Organic farming as the basis for the long-term health of the soil ecosystem

Aleksandr Semenov,Alexey Glinushkin,Vesna Đurović,Dragutin Đukić,Leka Mandić

doi:10.5937/aaser2152131s

Abstract

This study compares and discusses two farming systems that differ in content - organic and conventional (intensive) systems. In this regard, a modern definition of soil content is proposed, with the "soil ecosystem" concept used as the modern alternative to the traditional representation of what the soil is. Some features of the functioning of soil ecosystems in the two different farming systems, conventional and organic, are examined. The inner essence and the external performance of these two alternative land-use systems are revealed. The importance of the development of organic agriculture is emphasized by the documents of international organizations (IFOAM). The tasks that need to be addressed during the transition to a knowledge-intensive system of production of environmentally friendly agricultural products under organic farming conditions are briefly listed. The focus is on those aspects that are important in the transition from intensive to organic farming. The need to introduce a new characteristic of soil ecosystems - soil health - is discussed. A modern definition of "soil health" is given. The positive impact of organic farming and its technologies on soil health is discussed. The list of actions for the continuous maintenance and reproduction of soil health is presented. Much attention is paid to soil health maintenance, remediation and rehabilitation. The problems of protecting plants and crops from harmful organisms in organic farming are discussed. The phenomenon "oligotrophication of agro ecosystems" as an unconventional way of healing and maintaining the health of soil ecosystems is considered and discussed. The thesis about the necessity to consider soil quality and fertility as components of the new characteristic - "soil health" - is proposed.

Highlights

In everyday terms, organic farming is the use of a soil ecosystem (SE) to obtain a high-quality, environmentally friendly harvest, an acceptable volume, without the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), synthetic mineral fertilizers and pesticides, excluding some ameliorants (Schjønning et al, 2002 )
To translate the listed advantages of oligotrophic and oligotrophic soil ecosystems into practice, further research is needed to clarify the interaction of such ecosystems with phyto-agroecosystems, the effect of oligotrophication on indicators of the quality of agricultural soils, their fertility, suppressive activity of SE, etc
At the present stage of societal development, organic farming has turned into a special, scienceintensive technological system of farming, environmentally friendly in relation to the general soil ecosystem

Summary

Introduction

Organic farming (synonymous concepts – alternative, sustainable, environmentally friendly, biodynamic, etc.) is the use of a soil ecosystem (SE) to obtain a high-quality, environmentally friendly harvest, an acceptable volume, without the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), synthetic mineral fertilizers and pesticides, excluding some ameliorants (Schjønning et al, 2002 ). In the twentieth century, “convention agriculture” became primary – “common”, “traditional agriculture”, in the Russian language literature – intensive, industrial agriculture It is characterized, firstly, by the massive use of mineral fertilizers – traditional NPK, as well as (if necessary!) Si, B, Mg, Zn, V, Mo, etc. Due to a decrease or even loss of organic matter, as well as due to the biocide action of some pesticides, soil geobionts –for example, ammonifiers and nitrogen fixers – are deprived of a vital nutrient substrate. In this case, the cycle of biophilic elements of the soil ecosystem is interrupted, like the cycle of microorganisms. Since convention farming is often accompanied by long-term monoculture cultivation, the expansion of phytopathogens, phytophages and weeds occurs, which often takes on the character of epidemics and invasions (Van Bruggen and Semenov, 2015; Veličković et al, 2016; Đukić et al, 2020)

Requirements and conditions for farming in the transition to organic farming

The environmental benefits of organic farming

Protection of plants and crops from pests in organic farming

Conclusions