Organic Fertilization, Green Manure, and Vetch Mulch to Improve Organic Zucchini Yield and Quality

A 2-year field experiment was carried out in a Mediterranean environment to study the effects of vetch (Vicia sativa L.) residue management strategies incorporating green manure (GM) using a roller-crimper (RC) and different organic fertilizers (municipal solid waste compost, anaerobic digestate, and a commercial organic fertilizer) on organic zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) yield and quality. Zucchini yield was influenced positively by the vetch residue management strategy, although the response was significantly different between years. The vetch cover crop increased marketable zucchini yield in the first year by 46.6% compared with the fallow (FA) treatment, indicating that this fertility-building crop could reduce off-farm nitrogen (N) fertilizer input for subsequent crops. Averaging over 2 years of the experiment, marketable zucchini yield increased by 15.2% and 38% with the RC mulch and GM plow-down, respectively, compared with the FA treatment, although differences were significant in the first year only. The application of organic fertilizers in vetch management plots increased marketable zucchini yield by 21.8% in the first year compared with the unfertilized control. This result is particularly relevant, because organic fertilizers were applied at ≈50% of the normal application rate for zucchini after taking into account biological N fixation attributable to the vetch. The concentrations of soil mineral N at harvest were 19, 27, and 28 mg·kg−1 for the RC, FA, and GM treatments, respectively. These mineral N concentrations indicated that a portion of applied organic fertilizer N, and N attributable to vetch (GM and RC), remained in the soil at harvest, suggesting the potential for leaching, which should be taken into account in the overall fertilization program. These research findings suggest that effective vetch cover crop management and the application of organic fertilizers can improve yield and quality of organically managed zucchini.

Download Full-text

Yield and quality criteria in organically and conventionally grown tomatoes in Turkey

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162010000400008 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 67 (4) ◽

pp. 424-429 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ersin Polat ◽

Halil Demir ◽

Fedai Erler

Keyword(s):

Sugar Content ◽

Soluble Sugar ◽

Quality Criteria ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

First Year ◽

Organic Fertilization ◽

Mineral Fertilization ◽

Organic Systems ◽

Yield And Quality ◽

Organically Grown

The term 'organically grown food' denotes products that have been produced in accordance with the principles and practices of organic agriculture. The use of alternatives to synthetic fertilizers is an important issue in organic systems. A two-year field experiment to evaluate effects of organic fertilizers on the yield and quality of open field grown tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) was carried out in Southern Turkey in 2000 and 2001. Combinations of manure, blood flour and micronutrient preparations were used for fertilization, and conventional mineral fertilization was included as the control. Yield did not differ between the fertilization and the Conventional treatments in the first year of the study, but the highest yield was obtained from conventional in the second year. No differences were found between treatments in terms of fruit soluble sugar content or citric acid. The application of organic fertilizers positively affected the micronutritional element content of tomato fruits compared to the conventional treatment. Organic fertilization results in improved yield and fruit quality compared to conventional fertilization. In addition, organic fertilization should be supported in order to facilitate reuse and disposal of organic wastes and to maintain and/or increase soil fertility.

Download Full-text

Yield and quality of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) as affected by cover crop species and residue management

Scientia Horticulturae ◽

10.1016/j.scienta.2016.04.005 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 204 ◽

pp. 161-171 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

E. Radicetti ◽

R. Massantini ◽

E. Campiglia ◽

R. Mancinelli ◽

S. Ferri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cover Crop ◽

Solanum Melongena ◽

Residue Management ◽

Crop Species ◽

Yield And Quality

Download Full-text

Effects of Organic Fertilization and Cover Crops on an Organic Pepper System

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.18.2.215 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 215-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

K. Delate ◽

C. Cambardella ◽

A. McKern

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Crop Production ◽

Large Scale ◽

Soil Analysis ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

The United States ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Organic Farm

