Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming
@article{Maeder2002SoilFA, title={Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming}, author={Paul F. Maeder and Andreas Fliessbach and David Dubois and Lucie Gunst and Padruot Men Fried and Urs A. Niggli}, journal={Science}, year={2002}, volume={296}, pages={1694 - 1697} }
An understanding of agroecosystems is key to determining effective farming systems. Here we report results from a 21-year study of agronomic and ecological performance of biodynamic, bioorganic, and conventional farming systems in Central Europe. We found crop yields to be 20% lower in the organic systems, although input of fertilizer and energy was reduced by 34 to 53% and pesticide input by 97%. Enhanced soil fertility and higher biodiversity found in organic plots may render these systems…
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