scholarly journals Revisiting the original reasons for excluding inorganic fertilizers in organic farming—Why the ban is not consistent with our current scientific understanding

2021 ◽  
pp. 003072702110200
Author(s):  
Holger Kirchmann
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Scientific Understanding ◽  
Rudolf Steiner ◽  
Inorganic Fertilizers ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

This paper reviews the original reasons of the organic farming movement for excluding mineral (inorganic) fertilizers. In this paper, their theories and decision criteria for excluding use of inorganic fertilizers in crop production were revisited. Original reasons for banning inorganic fertilizers were subjected to scientific scrutiny, which was not possible when they were formulated 50–100 years ago due to limited knowledge of the soil-crop system. The original reasons were as follows: Rudolf Steiner, the founder of biodynamic farming, played down the physical role of plant nutrients and pointed out “flow of forces” as being most important for soils and crops. Eve Balfour and Albert Howard, founders of the Soil Association in England, claimed that inorganic fertilizer increases the breakdown of humus in soil, leading to a decline in soil fertility. Hans-Peter Rusch, the founder of biological organic farming, considered inorganic fertilizers to be imbalanced products not matching crop composition and not in synchrony with crop demand. When testing these historical statements as scientific hypotheses, older and modern scientific literature was used for validation. Steiner’s belief about the “flow of forces” has not be verified using current methodologies. The claim by Balfour and Howard that inorganic fertilizers accelerate soil organic matter decomposition is not substantiated by data from long-term field experiments on carbon and nitrogen cycling in soil-plant systems. The statement by Rusch that inorganic fertilizers supply crops inappropriately is difficult to uphold, as the composition, time, and rate of application and the placement of fertilizer in soil or on foliage can be fully adapted to crop requirements. In light of accumulated scientific evidence, the original arguments lack validity. The decision to ban inorganic fertilizers in organic farming is inconsistent with our current scientific understanding. Scientific stringency requires principles found to be erroneous to be abandoned.

Soil organic carbon sequestration potential for Canadian Agricultural Ecoregions calculated using the Introductory Carbon Balance Model

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Bolinder ◽  
O. Andrén ◽  
T. Kätterer ◽  
L -E Parent
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil Biological Activity ◽  
Sequestration Potential

The potential for storage of atmospheric CO2-C as soil organic C (SOC) in agroecosystems depends largely on soil biological activity and the quantity and quality of annual C inputs to soil. In this study we used the Introductory Carbon Balance Model (ICBM) approach driven by daily standard weather station data, specific soil properties and crop characteristics at the scale of Canadian agricultural ecoregions. The objectives were to calculate a climate-dependent soil biological activity parameter representative for annual agricultural crop production systems (re_crop) and to estimate the effect of fallow (re_fallow). These parameters are based on the daily product of soil temperature and stored water that influence biological activity in the arable layer, and are used to adjust the decomposition rates of the ICBM SOC pools. We also tested re_crop and re_fallow on SOC stock change data for different site and treatment combinations from long-term field experiments located in some of the ecoregions. An re_crop value of 0.95 for western ecoregions was on average 0.23 units lower than that of the eastern ecoregions, indicating a lower decomposition rate of SOC. Although the estimated annual C inputs to soil for small-grain cereals were on average ≈7.5% higher in the eastern ecoregions (305 vs. 285 g C m-2 yr-1), the overall results suggest that the western ecoregions would have a greater potential to maintain high SOC levels in the long term. However, these parameters varied between ecoregions and, consequently, the SOC sequestration potential was not always higher for the western ecoregions. The effect of fallow was on average ≈0.04, i.e., SOC decomposed slightly faster under fallow. Predictions for 24 out of 33 site and treatment combinations across Canada were significantly improved (P = 0.003), compared with a previous application with the ICBM that did not differentiate between crops and fallow. The methodology used here enabled us to examine regional differences in the potential for SOC sequestration as a balance between annual C inputs to soil and soil biological activity. Key words: Annual C inputs, climate, fallow, soil biological activity, agroecosystems

Current Approaches to Management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

