Michael Raviv

• Professor
• Professor Emeritus at Agricultural Research Organization ARO

The application of compost increases soil organic matter (SOM) content; however, there is a lack of information on the short‐ and long‐term effects of compost application on the dynamics of labile SOM pools in compost‐amended soils in semiarid region. The goal of this study is to distinguish between parameters that can be used for investigating the...

Organic amendment, and especially the use of composts, is a well-accepted sustainable agricultural practice. Compost increases soil carbon and microbial biomass, changes enzymatic activity, and enriches soil carbon and nitrogen stocks. However, relatively little is known about the immediate and long-term temporal dynamics of agricultural soil micro...

Organic amendment, and especially the use of composts, is a well-accepted sustainable agricultural practice. Compost increases soil carbon and microbial biomass, changes enzymatic activity, and enriches soil carbon and nitrogen stocks. However, relatively little is known about the immediate and long-term temporal dynamics of agricultural soil micro...

Compost application increases soil organic matter (SOM) content and is particularly beneficial in semi-arid agroecosystems, often impoverished in SOM. The general objective of this work was to characterize the effect of organic vs. inorganic fertilization management on the short- and long-term dynamics of SOM's pools in semi-arid climate. The speci...

Compost application increases soil organic matter (SOM) content and is particularly beneficial in arid and semi-arid agroecosystems, often impoverished in SOM. The hypotheses of the research were: 1. compost application would increase SOM and microbial biomass; 2. This increase will be bigger in soils with low content of SOM and 3. The absorbance a...

Compost application increases soil organic matter (SOM) content and is considered particularly beneficial in arid agroecosystems, often impoverished in SOM. However, there is gap in information on the long and short-term dynamics of soil organic C and N pools following compost application. The general objective of this work was to characterize the...

The controlled application of olive mill wastewater (OMW) as a by-product of the olive oil extraction process is widespread in olive oil-producing countries. Therefore, a sustainable approach necessarily targets the positive effects of soil resilience between successive annual applications to exclude possible accumulations of negative consequences....

Though the same physical principles apply to both soilless substrates and field soils, their physical and hydraulic properties are vastly different. In addition, there are fundamental differences with regard to dynamic water, air, and nutrient distribution processes and root growth and development between spatially confined soilless production syst...

Composting in closed polyethylene sleeves with forced aeration may minimize odor emissions, vectors attraction and leachates associated with open windrows. The present study demonstrates the use of this system for composting olive mill wastewater (OMW), the undesired stream associated with the olive milling industry. A polyethylene sleeve of 1.5-m...

Olive mill wastewater (OMWW) is an acidic, saline, and organic matter-rich aqueous byproduct of olive oil production that is usually disposed of by spreading on agricultural soils. This study tested whether spreading OMWW can release indigenous soil metals (Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) through pH, redox, and DOM complexation-related mechanisms, using three a...

Compost application increases soil organic matter (SOM) content and is particularly beneficial in arid and semi-arid agroecosystems, often impoverished in SOM, contributing to both the nutritional and physical quality of the soil. Research objectives were to characterize: 1. The long-term influence of organic fertilization compared with chemical fe...

Several composts were tested for their capacity to moderate the effect of Verticillium dahliae Kleb. (VCG B4, VD) on eggplant (Solanum melongena) under greenhouse conditions. Eggplants plantlets were inoculated by immersing their roots in conidial suspension and then planted in pots filled with mixtures of compost or peat moss, mixed with perlite....

The reduction or phase-out of soil fumigants according to European directives has led to a re-evaluation of sustainable heat-based techniques and exploiting solar energy, e.g., solarization that was used successfully for the eradication of fungi, weeds, and nematodes. Since the beginning of the current century, bacterial infections caused by phytop...

Green manure (GM) cultivation and incorporation (i.e., GM management) may change soil organic matter (SOM) composition and the agroecosystem functioning. However, the understanding of GM effects on SOM composition, specifically in deeper soil layers, is limited. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of GM management (as part of a...

