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BACKGROUND:Compostteasarepurportedtoserveasaneffectivesourceofnutrients;however,thereislittlescientificevidence to support or refute this claim. Compost tea infusions made with municipal solid waste compost and ruminant compost were used as amendments for strawberry cultivation and their efficacy was compared to municipal solid waste (MSW) compost, ruminant compost, and fertilizer amendments. A variety of parameters were examined including the nutrient, micronutrient and metal concentrations of soil and leaf tissue, pH, totalsoil carbon and nitrogen, and mineralized nitrogen. RESULTS: Compost tea treatments provided similar amounts of most macro- and micronutrients compared to MSW compost, ruminant compost, and fertilizer treatments and subsequently to strawberry plants. The MSW compost added significantly greater amounts of Ca, Na, and S to soil with increased plant uptake while the ruminant compost treatment plots had significantlygreateravailablesoilP.ThecompostandfertilizertreatmentsalsoprovidedgreateramountsofKtosoilcompared to the compost tea treatments. CONCLUSIONS: In a 2 year study, non-aerated compost teas were effective nutrient amendmentsfor strawberries compared to ruminant and MSW compost, and inorganic fertilizers. c � 2008 Society of Chemical Industry

BACKGROUND: The nutrition of food is increasingly important to consumers. The popularity of organic food rests partly on the assumption that these products are healthier despite a lack of conclusive evidence. The effects of organic and inorganic fertilizer amendments on parameters of strawberry fruit quality, in terms of sugar, macro- and micro-nutrients concentrations, and total antioxidant capacity were compared. RESULTS: Treatments did not affect sugar content or total antioxidant capacity. Inorganic fertilizer treatments increased S and Mn content of berries compared to organic treatments. The K and P content of berries differed among years. CONCLUSIONS:Organic amendments did not increase the fruit quality of strawberries compared to inorganic amendments. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry