Cropping systems and soil fertility

The maintenance and improvement of soil fertility is a central objective in organic farming.

• Evaluation of soil quality in organic and conventional agricultural systems.
• Functionality of the soil micro-flora in agricultural soils.
• Impacts of the use of conventional pesticides on soil quality.
• Validation of terrestrial risk indicators.
• Impacts of measures aiming at improved soil fertility.

Projects

• Impact of transgenic crops on fertility of soils with different management history
• DOK long-term trial (bio-dynamic, organic, conventional) (project description in the Organic Eprints Database)
• Soil carbon fluxes and microbial diversity (project description in the Organic Eprints Database)
• Pesticide effects on soil fertility (project description in the Organic Eprints Database)
• Terrestrial Riskindicators (project description in the Organic Eprints Database)
• Concept and methods for the assessment of non target effects of GMO and other biological threats on the soil ecosystem (project description in the Organic Eprints Database)
• HArmonised environmental Indicators for pesticide Risk (HAIR)

Completed projects

• Elaboration of standards for site-specified fertilisation systems in organic farming in Europe based on long-term field experiments

Contact

Andreas Fliessbach (soil fertility)
Paul Mäder (cropping systems)

Literature

Literature on “Safeguarding organic production without genetic engineering” in the Organic Eprints Database