Soil solarization, a method of chemical-free pest treatment, is a practical and cost-effective way to treat organic farming soil. This method uses polyethylene sheets to capture solar irradiation that heats the soil. Together with heat generated during composting of fresh organic matter, this method can effectively treat many soil-borne pathogens....

Understanding and optimization of composting processes can benefit from the use of controlled simulators of various scales. The Agricultural Research Organization Composting Simulator (ARO-CS) was recently built and it is flexibly automated by means of a programmable logic controller (PLC). Temperature, carbon dioxide, oxygen and airflow are monito...

Several studies cautioned against potential negative effects of controlled olive mill wastewater (OMW) application on soil physical properties that could be associated with the possible adverse effects of K on soil structure stability. The objective of the study was to examine the effects of annual application of OMW over several years on selected...

Composting in polyethylene sleeves with forced aeration may minimize odor emissions, vectors attraction and leachates associated with open windrows. A disadvantage of this technology is the lack of mixing during composting, potentially leading to non-uniform products. In two pilot experiments using biosolids and green waste (1:1; v:v), thermophilic...

Soil suppressiveness against Fusarium was tested using solarized and non-solarized soils combined with composts of three maturation levels, and a non-amended control. The soils were sampled on three dates: after previous year solarization but before current year solarization (0 weeks), at the end of the solarization period of the current year (4 we...

Olive mill waste water (OMWW) is an acidic (pH 4–5), saline (EC ∼ 5–10 mS cm⁻¹), blackish-red aqueous byproduct of the three phase olive oil production process, with a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) of up to 220,000 mg L⁻¹. OMWW is conventionally disposed of by uncontrolled dumping into the environment or by semi-controlled spreading on agricult...

Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a dominant role in the functionality of agricultural soils and particularly so in organic farming. Yet, there is limited knowledge on the effect of organic management in which the soil is subjected to incorporation of a variety of organic residues on the composition of SOM and water-extractable organic matter (WEOM)...

Well-prepared composts exert numerous beneficial effects on soil physical characteristics and contribute to plant nutrition. During the last four decades, their potential direct benefits on plant health have also became evident, and disease suppression has been identified against fungal, oomycete and bacterial diseases, as well as against some nema...

Olive mill waste water (OMWW) is a major byproduct of the three phase olive oil production process. OMWW has high acidity (pH ∼ 4–5), high salt content (EC ∼ 5–10 mS cm−1), extremely high biological and chemical oxygen demand (BOD and COD up to 100,000 and 220,000 mg L−1, respectively), and also high concentrations of organic compounds such as phen...

Effect of temperature on the survival of Macrophomina phaseolina s.l. (Mp) was tested under laboratory conditions using an incubation system programmed for a cyclic temperature regime, simulating soil solarization. Mp culture and soil with and without Mp were incubated under two cyclic temperature regimes, with maximum temperatures of 50 °C or 52 °...

The combined effects of soil solarization and application of compost of various maturity levels upon soil microbial activity were studied under field conditions during 2010–2012. Eight treatments were divided into solarized and non-solarized treatments, and each was either non-amended or annually amended with compost at 6 kg (DW) m-2. The composts...

The anthropogenic role in the global warming phenomenon and its related harmful consequences is now well-documented. Various man-made emission sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are mainly related to transportation, energy generation, heating, waste treatment etc., but also to agricultural activities such as husbandry, rice production and others. S...

We studied the effect of soil solarization in combination with composts at three maturity levels (mature, partly mature and immature, but free of pathogens), compared to unamended control, on the survival of two pathogens: Macrophomina phaseolina and Verticillium dahliae, in conjunction with several indicators for soil biological activity. The expe...

Organic greenhouse production is an intensive, high-input operation, with limited possibilities for crop rotation. For these reasons crops are at a constant risk of damage or even total loss caused by soil-borne diseases (SBD) and/or nematodes that can rapidly proliferate under these conditions. Important tools to counteract these risks such as gra...

