A good indicator of its quality? High levels of humic substances, the precious components of compost.
“Feeding soil with organic fertilizer means increasing its biodiversity.” explains Chilosi.
How do research projects in this sector work?
The first step is listening to farmers who already use Acea Ambiente’s compost.
“By visiting farmers and filling in standardized questionnaires, we assess the soil’s production levels and, if needed, we offer advice from an agronomic point of view. This part of the job is essential because farmers often provide important insights on how to improve the use of organic fertilizer or when to apply it to a field and/or during what stage. New ideas are born from these exchanges and perspectives.” says Chilosi.
The next step involves experimenting to assess the fertilizing potential of the compost on different crops.
“We have started experimenting at the University’s farm and on some of the fields owned by Acea Ambiente. This work allows us to collect data on the quantity and quality produced, on the benefits of compost on plant heath and on how much the chemical, physical and biological fertility of the soil improves with the use of compost.”
Organic compost must ensure farmers the same quantity they would have produced if they had used chemical fertilizers, if not more.
“Statistics allow us to identify the best ways of applying compost, with the aim of providing guidelines on how to use Acea Ambiente’s organic fertilizer in different agri-food productions.”
The three types of compost
