4362: A comparison of soil properties under organic and conventional farming in Australia
(2005) A comparison of soil properties under organic and conventional farming in Australia. Paper presented at Researching Sustainable Systems - International Scientific Conference on Organic Agriculture, Adelaide, Australia, September 21-23, 2005.
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Summary
Organic farming is an alternative to conventional farming for providing sustainable crops with high export demand. This review analyses research findings on organic farming in Australia, with an emphasis on soil health. Several reports have indicated that organic farm management generally improves soil physical properties in Australia and elsewhere. Although low nitrogen (N) availability can constrain yields, organic farmers can improve N supply through legume green manures. Plant available phosphorus (P) is a more serious limiting factor in organic farming, particularly in Australia with naturally low P levels. Phosphorus is less easily replaced in the soil than N, and there is a need for alternate sources of organic-certified P and methods to enhance P availability from existing inputs such as rock phosphate. The role of micro-organisms in improving soil health nutrient availability is discussed, as well as the use of P accumulator crops such as Acacia and Tithonia, which could be incorporated as border crops or green leaf manure.
| Document Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Organic and Conventional production, Australia, soil properties, review |
| Subject Areas: | Soil > Soil quality |
| Research affiliation: | International Conferences > ISOFAR conferences > Researching Sustainable Systems 2005 |
| Total budget (Euro): | 0 |
| Orgprints ID Number: | 4362 |
| Contact: | ISOFAR, |
| Deposited On: | 23 November 2005 |
| EPrint Type: | Conference paper |
| Published?: | Unpublished |
| Peer Review Status: | Peer-reviewed and accepted |
| Additional Publishing Information: | The paper presented here is the final paper submitted by the authors to the conference Researching Sustainable Systems. The final edited papers are available with the following publication: Köpke, Ulrich; Niggli, Urs; Neuhoff, Daniel; Cornish, Peter; Lockeretz, Willie und Willer, Helga, (Hrsg.) (2005) Researching Sustainable Systems. Proceedings of the First Scientific Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), Held in Cooperation with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA), 21 – 23 September 2005, Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide, South Australia.. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, CH-Frick, and International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), c/o Institute of Organic Agriculture (IOL), DE-University of Bonn. http://orgprints.org/4013/ Distribution: Paper copies may be ordered from FiBL at a cost of 28 Euros plus mailing costs (see FiBL shop at http://www.fibl.org/shop); FiBL order number 1394. A PDF version is available free of charge for ISOFAR members via the member area of www.isofar.org. |
| Related Links: | http://orgprints.org/4013/, http://www.isofar.org/adelaide2005, http://orgprints.org/view/projects/int-conf-isofar-2005.html |
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