Wpływ rolnictwa ekologicznego na środowisko w koncepcji rozwoju zrównoważonego

Modern agriculture has reached tremendous productivity and effectiveness; however, it very often happens that intensive production causes serious environmental concerns and compromises the quality of final product. Due to increasing consumer awareness, people more frequently choose organic products as a healthier and safer option. Nevertheless, organic farming is not only about the production of superior quality food, it is also a method of environmental protection and sustainable resource management. Water, soil, biological diversity and landscape are just some of the natural components that are being constantly transformed as a result of farming. Conventional farming often is the main cause of environment degradation that leads to serious consequences. Therefore, it is vital to underline the importance of organic farming in the protection of environment and natural resources that are essential for humans in the process of food production. The main aim of this article is to evaluate the effect of organic farming on water, soil, biological diversity as well as landscape. Moreover, this research is also an attempt at implanting organic agriculture within the concept of sustainable development

Biochar is a growth-promoting alternative to peat moss for the inoculation of corn with a pseudomonad

International audienceAbstractPeat moss has been a standard carrier of inoculum for experimentation and in agriculture. Peat moss is, however, a non-renewable resource. Alternatively, biochar could serve as an inoculum carrier. Here, we tested the effect of biochar-based seed coatings as a carrier for the phosphorous-solubilizing Pseudomonas libanensis inoculum, on corn growth after soluble and insoluble P addition. The survival of P. libanensis was determined based on the measure of colony-forming units from samples of four inoculated guar gum-based biochar coatings and was compared to peat. Storage experiments were performed on inoculated biochars for 22 weeks at 25 °C and on coated corn seeds for 16 weeks at 4 °C. Seed coatings were prepared with inoculated and uninoculated biochars (100 seeds treatment−1), and effects of these treatments are reported on indices of seed germination after 7 days. A greenhouse experiment investigated the effects of the inoculated and uninoculated biochar seed coating on corn plants. The parameters measured from the greenhouse-grown corn plants were germination, fresh weight, dry weight, height, root length, basal stem diameter, leaf area, chlorophyll content, and tissue phosphorous. Our results show that corn plants grown from seeds coated with a biochar from hardwood feedstock are 2 to 10 g heavier than controls and that controls are 4 to 26 % shorter than the plants grown from biochar-coated seeds, where soluble phosphorous is applied. Moreover, corn seeds that were coated with a biochar produced from softwood feedstock germinated more quickly, based on the speed of germination index. Overall, we show that a biochar-based seed coating can benefit sustainable agriculture by carrying P. libanensis and enhancing the growth of corn, but according to parametric statistical tests, it does so without increasing the phosphorous content of the plants