American Phytopathological Society, Ruth Allen Award, in honor of "individuals who have made an outstanding, innovative research contribution that has changed, or has the potential to change, the direction of research in any field of plant pathology > More info
U.S. EPA, received the first National Award for Research on Composting (1988)
Recycling of solid wastes through composting; mechanisms of biological control of plant diseases with composts.
During the past 30 years, my group developed principles for the conversion of solid wastes into products beneficial to society. My principle interest is to determine how beneficial microorganisms in composts provide biological control of plant diseases. Projects in this field are complex in nature and require an interdisciplinary team approach coupled with outreach efforts into industry. Ohio State has made many contributions in this field because its approach to higher education encourages interdisciplinary graduate studies as well as adult education programs.
My research projects, now that I have retired, range from how the chemical composition of soil organic matter affects the abilities of specific microorganism to induce plant disease resistance to projects yielding improved strategies for utilization of composts. Other projects focus on the development of new technologies for controlled inoculation of composts with biocontrol agents that induce systemic disease resistance in plants. The overall goal of this research is to reduce reliance on landfills through the development of sustainable waste utilization strategies.
If you want to know more about the science of composting, then you may want to read the literature listed below or examine the proceedings of the 2nd International Composting Research Symposium held May 5-9,2002 in Columbus, OH. The proceedings (1500 pages, peer reviewed disc format) are available from JG Press Inc., 419 State Ave., Emmaus, PA 18049.
- Abbasi, P.A., Al-Dahmani, J., Sahin, F., Hoitink, H.A.J., & Miller, S.A. 2002. Effect of compost amendments on disease severity and yield of tomato in conventional and organic production systems. Plant Disease 86(2):156-161.
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Krause, M.S., Madden, L.V., & Hoitink, H.A.J. 2001. Effect of potting mix microbial carrying capacity on biological control of Rhizoctonia damping-off of radish and Rhizoctonia crown and root rot of poinsettia. Phytopathology. 91(11):1116-1123.
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Stone, A.G., Traina, S.J., & Hoitink, H.A.J. 2001. Particulate organic matter composition and Pythium damping-off of cucumber. Soil Science Society of America Journal 65(3):761-770.
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Hoitink, H.A.J., Krause, M.S., & Han, D.Y. 2001. Spectrum and Mechanisms of Plant Disease Control with Composts. In Peter J. Stoffella, Brian A. Kahn (Eds.), Compost utilization in horticultural cropping systems (p. 263). Boca Raton, Fla. Lewis Publishers.
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Han, D.Y., Coplin, D.L., Bauer, W.D., & Hoitink, H.A.J. 2000. A rapid bioassay for screening rhizosphere microorganisms for their ability to induce systemic resistance. Phytopathology. 90(4):327-332.
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Abbasi, P.A., Miller, S.A., Meulia, T., Hoitink, H.A.J., & Kim, J.M. 1999. Precise detection and tracing of Trichoderma hamatum 382 in compost-amended potting mixes by using molecular markers. Appl-environ-microbiol. 65(12):5421-5426.
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Hoitink, H.A.J., & Boehm, M.J. 1999. Biocontrol within the context of soil microbial communities: A subsrtate-dependent phenomenon. Ann. Rev. Phytopathol. 37:427-446.
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De Ceuster, T. J. J., & Hoitink, H. A. J. 1999. Using compost to control plant diseases. Biocycle. 40(6):61-64.
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Hoitink, H. A. J., & Krause, M. S. 1998. Controlling nuisance molds in mulches and composts. Biocycle. 39(9):59-61.
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Zhang, W., Han, D. Y., Dick, W. A., Davis, K. R., & Hoitink, H. A. J. 1998. Compost and compost water extract-induced systemic acquired resistance in cucumber and arabidopsis. Phytopath. 88:450-455.
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Boehm, M. J., Tianyun Wu, Alex G. Stone, Bart Kraakman, Donna A. Iannotti, G. Edwin Wilson, Laurence V. Madden, & Harry A. J. Hoitink. 1997. Cross-Polarized Magic-Angle Spinning 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Characterization of Soil Organic Matter Relative to Culturable Bacterial Species Composition and Sustained Biological Control of Pythium Root Rot. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 63, No. 1 pgs. 162-168.
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Hoitink, H. A. J., Stone, A. G., & Han, D. Y. 1997. Suppression of plant diseases by composts. HortScience. 32:184-187.
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Zhang, W., W. A. Dick, & H. A. J. Hoitink. 1996. Compost-induced systemic acquired resistance in cucumber to Pythium root rot and anthracnose. Phytopathology Vol 86, No. 10:1066-1070.
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Iannotti, D. A., M. E. Grebus, B. L. Toth, L. V. Madden & H. A. J. Hoitink. 1994. Oxygen Respirometry to Assess Stability and Maturity of Composted Municipal Solid Waste. J. Environ. Qual. 23:117-1183.
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Hoitink, Harry A. J. & Harold M. Keener. 1993. Science and Engineering of Composting: Design, Environmental, Microbiological and Utilization Aspects. 728 printed pages.
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Boehm, M. J., Madden, L. V., & Hoitink, H. A. J. 1993. Effect of organic matter decomposition level on bacterial species diversity and compositin in relationship to Pythium damping-off severity. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:4171-4179.
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Boehm, M. J. & Hoitink, H. A. J. 1992. Sustenance of microbial activity in potting mixes and its impact on severity of Pythium root rot of poinsettia. Phytopathology 82:259-264.
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Hoitink, Harry A. J., Y. Inbar & M. J. Boehm. 1991. Status of Compost-Amended Potting Mixes Naturally Suppressive to Soilborne Diseases of Floricultural Crops. Plant Disease Vol. 75 No. 9:869-873.
