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

Reduced tillage and green manures for sustainable organic cropping systems

The overall aim of the project Reduced tillage and green manures for sustainable organic cropping systems (TILMAN-)ORG are to design improved organic cropping systems with enhanced productivity and nutrient use efficiency, more efficient weed management and increased biodiversity, but lower carbon footprints. The TILMAN-ORG project is funded by the CORE Organic II Funding Bodies being partners of the FP7 ERA-Net project, CORE Organic II. The TILMAN-ORG project’s overall goals are to design improved organic cropping systems with: - enhanced productivity and nutrient use efficiency, - more efficient weed management and increased biodiversity, but - lower carbon footprints (in particular increased carbon sequestration and lower GHG emissions from soils). These goals will be achieved by adapting and integrating conservation agriculture techniques (in particular reduced tillage and improved use of green manures) into organic farming systems to intensify biological soil functions like nutrient cycling, soil carbon build-up, and biological nitrogen fixation, while at the same time optimising management protocols for weeds (which are the main challenge when introducing minimum tillage systems). Project partners - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) - ISARA Lyon - Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) - University of Kassel - Louis Bolk Institute (LBI) - Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR) - ILVO - Public Research Center-Gabriel Lippmann (CRP-GL) - Newcastle University (UNEW) - The Organic Research Centre - Elm Farm (ORC) - Estonian University of Life Sciences (EULS) - Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerche Agro-Ambientali (CIRAA) - Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA) - Universitat de Barcelona (UB) - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL Austria

Klimaschonender Ackerbau durch reduzierte Bodenbearbeitung

Reduzierte Bodenbearbeitung im Biolandbau verbessert die Bodenfruchtbarkeit und erhöht teilweise sogar die Erträge im Vergleich zum Pflugeinsatz. Zudem werden substanziell weniger Treibhausgase freigesetzt

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

The Impact of Organic Cotton Farming on the Livelihoods of Smallholders. Evidence from the Maikaal bioRe poject in central India

This research report analyses the impact of conversion to organic cotton farming on the livelihoods of smallholders in the Maikaal bioRe organic cotton project in Madhya Pradesh, central India. For that purpose, it compares farm profile data, material and financial input/output and soil parameters of organic and conventional farms over two cropping periods (2003 – 2005). The results show that organic farms achieve cotton yields that are on a par with those in conventional farms, though nutrient inputs are considerably lower. With less production costs and a 20% organic price premium, gross margins from cotton are thus substantially higher than in the conventional system. Even if the crops grown in rotation with cotton are sold without organic price premium, profits in organic farms are higher. In the perception of most organic farmers, soil fertility significantly improved after conversion. However, the analysis of soil fertility parameters in soil samples from organic and conventional cotton fields has shown only minor differences in organic matter content and water retention. The research indicates that organic cotton farming can be a viable option to improve incomes and reduce vulnerability of smallholders in the tropics. To use this potential it is important to find suitable approaches to enable marginalised farmers managing the hurdles of conversion to the organic farming system

PathOrganic - Identification of Critical Control Points for organic vegetable crops

The aim of this work is the identification of Critical Control Points1 (CCPs) for organic farms, which use manure for the production of organic lettuce, cabbage, carrots and spinach in Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark. Due to the application of manure, vegetables are at risk to be contaminated with enteropathogens such as Escherichia coli pathogenic strains (i. e. O157:H7), Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocyto-genes, and Staphylococcus aureus. This work applies part of the principles and steps described for HACCP2 to identify the CCPs. The steps described hereafter are reported in the course guidance document “HACCP in agri-culture – Organic milk production” (1) and were adapted to the agricultural production of field vegetables. The hazard analysis is based on the characteristics of the above mentioned enteropathogens and the agricultural practices applied by the organic farmers in the four countries when growing lettuce, cabbage, carrots, and spinach. The assessment of the actual agricultural practices uses the evaluation of interviews conducted with organic farmers growing these vegetables and using manure as fertiliser. In total were interviewed 16 farmers in Austria, 16 farmers in Switzerland, 13 farmers in Sweden, and 9 farmers in Denmark. In general terms, there is no agricultural practice common to the majority of organic farmers concerning the management of animal ma-nure, fertilisation, irrigation, harvest and postharvest management when growing lettuce, cab-bage, spinach, and carrots in Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden. Using the decision tree of the HACCP system, CCPs were identified for the primary production of organic field vegetables. Where appropriate, instead of CCPs were defined PRP-CPs3 or OP-PRPs4. Four CCPs were identified for the process steps ‘storage of animal manure’, ‘fertilisation practices’, ‘prevention of runoff and flooding’, and ‘irrigation practices’

