Showing papers on "Organic farming published in 1988"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared two adjacent farms, one organically managed and the other conventionally managed, in the Palouse region of eastern Washington, and concluded that the organic farming system was more effective than the conventional farming system in maintaining the tilth and productivity of the Naff soil and in reducing its loss to erosion.
Abstract: This paper summarizes data from previous and current studies on two adjacent farms, one organically managed and the other conventionally managed, in the Palouse region of eastern Washington. The 320-hectare organic farm has been managed without the use of commercial fertilizers and only limited use of pesticides since the farm was first plowed in 1909. The 525-hectare conventional farm, first cultivated in 1908, began receiving recommended rates of commercial fertilizers and pesticides in 1948 and the early 1950's, respectively. The organically-farmed Naff silt loam soil had significantly higher organic matter, cation exchange capacity, total nitrogen, extractable potassium, water content, pH, polysaccharide content, enzyme levels, and microbial biomass than did the conventionally-farmed Naff soil. Also, the organically-farmed soil had significantly lower modulus of rupture, more granular structure, less hard and more friable consistence, and 16 centimeters more topsoil. This topsail difference between farms was attributed to significantly greater erosion on the conventionally-farmed soil between 1948 and 1985. The difference in erosion rates between farms was most probably due to their different crop rotation systems; Le., only the organic farm included a green manure crop in its rotation, and it had different tillage practices. These studies indicate that, in the long-term, the organic farming system was more effective than the conventional farming system in maintaining the tilth and productivity of the Naff soil and in reducing its loss to erosion.
148 citations
TL;DR: Although the potential exists for manipulating soil amendment regimes to affect pest insect populations in collards, an understanding of the mechanisms involved will require further investigation.
65 citations
TL;DR: How FSIP combined problem diagnosis and analysis, researcher-managed adaptive trials and a field day to attack a dearth of knowledge about the biological feasibility of these interventions in the project area is reported.
Abstract: Hillside farming with its attendant erosion and decline in soil fertility is common-place in the area served by the Farming Systems Improvement Project. The project is designing land-use systems that would check erosion, increase soil organic matter and restore soil fertility. These systems will allow small farmers to increase or maintain product long-term basis without resorting to the use of high doses of inorganic fertilizers which are not readily available in the country. The use of leguminous shrubs and cover crops as nutrient sources — concepts embodied in agroforestry and organic farming systems — are options that landuse experts think might solve the problem. However, there is a dearth of knowledge about the biological feasibility of these interventions in the project area.
6 citations
4 citations
2 citations
TL;DR: A small but high added-value and growing market exists for dairy produce manufactured from milk produced organically as mentioned in this paper, which is the philosophy and practice of organic agriculture and suggests its relation to the dairy industry.
Abstract: A small, but high added-value and growing market exists for dairy produce manufactured from milk produced organically This paper describes the philosophy and practice of organic agriculture and suggests its relation to the dairy industry
1 citations