Chestnut green waste "in situ" composting for sustainable forest management: 
biomass composting monitoring, microbiota dynamics, and plant defence induction
Creators: name: Parillo, Rita
Publisher: name: Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
Year: 2015

description: Abstract 
The product of the chestnut wood cleaning was placed in aerated static piles, composed directly in the wood and consisting of fresh shoots, chipboard, mowing the undergrowth and leaves and curly dry. 
The composting process and mature compost was sampled and characterized for physic-chemical parameters and microbiological composition. 
The present doctorate thesis enlightens the composting process of biomass from
chestnut woods handling. Physical, chemical parameters and their interaction with
biological aspects were examined. Bacterial and fungal populations were detected
and characterized during the composting process in order to identify species and
their potential beneficial effects on plants. Agronomic studies were conducted to
evaluate effects of the compost on plant fitness and suppressive activity.
The results of the characterization of the process showed the potential in
agriculture of the mature product.
Main results of the study are:
a) The temperature values in the internal part of the pile were strongly affected
by the seasonal climatic conditions. Averagely, the decomposition process
occurred at low temperature;
b) The agronomic valuations allow the classification of the compost obtained
as a good quality amendant;
c) Parameters analyzed for stability evaluation, respiration test and phytotoxicity
bioassay, as well as sanitary checks, indicated the product absolute
suitability;
d) Parameters of plant fitness and agronomic evaluation showed that plants
grown in compost activate their response to stress;
e) The suppression capability was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo;
f) The trends of functional populations (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin)
during the bio-oxidative process were affected by the decrease of activity
water and the temperature;
g) DGGE patterns of eukaryotic populations showed a predominance of
Ascomycota, including species of Penicillium, Moristroma,
Paraconiothyrium, Fusarium, Cladosporium, and Aspergillus. Selected
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prokaryotic bands were affiliated with Bacilli, followed by Actinobacteria,
Flavobacteriia, and -Proteobacteria;
h) Extraction and SEM-TEM characterization of humic substances from wheat
straw co-compost including lignocellulosic fungi and metallic oxides,
reveales the importance of metallic oxides in controlling morphology
stablility of HA-ion aggregates.
This is the first time that the chestnut in situ composting process is characterised in
all the phases. Moreover, this is the first time that the microbial dynamics during
the process as well as the microbial characterization and its suppressive activity on
soil-borne plant pathogens, was investigated.
The results are encouraging and indicate that biomasses from forest and
agricultural origin could represent a new and underspeculated source of agriculture
amendant, pathogen and pests control, income for marginal areas, carbon
sequestration, and biodiversity preservation.
It is advisable that the research will keep on truck investigating the way to
optimize the process to: amplify carbon sequestration, investigate the process in
different matrices, and unravel the transcriptome of the plant stress response