Work package 5 is coordinated by the Plant-Fungi Interactions group of KU Leuven and the industrial partner De Ceuster Meststoffen (DCM). The WP5 partners operate in close collaboration with the Flemish team from WP4 (ILVO and the industrial partner BND-Noliko), within the framework of an IWT-funded Research & Development program. WP5 is logically located downstream of the WP4 work, with the sideflows which cannot be converted into products for human consumption in WP4 being passed on to WP5. The aim of WP5 is to develop a new organic fertilizer or soil amendment based on these vegetable raw materials, while trying to enhance the value of such a product by including beneficial micro-organisms.

For this purpose an inventory of vegetable waste or side flows available within the consortium is made and the most interesting flows are assessed  to identify their potential as raw material for organic fertilizer or soil amendment. Using the equipment available in the consortium, the most promising raw materials will be dried and stabilized before further use. The raw material rest fractions will then be tested to identify their effects on plant growth and disease in addition to testing their suitability for hosting beneficial micro-organisms. Based on these data, a test batch including such a raw material will be produced and tested in both greenhouse and limited field trials to investigate the beneficial effects on tomato and Brassica growth and disease resistance. This will be done in collaboration with the partners Bioforsk and InHort. In addition the health-beneficial phytochemical content of the plants and vegetables will be analysed by INRA and compared with conventional fertilizer treatment.