1996 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick C. Jarman
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Stimulant Medication ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Behaviour Modification ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
School Based ◽  
Long Term Prognosis

AbstractThe last five years in Australia have been marked by an explosion in the diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The use of stimulant medication for ADHD has increased exponentially across all states, raising questions about the appropriate role of drug treatment and its relationship to other therapies in these children. Despite widespread consensus that multimodal therapy is the preferred option for intervention, many treatments advocated for ADHD lack scientific evidence to support their use. Because no two children with ADHD or their families are the same, an individualised approach to management is advocated that targets both the primary symptoms of the disorder, its cornorbid pathology, and the secondary problems that have developed. Evidence indicates that stimulant medication used in conjunction with parent training, family support, and school based behaviour modification offers the best prospects for improving the disturbing long-term prognosis in these children.

scholarly journals Plant secondary metabolites: antiparasitic effects and their role in ruminant production systems

2004 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 631-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spiridoula Athanasiadou ◽  
Ilias Kyriazakis
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Plant Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Antiparasitic Activity ◽  
Excessive Consumption ◽  
Therapeutic Properties ◽  
Nutritional Effects

The purported antiparasitic properties of plant secondary metabolites (PSM) have been the cause of controversy amongst the scientific community. Despite long-standing knowledge of the prophylactic and therapeutic properties of PSM-rich extracts, which comes mainly from ethnoveterinary sources, the scientific evidence of the antiparasitic effects of PSM is inconsistent. In the first part of the present paper the causes of this controversy are addressed, and the evidence available on the antiparasitic effects of PSM is critically examined. The focus is on examples of the antiparasitic activity of PSM against helminth nematodes. The conclusion is that PSM can have antiparasitic properties, which depend on their structure, level of ingestion and availability within the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. The second part is an appraisal of the potential role of PSM for parasite control in ruminant production systems. Despite their antiparasitic properties, PSM consumption does not necessarily have positive consequences in parasitised herbivores, as excessive consumption of PSM can adversely affect herbivore fitness and survival, through their anti-nutritional properties. For this reason it is suggested that the antiparasitic properties of PSM should be assessed at the same time as their anti-nutritional effects. The same measure, e.g. the performance of parasitised hosts, should be used when assessing these properties. The assessment of the costs and benefits suggests that parasitised herbivores can benefit from the long-term consumption of PSM only if the antiparasitic benefits outweigh the anti-nutritional costs of PSM. In addition, it is proposed that parasitised animals might be able to benefit from PSM consumption even if their performance is impaired, as long as the latter is a short-term compromise that leads to long-term benefits.

Crop production research in multifunctional agriculture

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Berzsenyi
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
Maize Hybrids ◽  
Long Term Experiments ◽  
Small Plot ◽  
Production Research ◽  
Set Up

The research agenda for crop science in the 21st century will depend largely on whether the present conditions regarding the global food surplus continue, or whether a food scarcity recurs. Crop production research is based chiefly on small-plot field experiments, the majority of which are either long-term experiments or experiments set up to investigate the specific agronomic responses of Martonvásár maize hybrids and wheat varieties. The sustainability of crop production is examined in long-term experiments. The agronomic responses of maize hybrids and wheat varieties are studied at various levels of biological organisation. Growth analysis facilitates the exact characterisation of agronomic responses and the grouping of response effects and types using multivariable methods. Continued experimentation coupled with crop simulation models and decision support systems are an ever more useful framework for analysing the complexity of agricultural systems.

The turnover of organic carbon and nitrogen in soil

1990 ◽  
Vol 329 (1255) ◽  
pp. 361-368 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Material ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Compartment Model ◽  
Soil Organic Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
First Order ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Two Compartment Model ◽  
Term Field

Although the decomposition of plant material in soil is an extremely complex process, relatively simple models can give good fits to the decay process. Thus a two-compartment model gives a close representation, over the first few years, of the decay of 14 C-labelled plant material in soil. A model containing a single homogeneous humus compartment decomposing by a first-order process is surprisingly useful for soil organic nitrogen over periods measured in decades. More sophisticated multicompartmental models are now widely used to represent turnover in soil. One of these, the Rothamsted turnover model, is described in detail and shown to give a useful representation of data from the Rothamsted long-term field experiments.

