Biodynamic management with long rotations and multiple cropping contributes to hight soil organic matter content, soil fertility and biodiversity compared to conventional systems

  1. Jessica Cuartero 2
  2. Onurcan Özbolat 1
  3. Virginia Sánchez-Navarro 1
  4. Marcos Egea-Cortines 1
  5. Margarita Ros 2
  6. Jose A. Pascual 2
  7. Raúl Zornoza 1
  1. 1 Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena
    info

    Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena

    Cartagena, España

    ROR https://ror.org/02k5kx966

  2. 2 Centro de Edafología y Biología aplicada del Segura
    info

    Centro de Edafología y Biología aplicada del Segura

    Murcia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01fah6g03

Actas:
European Conference on Crop Diversification (ECCD2019)

Año de publicación: 2019

Tipo: Póster de Congreso

DOI: 10.5281/ZENODO.3499744 GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAcceso abierto editor

Resumen

Intensive conventional horticulture with high input management has a strong environmental impact, withnegative effect on soil, air and water pollution, decreased biodiversity or greenhouse gas emissions. In thiscontext, cropping systems with organic and biodynamic management are considered as a sustainablealternative to reduce the negative impact of the excessive use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides, withintroduction of longer rotations and multiple cropping that can increase soil quality and biodiversity (Fliebachet al., 2007). Organic systems are related to higher carbon supply to soil, increasing soil structure, fertilityand soil biodiversity, with decreased incidence of soil-borne diseases (Gattinger et al., 2013). These facts cancontribute to climate change mitigation by soil carbon sequestration, reduced overall greenhouse gasemissions and promote soil diversity which is linked to solubilization of nutrients and plant resistance todiseases. Biodynamic agriculture is a system of organic agriculture based on a strong reduction of externalinputs, use of compost and compost applications and other treatments based on plant extracts (Lotter, 2003).Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the influence of organic and biodynamic diversified croppingsystems (long rotations and multiple cropping) compared to short rotations under conventional farming onsoil physicochemical properties and on microbial biomass and diversity in cropping systems that have beenadopted organic or biodynamic practices since nine years.