Les grandes cultures bio peuvent contribuer à la protection du climat

Le travail réduit du sol peut remplacer le labour. L'azote produit par certaines plantes peut remplacer les engrais azotés achetés dont la production est dévoreuse en énergie

Reduced tillage and green manures for sustainable cropping systems - Overview of the TILMAN-ORG project

Reduced tillage and green manures are environmentally friendly practices that increase levels of soil organic matter and biological activity, improve soil stability, and reduce fuel consumption and may mitigate the climate impact of crop production. The avoidance of deep ploughing is successfully practiced as no-tillage agriculture in conventional farming systems. However, these no-tillage systems rely on herbicides for weed control and mineral fertilisers for plant nutrients. As these inputs are banned in organic farming the TILMAN-ORG project focuses on efficient weed management strategies and improvement of nutrient management. Because there is little information on greenhouse gas emissions under reduced tillage in organic farming, greenhouse gas flux studies will shed more light on this challenging issue

No-till agriculture – a climate smart solution?

No-tillage farming systems or no-till, as an aspect of conservation farming, are actively promoted by international research and development organizations to conserve soils and by this, ensure food security, biodiversity and water conservation. Instead of tilling before seeding, seeds are deposited directly into untilled soil by opening a narrow slot trench or band. Today, it is also seen as mitigation and adaptation option and thus being promoted as a measure to be supported under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). There are even many voices advocating no-till to benefit from any future and existing carbon market. But: Is no-till the solution to reduce the hunger in the world and to mitigate climate change? It has been proven that no-till can signifi cantly reduce soil erosion and conserve water in the soils. This is regarded as a basis for higher and more stable crop yields – but science shows that this is not necessarily true. Discouragingly, there are numbers of examples of no yield benefits or even yield reductions under no-till in developing countries, especially in the first up to ten years. However, particularly the crop yields are crucial for the food security of small-scale farmers and not whether a method is more efficient or not. Although humus can be enriched under no-tillage, the sequestration of soil carbon, is result of the accumulated organic matter in the topsoil, is restricted to the upper 10 cm of the soil. Compared with ploughing, no carbon benefi t – or even a carbon defi cit – has been found at soil depths below 20 cm. This is why no-till makes little or no contribution to carbon sequestration and does not prove to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in croplands. The quantifi cation of carbon sequestration rates under no-till are highly doubtful. Anyhow, it is very likely that emission reductions generated from no-till projects in developing countries would serve to offset emissions from he industry and transport sector in developed countries. Those well quantifi ed emissions from developed countries would thus be offset by uncertain reductions from agriculture projects. The overall aim of the UNFCCC – to avoid dangerous climate change – would be jeopardized. Even if no-till became a promising mitigation option, other environmental problems would remain. No-till farming systems often come along with the industrialization of agriculture with high inputs of agrochemicals. On the one hand, small-scale farmers are not skilled in handling such chemicals. On the other hand there remains a risk that they apply cheap chemicals, which persist long-term in the environment. Efforts should therefore be strengthened on how to combine sustainable production systems such as organic agriculture with no-till practices. To summarize, there are too many open questions and uncertainties concerning the impact of no-till on crop yields and carbon sequestration, so that no-till could not be sold as the solution for hunger reduction and adequate option to mitigate climate change but as an important part of integrated strategies. Therefore, we recommend keeping no-till and reduced till out of the carbon market unless reliable carbon offset quantifi cation and monitoring can be undertaken at reasonable cost

Managing strategies for organochlorine contaminated soils for a safe food production

Background: Organochlorine pesticides such as dieldrin, DDT and others are highly persistant pesticides, which were applied world wide against pests in horticulture, fruit and arable crops. Although they are forbidden since more than thirty years in the European Union (EU), the compounds remain still in soil. Several crops are known to accumulate these pesticides in eatable parts up to critical levels. For instance dieldrin is detected in high economic value crops such as cucumbers (Cucurbitaceae) and in tomatoes (Solanaceae). Besides plant type and climatic conditions, soil properties, e.g. pH and soil organic carbon content influence the pesticide uptake. In particular in labelled food and feed stuff production, such as organic farming according to EU Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91, consumer expectations in safe, high quality food are extremely high. Since organic farming is prospering – more than 10% of vegetable production is certified organic in Switzerland – the organochlorine residues in organic food stuff have become a major issue for food control authorities. Enquires showed that imported food from EU countries was partly highly contaminated with organochlorine pesticides such as pumpkin seed and oil. Hence, the organochlorine problem in food stuff is expected to occur EU wide