Peat moss serves as the main organic component of growing media (GM) due to its relative homogeneity and excellent physical properties. Yet, there is a rising trend of replacing the use of peat in GM, driven by the need to recycle organic wastes in an environmentally-sensitive manner, by the lower cost of peat alternatives and due to the understand...

Reviewed and edited proceedings of International Symposium on Organic Matter Management and Compost Use in Horticulture, held in Adelaide (Australia) in April 2011

SWOT analysis is a method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats involved in a project or a process. In the context of growing media (GM) this paper will analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved with the use of various composts in GM. Each SWOT analysis must start with defining a desired e...

Controlled land spreading of untreated olive mill wastewater (OMW) has been widely practiced as a means of its disposal. However, potential phytotoxic effects are critical for the selection of sites and crop types and for proper synchronization between land application and cropping. This study traced the fate of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), tota...

Compost is a main source of organic matter (OM) and of nitrogen for organic farming in arid and semiarid regions. An effort has been made to reduce nitrogen loss during composting of separated cow manure (SCM) using high C/N additives — wheat straw, (WS), grape marc (GM) and slightly acidic additive such as orange peels (OP). The resulting composts...

In order to replace peat in container media with organic materials of local origin, their physical properties should conform with those of peat to support optimal plant growth. The main physical attributes of several peat samples of various origins were characterized in relation to their water holding capacity and volumetric free air space at conta...

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate different compost mixtures as peat substitutes, and the effect of Trichoderma and mycorrhiza fungi application on transplants quality. Seeds of commercial lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea), a nonmycotrophic plant were sown in ‘Speedling’ trays. Plant growth response was determined...

Composting of poultry manure (initial C:N ratio - 11.3) in a thermostatically aerated pile resulted with overheating (>65°C) and rapid loss of Total Volatile Solids (TVS) and of nitrogen. Adding five percent (on a dry weight basis) of squeezed grapefruit peels (initial C:N ratio of the mixture - 12.4) lowered the pH of the aqueous phase of the raw...

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is a leguminous herbaceous perennial. Its root extracts are commonly used for medicinal uses and as a flavoring agent in the food and tobacco industries. After extraction, about 10,000 tones of licorice root residues are accumulated in Israel annually with no recycling outlet. The objectives of the current research...

In the last decades the fraction of fresh produce and cut flowers that are grown in soilless media are constantly growing due to the inherent advantages of substrates over soils. Peat moss is being used for many years as a main component of soilless media, mainly due to its excellent physical properties. Recently peat is frequently replaced by a va...

Olive mill wastewaters (OMW) were obtained at laboratory scale by milling olives from four cultivars grown at different irrigation levels and harvested at different times. Samples were compared based on wastewater quantity, pH, suspended matter, salinity, organic load, total phenols, NPK, and phytotoxicity. Principal component analysis discriminate...

This article is a brief survey of the origin, characteristics, and possible reuses of various agriculture and agro-industrial wastes and wastewaters. Byproducts and effluents often contain substances of high-added value that can be directly recovered or can represent a zero- or low-cost substrate for fermentation processes aimed at producing biofue...

Controlled land spreading of olive mill wastewater (OMW) is now adopted in several Mediterranean countries as a practical alternative for its disposal. This approach has been supported by a large number of studies showing the potential fertilization value of OMW and the absence of negative effects on soil properties. In Israel, the current experien...

Under Israeli organic farming conditions, compost (mostly made of animal manure) is annually applied as a source of plant nutrients, to enhance soil microbial activity and nutrient cycling and to improve soil structure. Composts are also known for their suppressive properties against soil-borne diseases. The objective of the present study was to as...

Bacterial canker caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm) is a serious disease of tomatoes. In recent years, the incidence of bacterial canker has increased, and the pathogen is now present in many tomato-production areas. The efficiency of pesticides which are used for controlling Cmm is limited and none of them is organicall...

