9853: Farmyard manure, plant based organic fertilisers, inorganic fertiliser - which sustains soil organic matter best?

Raupp, Joachim and Oltmanns, Meike (2006) Farmyard manure, plant based organic fertilisers, inorganic fertiliser - which sustains soil organic matter best?. Poster presented at What will organic farming deliver?, Edinburgh, 18-20 September 2006; Published in Aspects of Applied Biology 79, page pp. 273-276.

Summary

Legume biomass or pulse meal may be considered as alternatives to farmyard manure (FYM) in organic farms with small scale animal husbandry or in stockless organic farms. From 1996 a field trial was established on a poor sandy soil to compare plant based organic fertilisers, FYM and inorganic fertilisers, each applied at 100 kg ha-1 N. Additionally, FYM was tested at a higher rate of 170 kg ha-1 N. Average soil organic carbon content in topsoil (Corg) of the last crop rotation period (2002-05) is compared to that in 1996. Corg remained at the same level of 0.78 % only with FYM, while plant based and inorganic fertiliser decreased carbon contents to 0.74 and 0.72 % Corg, respectively. The higher FYM rate increased Corg up to 0.84 %. Based on these results, for soil organic matter maintenance, plant based organic fertilisers can not be recommended generally.

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