PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES IN ORGANIC CULTIVATION OF CEREALS – OVERVIEW

In this study, an overview is made and a comparative analysis of articles, reports and materials dealing with organic farming of LWC, in the period 1970 to 2021 is performed. After analysing the literature, the following conclusions are made: Cereals occupy a particularly important place in organic farming, the main advantages of their cultivation are easy farming techniques, relatively easy mechanical weed control, disease control through rational crop rotation, opportunities for biological control of major pests The soils in organic farming are better structured than those in conventional agriculture. Organic farming practices are related to improving soil properties, including the addition of organic matter to the soil, increasing the population of earthworms, biodiversity, soil fertility and more. Biological management provides a more stable soil structure. The larger pores observed in biological management have a beneficial effect on the physical properties of the soil, such as water flow and water capacity. The greater porosity of the soil provides a good habitat for soil microorganisms. Organic farming contributes to creating a better soil structure. Organic farming systems have traditionally been based on crop rotation. The aim of organic farming is to achieve a balance between crops that reduce soil fertility and crops that restore fertility. Crop rotation is the main tool that integrates the maintenance and development of soil fertility with various aspects of plant production in biological systems. Specialised selection programmes for creating varieties suitable for organic farming are too few due to the small number of users and high costs. The most common practise includes testing the suitability of conventional varieties in biological conditions, propagation and distribution of the best in the biological sector. Sowing norms directly control the sowing density, as well as the nutrient area of ​​each plant. Changing sowing rates is also an excellent method for controlling weeding in biological fields. Concerning yields from organic and conventional agriculture, organic farms are less productive than conventional ones and their productivity is lower. But if environmental variables are taken into account, organic farms show the same or higher efficiency. A major problem facing organic farming in the future is the protection of fields from pollution by genetically modified organisms. An option for protecting biological fields is to maintain a buffer zone between the farm and the neighbouring conventional fields to prevent accidental contamination with GMOs

REDUCED TILLAGE IN ORGANIC FRMING

Reduced start-up processing in organic farming dates back to the early 1950s, when Rusch developed his ideas. It can be said that two approaches have been taken to conservation start-up processing - North American and European. Research in North America focuses mainly on zero soil processing, with this type of soil treatment barely practised in Europe, and those in Europe focusing on reduced soil treatment by reducing the depth of processing or applying non-inverting soil treatment practices. The main problems are related to the control of entanglation, absorption of nutrients, as well as yields. No-till and reduced till soil treatment systems are considered sustainable soil conservation options. Long-term implementation of reduced soil treatments is an effective strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional soil processing, improve soil structure, favour CH4 absorption and inhibit N2O emissions

Possibilities of forecasting the yield of organic wheat using aerospace methods

With climate change, adverse natural phenomena, such as floods and droughts, are becoming more common, which in turn are a major threat to wheat yields. Almost all regions of the planet are vulnerable to such climatic events. Remote sensing methods can help farmers by giving them up-to-date information on the condition and yield forecasting of wheat crops, thus minimizing the risk of climate change

REVIEW OF THE APPLICATIONS OF SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING IN ORGANIC FARMING – PART II

The use of remote sensing methods for monitoring, managing, and decision support in agriculture is increasingly intensifying. With the advancement of technologies, they become more accessible, while the quality and security of the obtained data are improving. Striving to improve the quality of the environment and its preservation, expanding the areas occupied by organic farming will allow us to achieve these goals. At the same time, this type of agriculture provides healthy and safe food. For this reason, it is of great importance to start applying satellite data in organic farming as quickly as possible. In Part II of the "Review of the applications of satellite remote sensing in organic farming," we examine the various areas of satellite data application in organic farming. Five different areas of satellite data application in organic farming have been identified, including satellite remote sensing monitoring of weeds, remote sensing of crop stress and irrigation needs, yield forecasting using remote sensing methods and remote sensing monitoring of plant nutrition. From the review conducted, we found that satellite data can significantly support and facilitate the transition to organic farming, adequate fertilization, application in phytosanitary monitoring of crops, and assessment of crop stress

Review of the Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing in Organic Farming (Part I)

