Integrating poultry improves soil health and vegetable yield in organic, cover-cropped system
Organic vegetable growers depend on organic fertilizer sources and must optimize on-farm nutrient cycling. Integrating poultry, such as chickens, in an organic vegetable rotation offers an opportunity to cycle unharvested plant material into nutrient-rich manure. Additionally, poultry consumption of weeds and insects can add additional agroecosystem services. While cover cropping is a common practice in organic […]
Risk Factors Associated with Generic Escherichia coli Presence in Fresh Produce Grown in Manure-Amended Soil in Certified Organic Farms
Organic agricultural production benefits from the use of animal manure to improve soil quality and health. Despite its proven benefits, using manure poses some risk to food safety as it may contain pathogenic microorganisms that can contaminate produce and lead to foodborne human illnesses. To investigate risk factors associated with generic E. coli presence in […]
Role of livestock for organic farming and sustainable agriculture
Livestock integration plays a major role in the life of farmers of our country, it provides food, income, employment and many other contributions to the farming community. Integrated crop-livestock system is advocated to be very promising in boosting food productivity and soil fertility owing to its numerous synergistic benefits. Integrated crop-livestock farming system (IFS) offers […]
Organic cropping systems enhance soil health indicators in a Mollisol of the US Corn Belt
Organic farming systems can significantly improve soil health over time. In this nine years study on rich Iowa farmland, researchers found that an organic pasture system improved eight of 14 key soil health indicators, while a four-year organic rotation of corn, soybean, and alfalfa improved six. In comparison, the conventional corn–soybean system steadily lost soil […]
Risk factors associated with the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in manured soils on certified organic farms in four regions of the United States
In “Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems” – Biological soil amendments, including raw or untreated manure, are currently used to improve soil fertility, especially in organic operations that prohibit use of synthetic fertilizers. However, addition of untreated manure may pose a risk of contamination of fresh produce by pathogens of public health significance, including Listeria monocytogenes. Organic […]
Una ricerca negli USA: i periodi di attesa imposti dall'USDA riducono efficacemente i rischi per la sicurezza alimentare nelle aziende biologiche
Le pratiche di agricoltura biologica regolamentate, negli Stati Uniti, dall’USDA, limitano con successo il rischio di colonizzazione del suolo da parte di batteri patogeni, secondo un recente studio americano (si può scaricare QUI) pubblicato …
L’Organic Center USA riprende uno studio europeo sulle alternative agli input esterni nelle aziende biologiche
Sebbene gli agricoltori biologici si astengano dall’uso di prodotti chimici inorganici e fertilizzanti sintetici, le piante e il bestiame possono essere trattati con input esterni approvati.
Postharvest Quality and Storability of Organically Versus Conventionally Grown Tomatoes: A Comparative Approach
Published in “Biology and Life Sciences Forum” – In various parts of India, tomatoes are grown using eco-friendly indigenous organic manures prepared from cow products, for sustainable food production by small and marginal farmers. The main objective of the study was to compare the postharvest quality characteristics and storability between organically grown tomatoes using indigenous […]
Survival and Persistence of Foodborne Pathogens in Manure-Amended Soils and Prevalence on Fresh Produce in Certified Organic Farms: A Multi-Regional Baseline Analysis
Biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAOs), including untreated (e.g., raw or aged manure, or incompletely composted manure) and treated animal products (e.g., compost), are used for crop production and as part of soil health management. Application of BSAAO’s must be done cautiously, as raw manure commonly contains enteric foodborne pathogens that can potentially contaminate […]
‘Organic fertilisation enhances generalist predators and suppresses aphid growth in the absence of specialist predators’
The study has been published in “The Journal of Applied Ecology”. Biological control by natural enemies is a valuable ecosystem service. The predator community in a crop field is a combination of predators dwelling in the field and those moving into it from the surrounding landscape. The former is mainly affected by field management, the […]
