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.
Our organic research began (and continues!) with the Glenlea Long-Term Rotation Study, an organic-conventional comparison study that also examines the role of crop rotation in the biological, economic and environmental performance of cropping systems. Visit the Glenlea Long-Term Rotation page for more information, or follow the links below.
Articles
Organic Crop Production
- On-Farm Soybean Cultivar Evaluation for Suitability to Organic Production in Southern MB
- Organic No-till and Soil Conservation
- Participatory Plant Breeding for Canadian Organic Crop Production
- Organic Pulse Production Research (pdf file; opens in new window)
- 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
- The Glenlea Long-Term Crop Rotation Study
- Glenlea Long-Term Crop Rotation: History and Description
- Glenlea Long-Term Crop Rotation: Historical Research Results: 1992-2003
- 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
- Can Organic Crop Production be a N2O Mitigation Strategy? (2016)
Videos
- YouTube video: Organic Research Celebrates 25 Years in Manitoba - 2016
- YouTube video: Organic zero-till flax seeding (into hairy vetch mulch) - 2011
- YouTube video: Reducing tillage in organic systems - 2010
- YouTube video: Green manures for organic low-till systems - 2010
- YouTube video: Glenlea Long-Term Organic-Conventional Rotation Study - 2010
Paper
Review: Redesigning Canadian prairie cropping systems for profitability, sustainability, and resilience. Thiessen Martens, J. R., Entz, M. H. and Wonneck, M. D. 2015.
This page created October 2005.
Last updated October 2016.