Organic farming is a much more sustainable farming system than conventional farming. It is part of humanity's efforts to preserve biodiversity and provides healthy and safe food to humans. Remote sensing methods are widely used in agriculture. Their use will help the transition from conventional to organic farming. They can help farmers choose the most suitable place to build an organic farm. Remote sensing methods are a very powerful tool for weed control in organic farming. They can be used to determine the level of stress that crops experience. They provide a good opportunity to forecast yields on organic farms. Remote sensing methods can optimize fertilization on organic farms. They can be used to distinguish between organic and conventional agriculture, as well as to monitor biodiversity in agricultural areas. Remote sensing methods can help organic farmers make timely and adequate decisions in managing their farms

METHODOLOGY FOR REMOTE SENSING MONITORING OF ORGANIC WHEAT CROPS

In the presented methodology for aerospace monitoring of autumn wheat crops, grown under the conditions of organic farming, the ways of applying ground and aerospace methods are discussed in detail. This includes field experiments, phenological observations, GIS and remote sensing methods and data (data from Sentinel-2 satellite and WingtraOne unmanned aerial vehicle with MicaSense RedEdge-MX multispectral camera and RGB camera) and statistical analyses. In order to achieve the aim and objectives of the study, an experiment was conducted on a organically certified production field sown with einkorn (Triticum monococum) in the period 2020-2021. The field is part of the holding of ET "Borislav Slavchev" in the village of Byala Reka, Parvomai Municipality, South-Central Bulgaria on the soil type of leached chernozem clays, with a size of 136 da

Opportunities for Remote Sensing Applications in Organic Cultivation of Cereals – a Review

In recent years, a number of studies have proven that the conventional agricultural system is not sustainable, toxic to the environment, human health, and its potential to feed humanity is limited to the next 50 years. With this in mind, as well as the increasing demand for healthy and safe foods, and the increase in the proportion of people who care about how the food they consume was produced, how much it does not harm the environment and health, farmers are starting to reorient their production into organic. Over the past 40 years, remote sensing methods and technologies have increasingly been used in agriculture. They have proved extremely useful for optimizing the working processes in the sector, as well as solving many of the problems in it. With this report, we aim to draw the scientific community's attention to the possibilities provided by remote sensing methods and technologies to solve a range of problems related to organic cultivation of cereals

APPLICATION OF VEGETATION INDEXES GENERATED BY UAV TO DETERMINE THE YIELD OF ORGANIC EINKORN (TRITICUM MONOCOCCUM L.)

The aim of the present study is to establish a group of vegetation indices generated from data obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle for predicting the yields of einkorn grown in organic farming conditions. The experiment was conducted during the agriculture year 2020-2021 on a certified organic field located in the municipality of Parvomai, Plovdiv region

Determining organic barley yields from Sentinel-2 data

Abstract: The present research was conducted during the agricultural year 2022-2023 in the land of Byala Reka village, Parvomai municipality in central southern Bulgaria. The ground data for the yield was collected from an organically certified field sown with barley, which is part of the holding of ET "Borislav Slavchev". The BBCH scale for cereal plants was used to identify the phenological stages of crop development. Data from the Sentinel-2 satellite were acquired by the EOSDA LandViewer platform. Vegetation indices were generated in the same platform as selected ones used in relevant studies in conventional agriculture. Four images were used for the phenological phases BBCH-21 initiation of budding, BBCH-30 spindle, BBCH-51 grading and BBCH-77 end of milk maturity, respectively. Pixel values were extracted using the GIS software ArcGIS Pro. At the BBCH-99 technological maturity stage, ground samples were collected to measure biological yield. A correlation analysis was performed with the obtained ground and satellite data, establishing which vegetation indices are most suitable for determining yields and in which vegetation phas

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN TWO TYPES OF DATA PROCESSING OBTAINED THROUGH UAV FROM A ORGANICAL FIELD WITH EINKORN (TRITICUM MONOCOCCUM L.)

The aim of the present study is to determine which type of data processing obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is more suitable for predicting the yields of the eikorn crop grown under organic farming conditions. The comparison is made between data obtained from the UAV at the pixel level of 7 × 7 cm and when aggregating the pixels to a pixel size of 1 × 1 m. The experiment was conducted during the agricultural year 2020–2021 on a certified organic field located in the municipality of Parvomai, Plovdiv region