With the continuing 20% growth rate in the organic industry, organic vegetable crop production has increased to 98,525 acres in the United States. The requirement for certified organic vegetable producers to implement a soil-building plan has led to the development of soil fertility systems based on combinations of organic fertilizers and cover crops. To determine optimal soil fertility combinations, conventional and organic bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) production was evaluated from 2001 to 2003 in Iowa, comparing combinations of two synthetic fertilizers and three compost-based organic fertilizers, and a cover crop treatment of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) and rye (Secale cereale) in a strip-tilled or fully incorporated cover crop system. Organic pepper growth and yields equaled or surpassed conventional production when nitrogen (N) was provided at 56 or 112 kg·ha−1 from compost-based organic fertilizer. Soil analysis revealed higher N in plots where cover crops were tilled compared with strip-tilled plots, leading to recommendations for sidedressing N in strip-tilled organic pepper production. Increased incidence of disease was also detected in strip-tilled plots. Postharvest weight loss after 6 weeks in storage was similar in organic and conventional peppers. The addition of calcium and sulfur products in conventional or organic fertilizer regimes did not increase pepper production or postharvest storage potential. Despite application challenges, cover crops will remain as critical components of the organic farm plan for their soil-building benefits, but supplementation with approved N sources may be required for optimal pepper production. Organic growers should conduct their own tests of organic-compliant soil amendments to determine cost effectiveness and value for their site before large-scale application.

Download Full-text

Effect of nitrogen fertilization and residue management on the productivity of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Acta Agronomica Hungarica ◽

10.1556/aagr.61.2013.2.2 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 101-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

G. Berhanu ◽

T. Kismányoky ◽

K. Sárdi

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Management Practices ◽

Nutrient Management ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Farmyard Manure ◽

Residue Management ◽

Hordeum Vulgare L ◽

Mineral N ◽

The Impact ◽

Organic Source

Nutrient management practices that concurrently improve soil properties and yield are essential for sustaining barley production. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of balanced nitrogen fertilizer application involving farmyard manure (FYM) and residue management. The experiment had a factorial arrangement of five levels of mineral N and two organic fertilizer sources. The five levels of N fertilizer were applied in three replicates in combination with each of the two organic sources and a control (without organic source). Average plant height (PH), grain yield (GY), and straw yield (SY) were significantly (P <0.05) influenced by the main effect of N application and organic source; however their interaction was insignificant. The highest grain yield (103%) was obtained with 120 kg N compared to the control. The grain yield increased by 23.4% and 44% with FYM and residue, respectively, against the untreated control.

Download Full-text

New biologically pure fertilizers in grape nursery

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202021005003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 210 ◽

pp. 05003

Author(s):

Alexander Verzilin ◽

Yulia Fedulova ◽

Michael Pimkin

Keyword(s):

Survival Rate ◽

Root System ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Pure Water ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Growth Stimulator ◽

Planting Material ◽

Yield And Quality ◽

Total Growth

The effect of new biologically pure organic fertilizers, Dia Guma and Gumi Turf, on the yield and quality of grape seedlings on nutrient-poor soils has been studied. The positive effect of silicon - organic fertilizer Dia Gum in combination with the growth stimulator Zircon on the survival rate of shanks, the formation of the aboveground part and the root system of plants is shown (the survival rate of shanks in relation to the control (pure water) increases almost 2 times from 36 to 70%, the diameter of growth - from 4.3 to 7 mm, total growth - from 32 to 54 cm, the volume of the root system - from 15 to 25 cm3). The use of peat - sapropel concentrate Gumi Peat in combination with the growth stimulator Zircon, according to the results of the yield and quality of the planting material, is close to the use of Dia Guma + Zircon. These fertilizers allow to a greater extent to biologize the process of growing planting material in the nursery.

Download Full-text

Estimating Nitrogen Mineralization of Composted Poultry Manure, Organic Fertilizers, and Green Manure Crops for Organic Sweet Corn Production on a Sandy Soil Under Laboratory Conditions

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.22.1.37 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 37-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Heidi J. Johnson ◽

Jed B. Colquhoun ◽

Alvin J. Bussan ◽

Carrie A.M. Laboski

Keyword(s):

Sandy Soil ◽

Green Manure ◽

Sweet Corn ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Poultry Manure ◽

Organic Production ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Corn Production ◽

