Reducing Soil-Borne Diseases of Potatoes using Shellfish Processing Waste and Compost R Henry, R.D. Peters, and J.A. MacLeod, 1Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Crops and Livestock Research Centre, 440 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4N6; Chitin – In Nature Insects and Arachnids Marine Invertebrates Fungi and Algae Chitin Structure Chitin  non-toxic, biodegradable, naturally- occurring polysaccharide  second most abundant natural polymer after cellulose Shellfish Processing Waste 14 – 35% chitin (dry weight basis)  2 - 4% Nitrogen 15 - 20 % Calcium Applications Health Care Food and Beverages • wound dressing and healing • preservative/stabilizer • surgical sutures • anticholesterol and fat-binding • arthritis • flavours and tastes • orthopaedics • pharmaceuticals • cosmetics Waste Treatment Agriculture • removal of metal ions • insecticides • purify drinking water • fungicides • pools and spas • seed, in-furrow, • product separation and • foliar and post-harvest recovery treatments Possible mechanisms of disease control  antimicrobial properties  stimulation of host resistance mechanisms  enhance complement of beneficial bacteria and fungi - chitinolytic species – this work - competitive effects - direct antibiosis Successful disease control reports common scab of potato  grey mold of fruits  blue mold of fruits  Fusarium crown and root rot of tomato  green mold of citrus  downy mildew of grapes  powdery mildew Only a handful of registered products available. Objectives  Is shellfish waste and shellfish waste compost an effective source of plant nutrition and biological control method for soil-borne fungi diseases of potatoes?  Is disease suppression related to the complex of soil organisms? Methodology Cultivar: Superior (white skin and flesh) Field Treatment: A. raw lobster waste - 10,000 lbs/ac B. compost – 10,000 lbs/ac C. conventional fertilizer (control) 120 N Application: Banded or Broadcast Field Design: 4 replications, 6 plots/rep Making a seafood based compost, with moderate N release ability Lay down 12 inch bed of straw  Add shell waste Cover with wet sawdust