Vergleich bodenbiologischer Eigenschaften ökologischer und konventioneller Praxisflächen: Integration der Forschung in reguläre Lehrveranstaltungen

Summary

Organic agriculture (OA) soils have often been shown to have a higher soil microbial biomass (SMB), microbial activity (MA) and a higher soil organic matter (SOM) content than conventional soils. The objectives of this study were to assess the soil fertility of an organically and a conventionally managed field and to ascertain whether BSc students of the study program “Sustainable Agriculture” could assist in regular soil biological field measurements to monitor the effect of farming systems on soil health. Soil samples from both sites were analysed for SOM, pH, water holding capacity, SMB and MA. The results confirmed previous findings of a higher MA, a larger SMB and a higher SOM content under OA. In contrast to other results, the microbial quotient was low whereas the metabolic quotient was high in both soils, indicating low substrate availability and stress. The variability of the data produced by the students was within the range typical of soil biological measurements, showing that BSc students can already be involved in soil biological research.