Total N ◽

Loamy Sand Soil

Organic sweet corn (Zea mays) production is challenging for growers because of the high nitrogen (N) requirements of sweet corn and the relatively low N content of organic soil amendments. Total N supplied and rate of mineralization throughout the growing season are two important aspects in determining the optimal N management program. Green manure (GrM) crops, composted manures, and commercially available organic fertilizers are used to manage N in organic production systems. Using a combination of these tactics can optimize N while minimizing cost. In this study, we used combinations of composted poultry manure (CPM) and two organic fertilizers (one high N and one with a balance of nutrients) with three GrM crops [rye (Secale cereale), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and pea (Pisum sativum)] in a loamy sand soil for a 112-day laboratory incubation study. Total plant available N (PAN) was quantified at six times throughout the 16 weeks to determine total N mineralized and rate of N release from each of the management programs. The CPM and the high N organic fertilizer mineralized completely within the first 6 weeks of the study, while only 65% of the other organic fertilizer mineralized by the end of the study. Total N mineralized from pea grown as a GrM for 48 days was comparable to the amount of N mineralized from rye suggesting that pea as a GrM crop should not receive an N credit in field production on a sandy soil. Significant quantities of PAN were mineralized from alfalfa residue, the equivalent of 80 lb/acre, although this is not sufficient for sweet corn production. The combination of alfalfa and the high N organic fertilizer provided sufficient N for sweet corn production and the mineralization rate closely matched sweet corn need. The release of N from CPM, even in combination with GrM crops, was asynchronous with sweet corn crop need.

Download Full-text

Can legumes provide greater benefits than millet as a spring cover crop in southern Queensland farming systems?

Crop and Pasture Science ◽

10.1071/cp17223 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (8) ◽

pp. 746

Author(s):

E. M. Wunsch ◽

L. W. Bell ◽

M. J. Bell

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Farming Systems ◽

N Fixation ◽

Soil Mineral N ◽

Soil Mineral ◽

Mineral N ◽

Legume Cover Crops ◽

Chemical Fallow

Cover crops grown during fallows can increase organic matter inputs, improve soil surface cover to reduce erosion risk, and enhance rainfall infiltration. An experiment compared a chemical fallow control with six different cover crops terminated at either 60 or 90 days after sowing. The commercial choice of millet (Echinochloa esculenta) was compared with two summer legumes (lablab (Lablab purpureus) and soybean (Glycine max)), and three winter legumes (field pea (Pisum sativum), faba bean (Vicia faba) and common vetch (Vicia sativa)). Cover crop biomass growth, atmospheric nitrogen (N) fixation, surface residue cover, and soil water and mineral N dynamics during the growth period and subsequent fallow were measured. Soil water and N availability and yield of wheat crops following the experimental treatments were simulated over a 100-year climate record using APSIM. Both experiments and simulations found the legumes inferior to millet as spring-sown cover crops, because they were slower to accumulate biomass, required later termination and provided groundcover that was less persistent, resulting in lower soil water at the end of the fallow. After 90 days of growth, the summer legumes, lablab and soybean, produced the most biomass and fixed more N (up to 25 kg N/ha) but also extracted the most soil water and mineral N. Legume N fixation was low because of high soil mineral N status (>100 kg N/ha) and occurred only when this had been depleted. At the end of the subsequent fallow in April, soil water was 30–60 mm less and soil mineral N 80–100 kg/ha less after both millet and 90-day terminated summer legume cover crops than the chemical fallow control. Simulations predicted soil-water deficits following legume cover crops to be >50 mm in the majority of years, but soil mineral N was predicted to be lower (median 80 kg N/ha) after millet cover crops. In conclusion, monoculture legume cover crops did not provide advantages over the current commercial standard of millet, owing to less effective provision of groundcover, low N fixation and possibly delayed release of N from residues. Further work could explore how legumes might be more effectively used as cover crops to provide N inputs and soil protection in subtropical farming systems.

Download Full-text

Comparative Assessment of Different Crop Rotation Schemes for Organic Common Bean Production

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10091269 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1269

Author(s):

Ioannis Karavidas ◽

Georgia Ntatsi ◽

Theodora Ntanasi ◽

Ioannis Vlachos ◽

Anastasia Tampakaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Common Bean ◽

