Capire meglio i sistemi agricoli con test a lungo termine

Dal 6 all’11 ottobre, su invito di FiBL, Agroscope e il politecnico di Zurigo si sono riuniti al Monte Verità di Ascona 87 ricercatori provenienti da 20 paesi. L’evento è stato organizzato in occasione dei 40 anni di esistenza dell’esperimento a lungo termine DOK che mette a confronto sistemi di coltivazione biodinamici, biologici e convenzionali

Comprendre l’agriculture grâce aux essais de longue durée

Sur invitation du FiBL, d’Agroscope et de l’EPFZ, près de 90 chercheurs de 20 pays se sont réunis en conférence du 6 au 11 octobre au Monte Verità à Ascona TI pour les 40 ans du lancement de l’essai DOC, qui compare les systèmes agricoles biodynamique, organo-biologique et conventionnel. Plus de 40 exposés ont permis aux participants de présenter et de discuter les résultats de leurs essais de longue durée et de partager leurs connaissances sur l’importance des différents systèmes agricoles pour répondre aux défis de l’avenir

Organic Farming and Climate Change

This publication concludes that organic agriculture has much to offer in both mitigation of climate change through its emphasis on closed nutrient cycles and is a particularly resilient and productive system for adaptation strategies. It also raises the issue of whether organic agriculture should be eligible for carbon credits under voluntary carbon offsetting markets and the Clean Development Mechanism

DOC trial: diversity and metabolic effiency of microbial communities in organic and conventional soils

Soil microbiota are favoured by organic farming systems. Moreover they were found to need less energy fore their maintenance. The diversity of microbial functions was also increased. Our results support the hypothesis that diverse populations make better use of the available resources

Production of Innovations within Farmer–Researcher Associations Applying Transdisciplinary Research Principles

Small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan West Africa depend heavily on local resources and local knowledge. Science-based knowledge is likely to aid decision-making in complex situations. In this presentation, we highlight a FiBL-coordinated research partnership between three national producer organisations and national agriculture research bodies in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Benin. The partnership seeks to compare conventional, GMObased, and organic cotton systems as regards food security and climate change

Raziskava razgradnje s pomočjo čajnih vrečk

Indeks čajne vrečke izračunamo s primerjavo razgradnje hitro razgradljivega zelenega čaja in težko razgradljivega čaja rooibos (»rdeči grm«). S tem postopkom dobimo informacije o zmožnosti tal (kot živega organizma) za predelavo organskih ostankov v rastlinam dostopna hranila in za izgradnjo humusa. Uporaba te tehnike je enostavna. Čajno vrečko zakopljemo v tla, jo po treh mesecih izkopljemo in pogledamo, koliko je od nje ostalo. Zelo zanimivo je videti sadove dela naših pridnih talnih pomočnikov in spremljati, kako njihovo delo zagotavlja hranila za novo generacijo rastlin za raziskovanje koreninskih mešičkov za vezavo dušika

Bodenorganismen haben lieber Grüntee

Die Teebeutel-Methode ist simpel und weltweit anwendbar. Mit ihr lässt sich die Bodenqualität bestimmen. Manche Teebeutel bestehen aus Naturfasern, die man auf den Kompost werfen kann. Andere bestehen aus einem Nylonnetz, das nicht kompostierbar ist, da das Netz zurückbleibt. Genau dieses simple Prinzip wird neuerdings rund um den Globus genutzt, um die Vitalität von Böden zu untersuchen

Evaluación de la descomposición con el uso de bolsas de té

La comparación de la descomposición del té verde, un material de descomposición rápida, con el té rooibos, un material difícil de degradar, permite el cálculo del índice de bolsas de té. Este método proporciona información sobre la capacidad del suelo,como un organismo “vivo”, para ransformar los residuos orgánicos en nutrientes disponibles para las plantas y contribuir a la acumulación de humus en el suelo. Esta técnica es fácil de aplicar. Se coloca una bolsa de té en el suelo y se saca a los tres meses mirando cuánto material queda. Es fascinante descubrir el resultado del trabajo incesante de nuestros minúsculos ayudantes del suelo, y cómo esta labor proporciona nutrientes a una nueva generación de plantas. English version available at https://orgprints.org/30717

Decomposition study using tea bags

Comparing the decomposition of green tea as a fast -decomposing material with rooibos as a material, which is difficult to break down, allows for the calculation of the tea bag index. This provides information on the capability of the soil as a living organism to transform organic residues back into plant-available nutrients and make some contribution to the build-up of soil humus. This technique is easy to apply. Place the tea bag in the soil and take it out after three months to see how much is left. It is fascinating to discover the result of our hard working little helpers in the soil and how this work is giving nutrients to a new generation of plants. Spanish version available at https://orgprints.org/32465

DOC-trail: 20 years of organic and conventional farming affect soil microbial properties

In a long-term field trial (DOC; = bio-Dynamic, bio-Organic, Conventional) at Therwil, Switzerland, agricultural production systems have been compared since 1978. The production systems differ mainly in the amount and form of fertiliser and plant protection strategy. Crop rotation and soil tillage were the same. In the most prominent systems soil microbial properties were investigated for the first time after two crop rotations in 1990. In 1998, after 3 crop rotations, soil microbial properties were investigated in all field plots. Conclusions Agricultural systems exert distinct effects on chemical and microbiological soil properties, prominently the bio-dynamic system with the application of composted manure. Part of the influence on microbiological parameters appears to be indirect through chemical properties. The differentiation of the systems remained stable for the last eight years of the trial