?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Improving+quality+and+safety+and+reduction+of+cost+in+the+European+organic+and+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Alow+input%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99+food+supply+chains+(Quality+Low+Input+Food+(QLIF)%0D%0AWork+package+3.1+Identifying+soil+management+practices+which+optimize+soil+quality+characteristics+(mineralization+capacity+and+diseases+suppressiveness)&rft.subject=Crop+health%2C+quality%2C+protection&rft.description=An+important+characteristic+of+organic+and+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Clow+input%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D+production+systems+is+the+more+frequent+use+of+manure+and+other+organic+matter+based+fertility+inputs+(e.g.+green+manures%2C+composts).+This+and+the+prohibition+(in+organic+systems)+or+reduced+use+(in+other+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Clow+input%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D+systems)+of+soil+pesticides+is+thought+to+result+in+environmental%2C+biodiversity+and%2For+agronomic+benefits.+For+example%2C+soil+biological+activity%2C+earthworm+number%2Fbio-mass%2C+soil+aggregate+stability%2C+organic+matter+content%2C+erosion+resistance+and+the+ability+of+soils+to+release+soil+pools+of+nitrogen+were+all+shown+to+increase+under+organic+management+and%2For+in+soil+which+receive+regular+organic+matter+inputs+(M%C3%83%C2%A4der+et+al.+2002%3B+Drinkwater+et+al.+1998%3B+Reganold+et+al.+2001%2C+Langmeier+et+al.+2002).+Also%2C+certain+organic+matter+based+inputs+are+known+to+reduce+the+disease+incidence+in+crop+production+systems+(e.g.+Hoiting+1986%2C+Bulluck+%26+Ristaino+2002).%0D%0A%0D%0ADefinition+of+the+problem%3A%0D%0A-+The+need+to+understand+nitrogen+release+characteristics+from+organic+matter+based+fertility+inputs%0D%0A-+Nutrient+availability+pattern+in+soils+(in+particular+of+N+and+P)+receiving+organic+matter+based+fertility+inputs+(OMFIs)+is+more+difficult+to+predict+than+nutrient+availability+from+mineral+fertilizer+inputs.+This+is+mainly+because+a+large+proportion+of+nitrogen+and+phosphorus+present+in+OMFIs+is+in+organic+form+and+only+becomes+available+after+mineralization+by+the+soil+biota+(Raupp%2C+1995%3B+Smith+et+al.+1998).+The+mineralization+potential+in+soil+is+known+to+be+influenced+by+environmental+conditions+(in+particular+soil+temperature+and+matric+potential)%2C+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cinherent%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D+soil+biological+activity%2C+and+plants+growing+in+soil+(Raupp%2C+1995%3B+van+der+Krift+2001%3B+M%C3%83%C2%A4der+et+al%2C+2002).+It+has+also+been+shown+that+the+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cinherent+soil+biological+activity%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D+can+be+increased+by+specific+long+term+soil+management+practices%2C+with+organic+matter+input+type+and+level+being+important+factors+(M%C3%83%C2%A4der+et+al.+2002).+%0D%0AAlthough+the+phenomenon+is+well+described+in+the+literature+(Hoiting+1986)+there+is+still+insufficient+information+about+the+mechanisms+and+modes+of+action+resulting+in+(a)+inherent+soil+suppressiveness+(that+resulting+from+specific+long+term+soil+management+practices)+and+(b)+short+term+suppressive+effects+resulting+from+specific+organic+matter+based+fertility+inputs+(Berner+et+al%2C+2002%3B+Bullock+%26+Ristiaino+2002).+%0D%0AThis+lack+of+understanding+of+underlying+mechanisms+and+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cmodes+of+action%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D+makes+it+difficult+to+increase+the+efficacy+and+commercial+use+of+crop+protection+strategies+based+on+long+term+soil+management+with+suppressive+organic+matter+inputs.%0D%0A%0D%0AProject+aims%3A%0D%0AThe+aims+of+these+studies+inlcude%0D%0A%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A2%09identifying+interactions+between+the+inherent+soil+biological+activity+(that+resulting+from+specific+long+term+soil+management+practices)+and+N-mineralization+from+different+organic+matter-based+fertility+inputs+(OMFIs)%0D%0A%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A2%09identifying+the+effect+crops+have+on+N-mineralization+from+different+organic+matter-based+fertility+inputs+(OMFIs)%0D%0A%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A2%09determining+soil+characteristics+and+N-mineralisation+capacity+in+soils+used+in+field+experiments+which+aim+at+developing+improved+fertility+management+protocols+for+selected+model+crops+(wheat%2C+onion%2C+tomato+and+lettuce)%0D%0A%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A2%09providing+a+set+of+data+which+can+be+used+to+develop+improved+algorithms+for+the+prediction+of+mineralization-driven+nitrogen+availability+pattern+in+soils+fertilized+with+OMFIs.%0D%0A%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A2%09identifying+soils+which+have+developed+suppressiveness+against+soil-borne+and%2For+foliar+diseases+as+a+result+of+specific+long+term+agronomic+management+practices%2C%0D%0A%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A2%09quantifying+short+term+suppressive+effects+associated+with+suppressive+composts%0D%0A%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A2%09identifying+interactions+between+inherent+suppressiveness+(+resulting+from+long+term+soil+management+practices)+and+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Csuppressiveness%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D+conveyed+by+organic+matter+inputs+%0D%0A%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A2%09identifying+possible+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cmodes+of+action%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D+of+suppressiveness+with+particular+emphasis+on%3A+%0D%0A(i)%09quantifying+markers+for+induced+resistance+%0D%0A(ii)%09linking+suppressiveness+to+specific+soil+biological%2C+physical+and+chemical+characteristics.%0D%0A%0D%0AMethodology%3A%0D%0ASee+technical+annex+of+the+Q-Lif-Project+(www.qlif.org)%0D%0AResults%2C+conclusion%2C+state+of+the+art%3A+See+annual+reports+of+Q-Lif-Project+(www.qlif.org)%0D%0A%0D%0A&rft.type=Project+description&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.identifier=%7BProject%7D+QualityLowInputFood%3A+Improving+quality+and+safety+and+reduction+of+cost+in+the+European+organic+and+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Alow+input%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99+food+supply+chains+(Quality+Low+Input+Food+(QLIF)+Work+package+3.1+Identifying+soil+management+practices+which+optimize+soil+quality+characteristics+(mineralization+capacity+and+diseases+suppressiveness).+Runs+2004+-+2009.+Project+Leader(s)%3A+Tamm%2C+Lucius+and+Fliessbach%2C+Andreas%2C+Research+Institute+of+Organic+Agriculture+(FiBL)%2C+CH-5070+Frick.+More+information+online+at+%3Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.qlif.org%2Fresearch%2Fsub3%2Fwp1.html+%3Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.qlif.org%2Fresearch%2Fsub3%2Fwp1.html%3E%3E.&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F6296%2F