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Overview of lecture
1. Soil science basics
2. Soil mgmt principles in organic systems
3. Soil science in organic systems
AGRO501 - Organic Agriculture: 4. Central role of carbon
Principles and Practices 5. Supplying macro-nutrients
6. Supplying micro-nutrients
Lecture 5. 7. Permitted materials for soil fertilising & conditioning
Soil fertility management in Organic Agriculture 8. Building soil fertility in organic systems
9. Soil tests
10. Impact of organics on soil fertility
11. Comparison b/w Org and Conv
12. Comparative nutrient budgets (farm scale)
Dr Paul Kristiansen, School of Environmental & Rural Science
Soil science basics Soil management principles in organic agriculture
“The aim is to grow topsoil”
Wes Giblett, organic dairy farmer in WA
- - - farm boundary
past use & mgmt ----- field boundary
“General principles of soil management
current use 1. Healthy soil is the prerequisite for healthy plants, animals and
products. With organic farming, the care of a living soil and
soil texture consequently the maintenance or improvement of soil
soil pH structure, fertility and nutrient cycling is fundamental to all
measures adopted.
nutrient budget 2. Sufficient organic material should be regenerated and/or
availability, not ‘total’ returned to the soil to improve, or at least maintain, humus
levels. Conservation and recycling of nutrients is a major
feature of any organic farming system.
3. A high or routine use of off-farm inputs is not encouraged by
this Standard.” (OIECC 2009)
Soil science in organic agriculture Central role of carbon
usually more organic inputs Central importance for soil health/fertility
lower solubility fertilisers physical
more tillage, disturbance biological
same processes and mechanisms in OA, but chemical
may be different rates and proportions
greater reliance on cycling processes in OA green manure,
– ant colony video! manure, compost,
crop residue, etc.
but … actual practices are more important than
the farming systems label (Org vs Conv) resilience,
save money
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Supplying macro-nutrients Supplying micro-nutrients
Element mg/kg Element mg/kg
N: manures, rotations Trace elements….
Nitrogen (N) 15,000 Nitrogen (N) 15,000
P: rock phosphate, bone meal Potassium (K) 10,000
Na, Cl, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, B , Se, Mo, Potassium (K) 10,000
Ni
K: potash, granite dust Calcium (Ca) 5,000 Calcium (Ca) 5,000
Magnesium (Mg) 2,000 important for livestock production Magnesium (Mg) 2,000
S: gypsum,
Phosphorus (P) 2,000 Phosphorus (P) 2,000
Ca: lime Sulphur (S) 1,000 silicate mineral (rock dusts) Sulphur (S) 1,000
Mg: dolomite Chlorine (Cl) 100 Chlorine (Cl) 100
natural mineral salts
Iron (Fe) 100 Iron (Fe) 100
seaweed
Si? Boron (B) 20 Boron (B) 20
Manganese (Mn) 50 Manganese (Mn) 50
Zinc (Zn) 20 Zinc (Zn) 20
Copper (Cu) 6 Copper (Cu) 6
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.1 Molybdenum (Mo) 0.1
Nickel (Ni) 0.1 Nickel (Ni) 0.1
Permitted materials for soil fertilising and conditioning Building soil fertility in organic systems
Substances Specific conditions/restrictions
Animal manures Composted, or followed by at least 2 green manure crops
Blood and bone, fish-meal, hoof and horn meal, or other waste Prevent uptake by livestock crop rotations
products from livestock processing
Compost Meet Australian Standard 4454-1999 or equivalent cover crops , catch crops, inter-crops
Minerals and trace elements from natural sources, including Ca, Not chemically treated to promote water solubility
clay, Mg, phosphates, potash, elemental S diversification
Epson salt (magnesium sulphate) None
Microbiological, biological and botanical preparations Not derived from genetic modification technology bare fallow/leys
Mined carbon-based products
Natural organisms (e.g. worms) and their by-products
Peat to be used for plant propagation only
None
organic amendments (inputs)
Plant by-products
Perlite
From chemically untreated sources only
For potting/seedling mixes only
careful use of tillage (organic no-till?)