Crop Rotation ◽

Faba Bean ◽

Green Manure ◽

First Year ◽

N Fixation ◽

N Availability ◽

Rhizobium Tropici ◽

Organically Grown ◽

Preceding Winter

The aim of the current study was to contribute to the establishment of sustainable organic crop rotation schemes for common bean under mild-winter climatic conditions. Common bean was cultivated according to organic or conventional farming practices during spring-summer in two successive years with crop and treatment during the preceding winter as either: (a) organic broccoli, (b) conventional broccoli, (c) organic faba bean used as green manure, or (d) fallow. Common bean was either inoculated with Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 or non-inoculated, while faba bean was inoculated or non-inoculated with Rhizobium laguerreae VFLE1. Inoculating faba bean with rhizobia enhanced dry biomass production and biological N-fixing ability in both experimental years. Furthermore, organic farming did not restrict the yield of broccoli compared to conventional practices during the first year, while the reverse was the case in the second year, due to reduced soil N availability. Furthermore, green manure enhanced the fresh pod yield in the following organic crop of common bean in both years. The lowest yield was recorded in organically grown common bean when the preceding winter crop was organically grown broccoli in both years. Rhizobia inoculation of the common bean during the first year slightly increased atmospheric N fixation by common bean.

Download Full-text

TRENDS IN BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN LEACHED CHERNOZEM UNDER CULTIVATION OF SPRING BARLEY WITH VARIOUS SPECIES AND RATES OF FERTILIZERS

Agriciltural microbiology ◽

10.35868/1997-3004.26.3-12 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 3-12

Author(s):

V. V. Volkohon ◽

O. V. Pyrih O. V. Pyrih ◽

T. Yu. Brytan

Keyword(s):

Green Manure ◽

Direct Action ◽

Spring Barley ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

High Rate ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

First Year ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Carbon Cycles ◽

Leached Chernozem

The influence of the aftereffects of organic fertilizers and direct action of minerals on thedevelopment of microorganisms of nitrogen and carbon cycles, as well as the course of individualbiological processes has been investigated in the process of growing spring Ii the field stationaryexperiment on the leached chernozem. In the first year of aftereffect of organic fertilizers in the form ofmanure, straw, lupine green manure, and their combination, the activation of soil biota occurs and thecorrelation between the number of different groups of microorganisms changes. Application ofmineral fertilizers in high rate (N90P90K90) leads to the active development of denitrifiers, stimulationof biological denitrification, restriction of functional activity of diazotrophs, growth of the coefficientof mineralization of organic substance. However, the use of this dose in the background after theorganic fertilizer (straw + green manure) helps to optimize the flow of biological processes in the soil.At the same time, the specified rate of mineral fertilizers becomes environmentally acceptable. Theconclusion is made about the inadmissibility of the use of solid fertilizers under deficiency of organicsubstance in the soil.

Download Full-text

Sweet Onion (Allium cepa L.) as Influenced by Organic Fertilization Rate: 2. Bulb Yield and Quality before and after Storage

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci12360-17 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 53 (4) ◽

pp. 459-464

Author(s):

Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez ◽

Jesús Bautista ◽

Gunawati Gunawan ◽

Anthony Bateman ◽

Cliff Martin Riner

Keyword(s):

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Fertilization Rate ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Onion Bulb ◽

Organic Fertilization ◽

Yield And Quality ◽

Before And After ◽

Bulb Yield

There is a growing interest in organic fertilizers because of increased demand for organic sweet onions and other vegetables. There are, however, limited studies on sweet onion bulb yield and quality in response to organic fertilization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of organic fertilizer rate on sweet onion bulb yield and bulb quality before and after storage. Experiments were conducted at the Horticulture Farm, Tifton Campus, University of Georgia, in the Winters of 2012–13 and 2013–14. There were five organic fertilization treatments (organic fertilizer 3–2–3 equivalent to 0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg·ha−1 N). Total and marketable yields and individual bulb weight increased quadratically with increasing organic fertilization rate and responses failed to reach a plateau. The fraction of extra-large bulb increased with increasing organic fertilization rate. Incidence of onion bolting was maximal at 60 kg·ha−1 N and decreased with increasing organic fertilization rate. The percentage of bulb dry weight was highest in the unfertilized control and decreased with increasing organic fertilization rate. Organic fertilization rate had no consistent impact on bulb soluble solids content (SCC) and pungency (measured as pyruvate concentration) in the two seasons. Total antioxidant capacity (measured as gallic acid equivalents) values were among the lowest at 60 and 120 kg·ha−1 N. In conclusion, onion bulb yields increased with increasing organic fertilization rate, whereas incidences of bulb diseases responded differently to N rate. Botrytis rot was the main cause of postharvest bulb decay in all organic fertilization rates.

Download Full-text