Organic Crop Production
Organic cropping systems mimic natural systems in a number of ways. For example, by not adding soluble fertilizers to the soil, nutrient dynamics change back to a natural state, with greater reliance on mineralization — a natural soil process — for nutrient release. In fact, crops grown under organic management have consistently shown greater association with beneficial, naturally-occurring, soil organisms such as mycorrhiza. Also, organic farmers generally use more diverse crop rotations than conventional farmers.
One criticism of organic farming is the reliance on soil tillage. Some farmers have been experimenting with no-till organic systems, thereby creating a marriage of two important innovations that bring us just a little bit closer to mimicking the natural grassland system.
Articles
Organic Crop Production
- NEW! How to Make Organic No-till Work for Field Crops in Southern Manitoba?
- Decomposition of Mulches in No-till Organic Systems
- Grazed Green Manures
- Grazed Green Manures: Phase 2 - The Next Crop
- The Organic Field Crops Laboratory: Carman, Manitoba
- The Organic Field Crops Laboratory Image Gallery
- Organic Wheat Breeding
- Crop Rotation for Transition to Organic - Year 4: Potatoes
- Cultivar Mixtures, Cover Crops, and Intercropping with Organic Spring Wheat
The Glenlea Long-Term Crop Rotation Study: Organic vs. Conventional Crop Production
- Glenlea Long-Term Crop Rotation: Overview
- Glenlea Long-Term Crop Rotation: Historical Research Results: 1992-2003
- Current weather conditions at the Glenlea Study (opens in new window)
- Influence of Organic Management with Different Crop Rotations
(PowerPoint presentation given in Adelaide, Australia in Sept. 2005; opens in new window) - The Effect of Crop Rotation and Chemical Inputs on Mycorrhizal Colonization: 2003
- Crop Rotation and Wheat Nutrient Content: Glenlea: 1992-2003
- Soil Phosphorus Dynamics in the Glenlea Long-Term Rotation: 2004
- 2005 Yield Results
- The Effect of Organic and Conventional Management on Soil Health: 2011
This page created October 2005.
Last updated April 2013.