Sawdust, bark and wood waste From chemically untreated sources only maintaining moderate soil pH
Seaweed or algae preparations None
Straw From chemically untreated sources only maintaining good drainage
Trace elements & natural chelates, e.g. lignosulphonates, citric, Not synthetically chelated elements
maleic & other di-/tri-acids
Vermiculite For use in potting/seedling mixes only
Wood ash From chemically untreated sources only
Zeolites None
(OIECC 2009)
Soil tests Impact of organics on soil fertility
sample from a consistent place over time physical
take several samples and ‘bulk’ them – often improved, despite extra tillage
– from varied or similar locations in field? – depends on soil type/structure
use same time in crop cycle biological
most nutrients used from top 10-20 cm, but may need
to sample deeper – better or similar
also consider expected nutrient removal in crops and – diversity, amount, function
pasture chemical
available vs. total – depends on farming system
interpretation….? – irrigated, intensive: excesses in P & K
also: tissue analysis, petiole sap testing – dryland, extensive: deficits in P & K
what about physical and biological tests? – N higher, but so is leaching
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Comparison b/w Org and Conv Comparative nutrient budgets (farm scale)
Surplus (kg/ha/year)
Differences Organic Conventional
Farm type n Mean SE Range
Fertiliser use RPR + gypsum, lime DAP, superphosphate
Herbicides use none 1-4 applications/crop
Nitrogen
Rotation length 6-9 years 2-3 years
Fallow length 7-8 months 1-4 months
pH higher* lower
CEC higher* lower Phosphorus
Extractable P lower* higher
Organic C higher lower
Invertebrate diversity higher* lower
VAM presence higher* lower Potassium
Porosity higher lower
Macro-aggregation higher lower *Sig diff p ≤ 0.05
References
OIECC. 2009. National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce. Organic Industry Export
Consultative Committee, Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, Canberra..
http://www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/126261/national-standard.pdf
Bàrberi, P. 2006. Tillage: how bad is it in organic agriculture? In: Kristiansen, P., Taji, A. and Reganold, J.
(eds.) Organic Agriculture: a Global Perspective. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood. pp. 295-303.
Davis, J. and Abbott, L. 2006. Soil fertility in organic farming systems. In: Kristiansen, P., Taji, A. and
Reganold, J. (eds.) Organic Agriculture: a Global Perspective. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood. pp. 25-51.
Dumaresq, D. and Greene, R. 2001. Soil Structure, Fungi, Fauna & Phosphorus in Sustainable Cropping
Systems. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Barton.
Morse, R. and Creamer, N. 2006. Developing no-tillage systems without chemicals: the best of both
worlds? In: Kristiansen, P., Taji, A. and Reganold, J. (eds.) Organic Agriculture: a Global Perspective.
CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood. pp. 83-91.
Shepherd, M.A., Harrison, R. and Webb, J. 2002. Managing soil organic matter – implications for soil
structure on organic farms. Soil Use and Management. 18(3 (Supplement)): 284-292.
Stockdale, E.A., Lampkin, N.H., Hovi, M., Keatinge, R., Lennartsson, E.K.M., Macdonald, D.W., Padel, S.,
Tattersall, F.H., Wolfe, M.S. and Watson, C.A. 2001. Agronomic and environmental implications of
organic farming systems. Advances in Agronomy. 70 261-327.
Stockdale, E.A., Shepherd, M.A., Fortune, S. and Cuttle, S.P. 2002. Soil fertility in organic farming systems
– fundamentally different? Soil Use and Management. 18(3 (Supplement)): 301-308.
Watson, C.A., Atkinson, D., Gosling, P., Jackson, L.R. and Rayns, F.W. 2002. Managing soil fertility in
organic farming systems. Soil Use and Management. 18(3 (Supplement)): 239-247.
