scholarly journals Crop yields and supply of nitrogen compared in conventional and organic farming systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarika Alaru ◽  
Liina Talgre ◽  
Viacheslav Eremeev ◽  
Berit Tein ◽  
Anne Luik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Cycle Period ◽  
Organic Fertiliser ◽  
Crop Cycle ◽  
Organic Farming Systems

The aim of organic agriculture is to produce food of high nutritional quality in sufficient quantity. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of organic and conventional growing systems on (i) total amounts and supply of N taken up or applied to plants during a five year crop cycle period and (ii) crops total dry matter (DM) yield obtained during same period. The total DM yields from the organic treatments were 25–33% smaller than from the conventional treatments. The ratio of N output/N input was significantly the smallest in the organic treatment with cattle manure, where only 37% of all supplied N was used by plants during the crop cycle period. The organic fertiliser with faster mineralisation rate and splitting the application of organic N during crop cycle period would be more appropriate to supply sufficient quantities of N during rapid plant growth and to obtain higher crop yields in organic farming systems. 

scholarly journals Transition from Conventional to Organic Farming Systems: I. Challenges, Recommendations, and Guidelines for Pest Management

2002 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 606-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gladis M. Zinati
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Organic Farming Systems

Conventional agricultural systems increase per-area food production, but deplete natural resources and degrade both crop and environmental quality. Many of these concerns are addressed by sustainable agricultural systems, integrated pest management, biocontrol, and other alternative systems. Environmental and social concerns have escalated the need for alternative agricultural systems in the last decade. One alternative, the organic farming system, substitutes cultural and biological inputs for synthetically made fertilizers and chemicals for crop nutrition and pest management. Practices used for crop and pest management are similar during transition from conventional to organic farming systems, but produce is not certified to be organic during the transition period. During the transition from conventional to organic farming, growers may face pest control difficulties and lower yields when conventional practices are abandoned. The objectives of this paper are to 1) give an overview of the reasons for converting to organic farming and the challenges that growers face during the transition period, 2) outline some potential strategies for crop, soil, and pest management, and 3) list guidelines and recommendations for pest management during the transition to organic farming. Implementation of crop and pest management practices depends on geographical location, climate, available onsite resources, and history of the land. During transition, growers rely on cultural mechanisms and on organic and mineral sources to improve soil fertility, to build a population of natural enemies to suppress pest populations. Pest management practices during the transition period that reduce pest populations to economically manageable levels include crop rotation, cultivation, cover crops, mulches, crop diversification, resistant varieties, and insect traps. These practices also enrich the soil biota and increase crop yields before produce is certified organically grown.

scholarly journals Stable Characteristics of Cover Crops for Weed Suppression in Organic Farming Systems

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Uchino ◽  
Kazuto Iwama ◽  
Yutaka Jitsuyama ◽  
Keiko Ichiyama ◽  
Eri Sugiura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Organic Farming Systems

Soil fertility in organic farming systems - fundamentally different?

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 301-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.A. Stockdale ◽  
M.A. Shepherd ◽  
S. Fortune ◽  
S.P. Cuttle
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Organic Farming Systems

scholarly journals Cocktails of pesticide residues in conventional and organic farming systems in Europe – legacy of the past and turning point for the future

2021 ◽  
pp. 116827
Author(s):  
Violette Geissen ◽  
Vera Silva ◽  
Esperanza Huerta Lwanga ◽  
Nicolas Beriot ◽  
Klaas Oostindie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Pesticide Residues ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Organic Farming Systems

scholarly journals Effect of Different Tillage Systems on Soil Organic Carbon and Enzymatic Activity

Agronomy ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 208
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Szostek ◽  
Ewa Szpunar-Krok ◽  
Renata Pawlak ◽  
Jadwiga Stanek-Tarkowska ◽  
Anna Ilek
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Organic Farming Systems ◽  
Organic Matter Fractions

The aim of the study was to compare the effect of conventional, simplified, and organic farming systems on changes in the content of soil organic carbon, organic matter fractions, total nitrogen, and the enzymatic activity. The research was conducted from 2016–2018 on arable land in the south-eastern part of Poland. The selected soils were cultivated in conventional tillage (C_Ts), simplified tillage (S_Ts), and organic farming (O_Fs) systems. The analyses were performed in soil from the soil surface layers (up to 25 cm depth) of the experimental plots. The highest mean contents of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and organic matter fractions were determined in soils subjected to the simplified tillage system throughout the experimental period. During the study period, organic carbon concentration on surface soil layers under simplified tillage systems was 31 and 127% higher than the soil under conventional tillage systems and organic farming systems, respectively. Also, the total nitrogen concentration in those soils was more than 40% and 120% higher than conventional tillage systems and organic farming systems, respectively. Moreover, these soils were characterised by a progressive decline in SOC and Nt resources over the study years. There was no significant effect of the analysed tillage systems on the C:N ratio. The tillage systems induced significant differences in the activity of the analysed soil enzymes, i.e., dehydrogenase (DH) and catalase (CAT). The highest DH activity throughout the experiment was recorded in the O_Fs soils, and the mean value of this parameter was in the range of 6.01–6.11 μmol TPF·kg−1·h−1. There were no significant differences in the CAT values between the variants of the experiment. The results confirm that, regardless of other treatments, such as the use of organic fertilisers, tillage has a negative impact on the content of SOC and organic matter fractions in the O_Fs system. All simplifications in tillage reducing the interference with the soil surface layer and the use of organic fertilisers contribute to improvement of soil properties and enhancement of biological activity, which helps to maintain its productivity and fertility.

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