Although most substrates are initially pathogen-free, infestations by root pathogens during the course of the growing cycle are common. If not deliberately treated, peat moss, an important organic medium constituent, is conducive to spread of several pathogens. Contrary to peat, some compost types suppress a wide variety of soil-borne pathogens. Co...

Horticulturists have long used various organic materials as components of potting substrates. Since the 1950s, peat moss replaced most of these materials due to its superior physical properties. More recently the trend has changed again as a result of the need to recycle organic wastes in an environmentally-sensitive manner, the rising cost of peat...

This article is a brief survey of the origin, characteristics and possible re-uses of various agriculture and agro-industrial wastes and wastewaters. By-products and effluents often contain substances of high-added value that can be directly recovered or can represent a zero- or low-cost substrate for fermentation processes aimed at producing bio-f...

This chapter is a brief survey of the origin, characteristics, and possible reuses of various agriculture and agro-industrial wastes and wastewaters. By-products and effluents often contain substances of high-added value that can be directly recovered or can represent a zero- or low-cost substrate for fermentation processes aimed at producing biofu...

Agriculture is the primary supplier of food and fibre for humankind and maintaining its sustainability is important. Conventional agriculture (CA) compensates for its unsustainability with external inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. Organic Agriculture (OA) aims at improving sustainability of the agricultural sector, based on amending soil...

Energy utilization for heating is one of the most expensive greenhouse climate control operations. The temperature set-point is determined by many interrelated environmental, physiological, and economic factors but is fundamentally driven by the required growth rate of the plant or crop for quality and profitability. Temperatures are maintained to...

Successful co-composting of solid and liquid olive mill wastes (OMW) and obtaining a product of horticultural value may increase the viability of this recycling approach. Two composting cycles were performed, in which olive mill solid wastes (OMSW) were used to form five mixtures, wetted either with fresh water or with olive mill wastewater (OMWW)....

Compost made of tomato-plant residues mixed with the coarse fraction of separated cattle manure, suppressed wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis in melon. This compost also mitigated the effect of the foliar pathogen Botrytis cinerea in cucumber and melon plants, suggesting that induced resistance mechanism may possibly be invol...

Plants respond to many environmental changes by rapidly adjusting their hydraulic conductivity and transpiration rate, thereby optimizing water-use efficiency and preventing damage due to low water potential. A multiple-load-cell apparatus, time-series analysis of the measured data, and residual low-pass filtering methods were used to monitor conti...

The effect of storage conditions on compost suppressiveness against fusarium wilt of melon, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis (FOM) was studied in relation to the dynamics of compost microbial activity and biodegradability. For this purpose, mature suppressive compost, prepared from tomato plants and separated cow manure, was divided into...

Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total phenols (TP), and the phytotoxicity to cress (Lepidium sativum L.) were determined for three molecular-sized fractions of olive mill wastewater (OMW), <1000, 1000-5000, and >5000 Da, before and after incubation with Pleurotus ostreatus. The <1000-Da fraction contained 82% of the total DOC a...

Isothermal microcalorimetry is a sensitive non-invasive analytical tool that can become useful in research on compost and other biosolids. The aim of the present study was to address several methodological aspects that are critical to the use of microcalorimetry to assess the dynamics of microbial activity in such systems. The results show that: (1...

In alternative agronomical practices, the choice of an organic amendment is critical if it is to be used in conjunction with the root colonizing, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). This is because of certain unknown inhibitory moieties which may be present in the organic amendment that deleteriously affect the AMF's ontogenic cycle. The present wo...

Although most soilless media are initially pathogen-free, infestations by root pathogens during the course of crop growing cycle are frequent. Some commerciallyavailable peat moss types are especially conducive to spread of several soil-borne pathogens. Unlike peat, many compost types suppress a wide range of soil-borne diseases. Disease suppressiv...

