Comparison of organic versus conventional farming: results from long-term lysimeter studies
Organic farming (OF) has established itself as an alternative to conventional farming. Currently, only a few results are available from long-term studies examining the effects of OF on the environment and agriculture. The effects of organic soil cultivation were investigated in a 32-year long-term experiment (from 1991 to 2023) using non-weighable gravity lysimeters, taking into […]
Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Microbial and Amino Acid Treatments for Organic Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenk) Seed Production
The availability and quality of organic seeds are critical challenges for organic farming, with nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) being crucial for improving productivity. This study, part of the H2020 BRESOV project, assessed the effects of three nutritional protocols (NPs) on eight broccoli genotypes (GEs), comprising two commercial F1 hybrids and six Sicilian landraces. The tested […]
Nutrient interactions and salinity effects on plant uptake of phosphorus from waste-based fertilisers
RELACS – Improving inputs for organic farming – Many organically managed farms in Europe have low levels of soil phosphorus (P). Arable farms that rely strongly on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) have been shown to have rather low outputs and a tendency to deplete soil P and potassium (K) compared with arable farms that have […]
Organic Farm Knowledge: Winter field peas as green manure before maize
On arable farms without livestock, nitrogen insufficiency can occur when cultivating nutrient demanding crops like maize. This can lead to yield losses and weed infestation. Use a green manure of winter field peas before growing crops that have a high nitrogen demand in the rotation. Ploughing in winter field peas in spring can provide more […]
Nitrogen efficiency of organic fertilisers
Project RELACS – Improving inputs for organic farming. A high share of the nitrogen (N) in recycled and other organic fertilisers is not in a form available to plants and needs to be mineralized before plant uptake. This makes the effect on yields less predictable. Evaluating recycled fertilisers regarding their nitrogen efficiency compared to mineral […]
