Optionen zur Sicherung der Humusversorgung im viehlosen Ökolandbau unter Berücksichtigung von Humusbilanz und Betriebswirtschaft

Summary

An adequate supply of organic matter to arable soils is essential for the maintenance of soil productivity. Still, management implications can cause a trade-off with
economics, as measures for soil organic matter management may not directly induce ecosystem services that increase the profitability of the system. This is especially true
with regard to stockless organic farming systems, where well-proven measures, as the integration of fodder legumes in crop rotations, may not seem attractive with regard to
the revenue. In this article we evaluate strategies for soil organic matter management in stockless organic farming systems based on scenarios for different soil-climate
conditions in Germany to deal with this challenge. Several options to make use of synergies between soil organic matter management and profitability could be identified. In particular, the integration of fodder legumes, even on the cost of cash crop shares in rotations, may cause a win-win situation, if the biomass of the legumes can be used in a profitable way that creates a mobile nutrient pool and allows for a return of organic matter, as e.g. biogas production.