The consumption of olive oil is constantly increasing due to its culinary and proven health benefits. Unfortunately, both solid and liquid olive mill wastes (OMWs) pose environmental concerns due to their toxic nature. The wastewater cannot be directly discharged to municipal sewage systems and require dedicated engineering solutions. Co-composting...

Suppression of Clavibacter michiganense subsp. michiganensis (CMM) by composts was studied in comparison to conducive peat. Composts based on tomato or pepper residues combined with cattle or chicken manure reduced disease caused by CMM by between 79% and 100% under both natural infection of mature plants and intentional inoculation. Populations of...

This chapter presents the facets of soilless plant production, representing the state of the art and including some perspectives on the direction in which the field is moving, to provide practitioners with practical operational tools, allowing them to optimize crop production. It aims to develop a better understanding of the intricate processes tak...

The components of soilless growing media and potting mixes used in horticulture are primarily selected based on their physical and chemical characteristics and, in particular, their superior ability to provide simultaneously sufficient levels of oxygen and water to the roots. There is a lot of variability in the origin and physical and chemical cha...

This chapter deals with the organic materials used in soilless production: peat, coir, bark, wood products, and compost. It describes their physical and chemical properties and their effect on plant performance. It also discusses the composting process and reviews the biological stability of growing media and disease suppression. Peat has long been...

This chapter explains soilless culture and describes its significance in agriculture. It begins with a historical account of facets of soilless culture in agriculture, suggesting that substrates used throughout the world differ significantly as to their make-up, while attempting to adhere to a specific set of principles. These principles are quite...

The effect of peat moss on fusarium wilt of melon (Cucumis melo L.) was studied in order to improve the selection process of resistant melons during breeding programmes. Disease symptoms were evident earlier and disease progress was faster in seedlings that were transplanted to peat following inoculation than in those transplanted to sand. The resi...

Powdery mildew on plants of a local clone of Rosa indica Major was significantly controlled by a single spray of 25 mM aqueous solutions of K2HPO4, KH2PO4 plus KOH, or NaHCO3, all plus Tween 20 (0.5 ml/l) or bupirimate (Nimrod) at 0.5 ml/l, which was applied 4 days before inoculation with conidial suspension of Sphaerotheca pannosa var. rosae. Dise...

The knowledge of hydraulic properties of growing media is essential for appropriate management of water-air relationship, nutrients and oxygen transport and their availability to plant roots. In general, the only hydraulic property that is directly measured is the θ -h relationship of the growing medium. The other hydraulic relationships are indire...

Initially most soilless media are pathogen-free. However, an infestation during the course of the crop growing cycle is not rare. Peat moss, a common medium constituent, is especially conducive to spread of several soil-borne pathogens. Unlike peat, many compost types suppress a large range of soil-borne diseases such as those caused by Sclerotium,...

Plant production in hydroponics and soilless culture is rapidly expanding throughout the world, raising a great interest in the scientific community. For the first time in an authoritative reference book, authors cover both theoretical and practical aspects of hydroponics (growing plants without the use of soil). This reference book covers the stat...

Low matric potential in porous media is usually accompanied by very low unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K). This characteristic is the main rate-limiting factor to water uptake by plant roots. Restricted water availability reduces leaf water potential, which, in turn, causes cessation of leaf and shoot expansive growth. Reduced leaf area leads...

Extremely high organic load and the toxic nature of olive mill wastewater (OMW) prevent their direct discharge into domestic wastewater treatment systems. In addition to the various treatment schemes designed for such wastewater, controlled land spreading of untreated OMW has been suggested as an alternative mean of disposal. A field study was cond...

The suppressive ability of three plant residue-based composts that could serve as components of soilless media for several vegetable crops was tested on four different formae speciales of Fusarium oxysporum: melonis, basilici, radicis-lycopersici and radicis-cucumerinum. The composts were prepared under controlled conditions from a mixture of separ...

