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- Title
Organic Farming and Soil Physical Properties: An Assessment after 40 Years.
- Authors
Williams, Dallas M.; Blanco-Canqui, Humberto; Francis, Charles A.; Galusha, Tomie D.
- Abstract
Organic farming is one environmentally viable approach to agriculture through its use of animal and green manures to provide nutrients and cultural practices to manage weeds, insects, and pathogens. The sustainability of organic agriculture, however, is less well understood, especially under long-term management. A study was conducted near Mead, NE, to investigate the longterm impacts of organic management on soil physical properties including soil aggregate stability, bulk density, Proctor bulk density (parameter of soil's susceptibility to compaction), water infiltration, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and soilwater retention characteristics in conventional farming (CR1), conventional farming wiThdiversified rotation (DIR), organic practices wiThgreen manure (OGM), and organic practices wiThanimal manure (OAM). The OGM and OAM treatments increased cumulative water infiltration by about 10 times compared wiThthe CR1 treatment, indicating that organic farming can increase water storage relative to conventional systems. Mean weight diameter of water-stable soil aggregates increased by 50% wiThthe OGM and by 30% wiThthe OAM treatments in the upper 15-cm depth, indicating that aggregates were larger and more stable under organic than conventional practices. At the same depth, the Proctor bulk density was 3% lower under organic practices than in the CR1 treatment, suggesting that organic farming reduces the soil's susceptibility to compaction. The increase in aggregate stability and porosity increased water infiltration and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Overall, organic farming can improve soil physical properties in the long term and provide a strategy for farmers to enhance soil physical quality and agricultural sustainability.
- Subjects
ORGANIC farming; SOIL stabilization; SOIL permeability
- Publication
Agronomy Journal, 2017, Vol 109, Issue 2, p600
- ISSN
0002-1962
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2134/agronj2016.06.0372