Organic <em>versus</em> conventional farming: Medium-term evaluation of soil chemical properties

Abstract

Agricultural management affects soil fertility through the frequency and type of agronomic practices such as mechanical operations, type and rate of fertilizers, crop rotations, and residue management. This study evaluated the evolution of soil chemical properties (pH; electrical conductivity; soil organic carbon, SOC; total Kjeldahl nitrogen, TKN; and available phosphorous, PO4-P) over time in two farming systems, organically and conventionally managed, after 5 and 14 years after the establishment of both systems, in northeastern Italy. SOC content remained stable in the conventional farming system, but slightly decreased in the organic farming system, despite inputs from organic amendments. In contrast, soil TKN remained consistently higher in the organic farming system. The PO4-P increased over time, in both farming systems. Moreover, we observed that an increase of 1% in soil clay content resulted in increases of 0.0534 and 0.0053 g kg–1 in SOC and TKN, respectively. In conclusion, our results indicate that organic management does not have an advantage over conventional management in terms of soil organic matter accumulation. Highlights - Organic management did not increase soil organic carbon content 14 years after the system was established. - The soil organic carbon was stable over time in the conventional system. - Soil organic nitrogen was higher in the organic farm than in the conventional farm. - Soil C/N ratios in organic and conventional management were &lt;10, indicating active mineralization.

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“…The data on the negative humus balance in organic farming systems align with the findings of C. Maucieri et al (2022), who indicate that organic farming does not have an advantage over conventional farming in terms of organic matter accumulation in soil. According to their multi-year results, 14 years after the introduction of organic farming, the humus content decreased relative to the initial data.…”

Sustainability of Organic Farming from a Global Perspective: A Critical Analysis of Soil Types and Fertility Status of Organically Managed vs. Chemicalized Vegetable Fields of South India

“…A signi cant observation in the present study was that the variations in soil pH over organic and chemicalized elds were insigni cant except for seven distinct soil series. However, certain studies previously observed signi cant differences in soil pH between organic and conventional farms (Maucieri et al, 2022). Chemicalized practices are expected to cause soil acidi cation and low pH values (Pahalvi et al, 2021;Dikir, 2023).…”

Azospirillum brasilense Inoculation in a Maize–Urochloa–Rice Cropping System Promotes Soil Chemical and Biological Changes and Increases Productivity

“…This practice helps to maintain the productive capacity of soils. Straw raises the organic matter (OM) content, reduces soil erosion and compaction, provides nutrients to subsequent crops in the medium and long term and promotes the sequestration of carbon (C), thus reducing the emission of greenhouse gases [4][5][6]. Additionally, cover crops can provide a wide range of physical, chemical and biological soil benefits, including increases in nutrient content, porosity and water retention, microbial activity and soil organic carbon [6].…”