Controlled in situ sampling of tree rhizosphere is still a major challenge in detailed rhizosphere studies. Rhizoboxes have been widely used to describe the rhizosphere of annual crops, but have been rarely applied to trees. In this manuscript we aimed at assessing pH and microbial activity gradients associated with fruit tree rhizospheres. Rhizobo...

Fruit growers apply fertilizer at high rates with soil organic matter (SOM) below 2.0%. As organically certified fertilizers are costly, our objective was to compare the effects of two modes of organic nitrogen nutrition to conventional control on plum tree yield and soil properties. The orchard is located on a Vertisol soil, and planted to plums i...

An alternative definition of water availability is suggested and verified in the current study. According to this definition, the term water availability expresses the balance between the atmospheric water demand (Vapour pressure deficit, VPD) and the capability of the growing medium to supply this demand at the compatible rate. As such, water avai...

Compost was tested as a medium for organic container-grown crops. Nitrogen (N) loss during composting of separated cow manure (SCM) was minimized using high C/N (wheat straw, WS; grape marc, GM) or a slightly acidic (orange peels, OP) additives. N conservation values in the resultant composts were 82%, 95% and 98% for GM-SCM, OP-SCM and WS-SCM, res...

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. container medium, organic farming, physical characteristics, soil organic matter, suppressiveness SUMMARY. Compost is organic matter that has undergone partial thermo-philic, aerobic decomposition. This environmentally safe process is called composting. The combination of raw materials and the chosen compost-ing method yield...

Microcalorimetric isothermal monitoring was carried out for compost and compost-containing growing medium, to provide fingerprints of compost microbial activity at different conditions. Microbial activity is a key property of composts used in agricultural practice. Two aspects are addressed in this study: (1) microcalorimetric evaluation of compost...

Production of high-value crops is often performed under protected cultivation. In recent years various spectral modifications have been made in greenhouse covers. Two of the main reasons to modify the spectral characteristics of greenhouse covers have been to suppress the proliferation of several foliar diseases and to protect crops from insects an...

Production of high-value crops is often performed under protected cultivation. In recent years various spectral modifications have been made in greenhouse covers. Two of the main reasons to modify the spectral characteristics of greenhouse covers have been to suppress the proliferation of several foliar diseases and to protect crops from insects an...

Moderate matric potential and oxygen deficiency reduce leaf water potential, net assimilation rate and transpiration and thus negatively affect plant productivity. Moderate matric potential in the porous media, usually accompanied by a sharp decrease in unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, leads to localized zones of very low matric potential adjace...

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) plants suffer frequently from wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. basilici (FOB). No efficient fungicide is currently available to control the disease. Sweet basil transplants were grown in either sphagnum peat (Europlant, Germany) or in compost, made by mixing the coarse fraction of cattle manure, chicken man...

Physical characteristics of two media were studied concerning water availability to roots, as reflected in specific transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and specific growth rate of very young leaflets of 'Kardinal' rose (Rosa xhybrida L.), grafted on Rosa canina L. 'Natal Brier'. Plants were grown in UC mix [42% composted fir bark, 33% peat, a...

Rose plants (Rosa x hybrida L. CV. Kardinal, grafted on Natal Brier) were grown in UC mix and in coconut coir. Water release curves and hydraulic conductivity of the media were measured. Water tensions in the media were maintained within a predetermined narrow range by tension-actuated irrigation, using high-flow electronic tensiometers. Transpirat...

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of disinfestation treatments on the chemical properties of tuff. The desorption and the solubilization characteristics of two tuff media, one original unused and one in which roses had been grown for 8 years, were examined before and after two different disinfestation treatments: (i) fumigati...

Low matric and to a lesser extent osmotic potential reduce significantly leaf area and rose yield. Net assimilation rate and transpiration are also negatively affected although less dramatically. Low water potential causes an increase in the water use efficiency of greenhouse roses when tested in closed, no-discharge systems. When a stable osmotic...