A New Approach to Humus Balancing in Organic Farming

Summary

Humus balances provide a profitable approach for humus dynamics assessment in farming practice. Nevertheless, there is a clear demand for methodological adaptation. This article presents a new approach to humus balancing using reproducible algorithms for the estimation of balance coefficients. Humus balance coefficients for crops and organic fertilizers are estimated according to a bipartite algorithm. Humus demand is calculated on the basis of crop yields referring to the nitrogen household in the plant-soil system. Humus supply is derived from organic matter input with plant material and fertilizers. The new approach facilitates the adaptation of the method to new situations.