creators_name: Entz, Martin
creators_name: Welsh, Cathy
creators_name: Tenuta, Mario
creators_name: Chen, Yu Ying
creators_name: Nelson, Alison
creators_name: Froese, Jane
type: conference_item
datestamp: 2007-03-07
lastmod: 2009-08-20 14:34:49
metadata_visibility: show
title: Assessment of selected soil parameters in a long-term Western Canadian organic field experiment

ispublished: pub
subjects: 1plantprod
full_text_status: public
keywords: nitrogen, phosphorous, mycorrhiza, aggregate stability
abstract: A long-term field study was used to compare soil nitrogen and phosphorous status, and soil aggregate stability in organic and conventional cropping systems.  Two rotations were tested: a grain only and a grain-alfalfa hay rotation.  The organic systems had a lower nitrate leaching potential than the same rotations under conventional management.  After 13 years, one organic system (the grain-alfalfa; no manure return) is suffering serious soil P depletion. However, the grain only and the grain-alfalfa with manure return to land systems had soil P levels similar to the prairie grass control treatment and showed no signs of P deficiency. Despite having lower levels of organic carbon, the organic soils had higher levels of wet aggregate stability than conventionally managed soils.
date: 2007
date_type: published
refereed: never
citation: Entz, Martin; Welsh, Cathy; Tenuta, Mario; Chen, Yu Ying; Nelson, Alison and Froese, Jane (2007) Assessment of selected soil parameters in a long-term Western Canadian organic field experiment. 3rd QLIF Congress: Improving Sustainability in Organic and Low Input Food Production Systems, University of Hohenheim, Germany, March 20-23, 2007.
document_url: http://orgprints.org/9887/1/Entz-etal-2007-soil_parameters.pdf