Organic Management Practices on Athletic Fields: Part 1. The Effects on Color, Quality, Cover, and Weed Populations

AbstractCanadian Western Hard Red Spring (CWRS) wheat is recognized as premium quality wheat, ideal for breadmaking due to its superior milling qualities, baking characteristics and protein content. Organic wheat production is becoming more prevalent in Canada, due to increasing consumer demand for organic wheat products. Differences may exist in the baking and milling quality of wheat grown under conventional and organic management, a result of the dissimilarity between organic and conventional soil and crop management practices. Five CWRS cultivars released from 1885 to 1997 were grown under conventional and organic management and were assessed for their breadmaking potential. Several traits were investigated, including test weight, protein content, flour yield, kernel hardness and several mixograph parameters. Test weight was higher under conventional management, while no differences in protein content were observed between organic and conventionally grown wheat. Higher sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation (SDSS) volume, a reflection of gluten strength, was observed under conventional management, while there was a trend towards higher dough strength under organic management. Cultivars differed in grain protein, flour yield, kernel hardness and mixograph parameters, with Park and McKenzie superior to the others, particularly Red Fife, a much older cultivar. Management×cultivar interaction effects suggest that cultivars exhibit somewhat different baking characteristics when grown in the two management systems. There was no evidence that older cultivars (developed prior to the widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers) are better suited, in terms of breadmaking quality, for organic production.

Download Full-text

Effects of restorative agroecosystems on soil characteristics and plant production on a degraded soil in the Georgia Piedmont, USA

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170509002592 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 186-196 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

K.L. Jacobsen ◽

C.F. Jordan

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Alley Cropping ◽

Conservation Tillage ◽

Soil Characteristics ◽

Plant Production ◽

Hot Pepper ◽

Organic Management ◽

Soil C ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Georgia Piedmont

AbstractThis work presents the results of a three-year field study of agroecosystems designed to restore soil organic matter (SOM) to degraded soils of the Georgia Piedmont. The systems combine a suite of management practices previously demonstrated to increase SOM when studied individually, and examine the effects of these techniques when used in combination in a cropping systems context on soil characteristics, crop production and weed biomass. The systems' components include organic management, alley cropping with perennial legumes, conservation tillage, use of winter cover crops, straw mulch and two compost application rates. Vegetable crops grown were a rotation of okra, hot pepper and a corn and winter squash intercrop. The systems were not able to maintain soil C or N without the addition of compost. Systems incorporating alley cropping, organic management, conservation tillage and compost maintained soil C, and increased in soil C when mulch was not applied. In organic, conservation tillage without alley cropping, soil C did not change significantly, even with annual 44.8 Mg ha−1 of compost additions. Patterns for soil N followed those of soil C. The study demonstrated that alley cropping can maintain and sequester soil C and N beyond organic conservation tillage alone, and more than conventionally tilled, chemically fertilized treatments. Crop yields did not vary by treatment due to high variation within treatments. Winter cover crop residue provided an effective weed barrier for 4 to 6 weeks in the spring, but additional hand weeding was required throughout the summer. The results of this systems-level study demonstrated interactions between management practices when used in combination that would not have been observed when studied individually. It also demonstrates that agroforestry techniques, conservation tillage and compost applications can increase soil C in degraded, clayey soils while they are in cultivation.

Download Full-text

Soil assessment of apple orchards under conventional and organic management

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr06096 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 44 (8) ◽

pp. 745 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Iris Vogeler ◽

Rogerio Cichota ◽

Siva Sivakumaran ◽

Markus Deurer ◽

Ian McIvor

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Soil Strength ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Organic Management ◽

Conventional Management ◽

Chemical Soil ◽

Integrated Fruit Production ◽

Physical And Chemical ◽

Wheel Track

To determine the effect of wheel traffic and two different management practices on soil compaction and its consequences on physical and chemical soil properties, we measured penetration resistance, water infiltration, bulk density, macroporosity, chemical mobility, air permeability, and soil strength in a conventional orchard (integrated fruit-production program) with bare (sprayed with herbicides) rows and an organic apple orchard with grassed rows. Resistance measurements were taken both within the tree row and the wheel track, down to a depth of 0.35 to 0.40 m. The results indicate that compaction is greater in the wheel tracks under both management methods. Compaction in the wheel track was higher under organic than conventional management. Organic management resulted in a higher macroporosity in both the row and the wheel-track than conventional management. The ‘close-to-saturation’ infiltration rate was significantly greater within the row of the organic orchard (0.06 m/h) compared with the row of the conventional orchard (0.02 m/h), and compared with the wheel tracks (0.01 m/h). The precompression stress value in the top 100 mm, a measure of the soil strength, was low on all sites. The chemical mobilities were 57 and 50% in the organic orchard, and 86 and 93% in the conventional orchard, respectively, for wheel track and row. Apart from the compaction in the wheel track of the organic orchard, physical and chemical soil characteristics were in a better condition compared with the conventional orchard.