scholarly journals Bacterivorous nematodes correlate with soil fertility and improved crop production in an organic minimum tillage system

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan H. Schmidt ◽  
Johannes Hallmann ◽  
Maria R. Finckh
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Minimum Tillage ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Organic Farming Systems

AbstractOrganic farming systems are generally based on intensive soil tillage for seed bed preparation and weed control, which in the long-term often leads to reduced soil fertility. To avoid this, organic farming systems need to adopt conservation agriculture practices, such as minimum tillage and diligent crop rotations. However, minimum tillage generally delays soil warming in spring causing reduced nitrogen mineralization and thus poor plant growth. This negative effect needs to be compensated. We hypothesize that, in a diverse crop rotation, organic minimum tillage based on frequent cover cropping and application of dead mulch will improve soil fertility and thus crop production as confirmed by a number of chemical and biological soil indicators.We made use of two long-term field experiments that compare typical organic plough-based systems (25 cm) with minimum tillage systems (<15 cm) including application of transfer mulch to potatoes. Both tillage systems were either fertilized with compost or equivalent amounts of mineral potassium and phosphate. In 2019, soil samples from both fields were collected and analyzed for soil pH, organic carbon, macro-, micronutrients, microbial biomass, microbial activity and total nematode abundance. In addition, performance of pea in the same soils was determined under greenhouse conditions.Results from the field experiments showed an increase of macronutrients (+52%), micronutrients (+11%), microbial biomass (+51%), microbial activity (+86%), and bacterivorous nematodes (+112%) in minimum tillage compared with the plough-based system. In the accompanying greenhouse bioassay, pea biomass was 45% higher under minimum than under plough tillage. In conclusion, the study showed that under organic conditions, soil fertility can be improved in minimum tillage systems by intensive cover cropping and application of dead mulch to levels higher than in a plough-based system. Furthermore, the abundance of bacterivorous nematodes can be used as a reliable indicator for the soil fertility status.

Impact of tillage intensity on carbon and nitrogen pools in surface and sub-surface soils of three long-term field experiments

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kaiser ◽  
C. Piegholdt ◽  
R. Andruschkewitsch ◽  
D. Linsler ◽  
H.-J. Koch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Surface Soils ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Pools ◽  
Term Field

scholarly journals The Role of Marketing in Shaping the Development of the Market of Organic Farming Products in Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Magdalena Sobocińska ◽  
Krystyna Mazurek-Łopacińska ◽  
Stanisław Skowron ◽  
Andrzej Graczyk ◽  
Karol Kociszewski
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Dominant Market Position ◽  
Main Factors

The natural environment is one of the areas of sustainable development. The implementation of the goals of sustainable development is associated with the creation of conditions supporting ecological behaviours as well as the greening of consumption. It cannot be ignored that the implementation of behavioural marketing concepts contributed to the development of excessive consumerism, whereas the use of marketing innovations by enterprises with high strategic potential and dominant market position often translated into shortening product life cycles. In this context, there arises a research question concerning the role that marketing has to perform nowadays, and the challenges to its concept, resulting from sustainable development. The paper is based on literature studies and the results of an empirical research that was performed on a sample of 140 entities shaping the offer of organic farming products in Poland. The study included both organic farming entities and entities dealing with the distribution of organic farming products in Poland. The goal of the paper is to show the role of marketing as a multi-paradigmatic concept in shaping the development of the market of organic farming products in Poland. The analysis of the research results aimed at identifying the reasons for introducing organic farming products by distributors into their offer, as well as showing the nature of the relationships between producers and distributors of organic farming products in Poland. The analysis of the research results shows that the relationships between producers and distributors of organic farming products in Poland are perceived by both parties as long-term and based on trust. Special attention is also paid to the hierarchy of factors stimulating the development of sales of organic farming products in Poland. Identification of stimulants for the development of the market of organic farming products indicates the great importance of marketing in this area because the main factors of development of this market are of marketing nature or are inherently related to marketing.

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