalil *, Ramesh Vetukuri, Madeleine Uggla, Giovana Prado, Julia Forsbacka

Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) cultivation has gained increased attention during the last years as alternative protein sources that can replace meat and include high nutritional and medical properties. Mushroom cultivation generates a vast amount of by-product after the harvest of edible products in the form of used compost, so called spent composts (SMC). In Europe, more than three million tons of SMC are produced every year as a by-product of mushroom cultivation. The management of SMC has thus become an increasing challenge from the environmental point of view. The use of peat as a growth media, synthetic fertilizers and chemical plant protection products are environmental challenges faced by the primary food production, searching for sustainable solutions [4]. The SMC has been utilized as growing media, bio-fertilizers, bioremediation and as a tool to control plant diseases. They have, therefore, a great potential to be implemented in primary food production. The current study highlights the potential of SMC to suppress root diseases in horticultural production systems. The prospect of SMC in a solid and water phase was evaluated.