Chapter 2 - Implementation and management of the DOK long-term system comparison trial

Abstract

Forty years of research in the DOK trial resulted in more than 120 peer-reviewed publications investigating effects of farming systems on a wide range of scientific disciplines within agronomic and environmental research. It is the oldest still existing system comparison trial comparing organic and conventional agricultural practice worldwide. The field trial has been subject to applied and fundamental research but the presentation of findings from the DOK trial is beyond the scope of this chapter. Instead, we give detailed insights into the history of implementation of the DOK trial and show how the evolution of agricultural practices influenced the management practices applied in the experiment. From a scientific point of view, changing experimental treatments in the course of an experiment is a challenging task. Yet, following a system approach and the development of organic and conventional farming necessitate a periodical reevaluation of practices implemented within the treatments to mirror changes in large-scale farming. To reflect on these developments and to present in-depth insight on the history of management of the DOK trial, we review and discuss changes implemented in management practice during the course of the last 40 years.