Re: [compost_tea] US Composting Council WASRe: Thermophilic stage of composting

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2004 20:13:38 EDT

Plate count data gives information about specific species, but only if you
know the specific conditions that grow those species.

Plate count methods are useful to assess presence of E. coli, for example.
But plate counts methods are NOT useful for assessing bacterial species
diversity. BBC Labs tries to pretend that their plate index assesses bacterial
diversity. That is ridiculous. No microbiologist worth their degree would suggest
such a thing. Go read a few microbiology test books.

Plate methods cannot tell you about diversity of organisms in any
environmental sample. Plate methods only assess 0.01% of the full diversity of bacteria,
much less for fungi. Again, go read a microbiology textbook.

No one on the compost tea list serve says plate methods aren't useful for
something, but you have to be clear about what they are useful for. Plate
methods are only useful for assessing species of bacteria where we can mimic the
required growth conditions in the lab. Since no one can reproduce all the
conditions found in the environment in the lab, then the method is useless for
assessing diversity.

Stop putting words in people mouths, Linda. Get your information correct,
before you start critisizing.

Elaine R. Ingham
Soil Foodweb Inc., Corvallis, Oregon
Soil Foodweb Inc., Port Jefferson, New York
Soil Foodweb Institute, Lismore Australia
Soil Foodweb Institue Cambridge, New Zealand
Soil Foodweb Inc., Hilversum, The Netherlands
Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho




Received on Sun Aug 01 2004 - 22:08:42 EDT

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