Download Full-text

Studies on Tea Quality Grown Through Conventional and Organic Management Practices: Its Impact on Antioxidant and Antidiarrhoeal Activity

Transactions of the ASABE ◽

10.13031/2013.25376 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 51 (6) ◽

pp. 2227-2238 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

B. C. Ghosh ◽

S. Palit ◽

S. Dutta Gupta ◽

D. K. Swain

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Organic Management ◽

Tea Quality

Download Full-text

POSSIBILITY OF ACHIEVING ORGANIC YIELDS FOR MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS BY BIOFERTILIZATION WITH Azotobacter chroococcum

Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Hortorum Cultus ◽

10.24326/asphc.2019.5.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 3-11

Author(s):

Dragana Bjelić ◽

Dušan Adamović ◽

Jelena Marinković ◽

Branislava Tintor ◽

Nastasija Mrkovački

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Azotobacter Chroococcum ◽

Mentha Piperita ◽

Aromatic Plants ◽

Anethum Graveolens ◽

Medicinal And Aromatic Plants ◽

Organic Management ◽

Cellulolytic Microorganisms ◽

Microbial Number ◽

Pot Marigold

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of management practices and biofertilization on microbialactivity in rhizosphere and yield of medicinal and aromatic plants. Field experiment was performed usingfour plant species: peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.), pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.), sweet basil(Ocimum basilicum L.), and dill (Anethum graveolens L.). Treatments were arranged in a split-plot layout infour replicates using basic plots under conventional and organic management, and subplots with and withoutbiofertilizer (Azotobacter chroococcum). Organic management positively affected the microbial number andactivity. Biofertilization increased the total microbial number (13–21%), number of ammonifiers (13–60%),nitrogen-fixing bacteria (7–36%), actinomycetes (36–50%), fungi (60–100%), cellulolytic microorganisms(57–217%), dehydrogenase (28–52%) and ß-glucosidase activity (15–39%). The effects of managementpractices and biofertilization were highly significant for the yield of examined plants. The yields were higheron inoculated treatments both in conventional (5–26%) and organic (7–15%) growing system.

Download Full-text

Organic Management of ‘Maradol’ Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Crops: Effects on the Sensorial and Physicochemical Characteristics of Fruits

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture9110234 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 234

Author(s):

Perla Ruiz-Coutiño ◽

Lourdes Adriano-Anaya ◽

Miguel Salvador-Figueroa ◽

Didiana Gálvez-López ◽

Raymundo Rosas-Quijano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carica Papaya ◽

Management Practices ◽

Physicochemical Characteristics ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Additional Treatment ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Organic Management ◽

Conventional Agriculture ◽

Medicinal Value ◽

Organically Managed

The Maradol Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a fleshy berry produced in the tropics; it is highly appreciated around the world for its high nutritional and medicinal value, as well as its attractive sensory properties. Evaluating the physiological, chemical, and sensory characteristics of ‘Maradol’ papaya fruits from organically managed crops was the primary objective of this study. Four treatments (T1–T4) were evaluated, all of which were fertilized using the same organic management practices. In addition, plant extracts were applied regularly to T1–T3 as pest control, and single (T2) and double (T1) rows of trap plants (roselle) were used. T4 did not receive additional treatment. Fruits under conventional agriculture outside the experimental site were included for comparative purposes (controls). The organic management of the plants did not negatively influence the physiological traits of postharvest ripening. Among the organic treatments, T1 fruits had the highest total soluble solids, vitamin C, and reducing sugars, as well as the lowest weight loss, which significantly improved the quality of the fruit, compared to conventionally produced fruits. In addition, sensory evaluation performed by trained judges, revealed that fruits from the organically managed plots (T1–T4) were the softest and juiciest, and had a higher score in fruit and papaya aroma, in contrast to the conventionally produced fruits, which turned out to be sour, more astringent, and less soft and juicy. The results show that the exclusively organic management of ‘Maradol’ papaya crops improves several post-harvest traits of the fruits, compared to those that can be purchased commercially and are conventionally grown.

Download Full-text

Organic management practices enhance soil food web biomass and complexity under greenhouse conditions

Applied Soil Ecology ◽

10.1016/j.apsoil.2021.104010 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 167 ◽

pp. 104010

Author(s):

Yufei Li ◽

Yunfeng Chen ◽

Ji Li ◽

Qinping Sun ◽

Jijin Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Web ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Food Web ◽

Organic Management

Download Full-text

Geographic Distribution of Ophiosphaerella Species in the Mid-Atlantic United States

Plant Health Progress ◽

10.1094/php-04-21-0076-s ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wendell Joseph Hutchens ◽

Caleb Henderson ◽

Elizabeth A Bush ◽

James Kerns ◽

David McCall

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

North Carolina ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

Management Practices ◽

Cynodon Dactylon ◽

Spring Dead Spot ◽

Athletic Fields ◽

Survey Results ◽

Ophiosphaerella Herpotricha ◽

Species Specific

Spring dead spot (SDS) of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is primarily caused by Ophiosphaerella herpotricha and Ophiosphaerella korrae in North America. These two species respond differently to numerous management practices, grow optimally at different soil pH ranges, and differ in aggressiveness. Understanding the Ophiosphaerella species distribution in regions where SDS occurs will allow turfgrass managers to tailor their management practices toward the predominant species present. A survey was conducted in the Mid-Atlantic United States in which one to 14 samples of bermudagrass expressing SDS symptoms were taken from 51 athletic fields, golf courses, or sod farms across Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia. DNA was isolated from necrotic root and stolon tissue, amplified using species-specific primers, and detected in a real-time PCR assay. At least one isolate of O. herpotricha was recovered from 76% of the locations and O. korrae was recovered from 73% of the locations. Ophiosphaerella herpotricha was amplified from 55% of the samples while O. korrae was amplified from 37% of the samples. There were distinct regions in the Mid-Atlantic in which either O. herpotricha or O. korrae was predominant. Ophiosphaerella herpotricha was predominant in western Virginia, central North Carolina as well as Delaware and eastern Maryland. However, O. korrae was predominant in central Maryland and Virginia as well as eastern Virginia and North Carolina. Ophiosphaerella herpotricha was isolated from certain cultivars more frequently than O. korrae and vice versa. These survey results elucidate the geographic distribution of O. herpotricha and O. korrae throughout the Mid-Atlantic United States.

Download Full-text