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Ces dernières années, l’utilisation d’additifs organiques, de métabolites naturels actifs ou de micro-organismes utiles fait l’objet de discussions en tant que stratégie écologique pour une production végétale plus durable. On observe dans le monde entier un intérêt croissant pour les inoculants microbiens et l’utilisation ciblée de leurs interactions avec les plantes. Les micro-organismes utiles peuvent en effet favoriser la croissance des végétaux en augmentant leur tolérance aux conditions défavorables du sol et de l’environnement ou en améliorant leur capacité de stockage de nutriments. Toutefois, le développement d’inoculants microbiens spécifiques, appelés biofertilisants, dotés d’effets bénéfiques s’avère très difficile. L’un des défis en particulier est l’adéquation entre applications agricoles et diverses conditions environnementales Certains biofertilisants commercialisés actuellement sont de mauvaise qualité ou leur application est compliquée. Autant d’inconvénients qui entraînent une perte de confiance des agriculteurs et des agricultrices. Néanmoins, l’amélioration de la qualité des formulations microbiennes et les progrès réalisés dans la compréhension des mécanismes biologiques ont contribué à accroître progressivement la rentabilité des applications au champ. Cette fiche résume les dernières avancées de la recherche en la matière.

Die gesellschaftliche Forderung nach einer nachhaltigen und produktiven Pflanzenproduktion bei gleichzei-tig zunehmenden Wetterextremen setzt die Betriebe stark unter Druck. Der pfluglose biologische Ackerbau bietet hier viel Potential, muss aber in Punkto Beikrautregulierung und Stickstoffverfügbarkeit optimiert wer-den, um für die Bio-, IP- und ÖLN-Praxis attraktiv zu sein. Das Projektziel ist zu untersuchen, ob mit geziel-tem Hacken die Stickstoffernährung der Pflanzen und die Beikrautregulierung auch bei reduzierter Dünger-menge effizient gesteuert werden kann und der dabei angeregte Humusabbau auf einem akzeptablen Niveau bleibt. In einem 12-jährigen Langzeitversuch zur reduzierten Bodenbearbeitung und Düngung wer-den im Projekt verschiedene Hackintensitäten in den Kulturen Silomais und Winterweizen zusätzlich inte-griert. Die N-Mineralisierung wird über Nmin-Analysen und der Humusabbau über CO2 Gasmessungen ver-folgt. Die N-Aufnahme wird über Orthofotos sowie N-Analysen in der Trockenmasse und die Produktivität über den Biomasseertrag ermittelt. Die Messung der Beikrautbiomasse wird als Indikator für die Effektivität des Hackens verwendet und die Qualität des Mais mittels Silierversuchen bestimmt. Daneben werden auf Praxisbetrieben in Streifenversuchen mit verschiedenen Hackintensitäten Ertragsbestimmungen und N-Analysen in der Trockenmasse bei Mais und Weizen durchgeführt. Die ökonomische Einschätzung erfolgt über Deckungsbeitragsrechnungen. Die Versuchs- und Praxisdaten helfen die Nachhaltigkeit der Pflanzen-produktion im Bereich der Pestizid- und Düngerreduktion, sowie die Anpassung an den Klimawandel zu op-timieren.

Das Potential von nützlichen Mikroben für die Steigerung von Ertrag und -Qualität Der Einsatz von mikrobiellen Biostimulanzien kann eine umweltfreundliche Strategie in einer nachhaltigeren Nutzpflanzenproduktion und eine zusätzliche Option für den Biolandbau sein. Ein neues Merkblatt zu dem Thema fasst die neuesten Forschungsergebnisse über die Wirksamkeit, Anwendung und Einsatzbereiche zusammen.

Die wendende Bearbeitung der Böden ist im Ökolandbau nach landläufiger Meinung Standard. In einem Schweizer Dauerfeldversuch wurde die Bearbeitung mit und ohne Pflug verglichen. Als weitere Prüffaktoren wurden der Einfluss unterschiedlicher Düngemittel sowie biodynamischer Präparate in den beiden Bearbeitungsvarianten untersucht.

Ces dernières années, l’utilisation d’additifs organiques, de métabolites naturels actifs ou de micro-organismes utiles fait l’objet de discussions en tant que stratégie écologique pour une production végétale plus durable. On observe dans le monde entier un intérêt croissant pour les inoculants microbiens et l’utilisation ciblée de leurs interactions avec les plantes. Les micro-organismes utiles peuvent en effet favoriser la croissance des végétaux en augmentant leur tolérance aux conditions défavorables du sol et de l’environnement ou en améliorant leur capacité de stockage de nutriments. Toutefois, le développement d’inoculants microbiens spécifiques, appelés biofertilisants, dotés d’effets bénéfiques s’avère très difficile. L’un des défis en particulier est l’adéquation entre applications agricoles et diverses conditions environnementales Certains biofertilisants commercialisés actuellement sont de mauvaise qualité ou leur application est compliquée. Autant d’inconvénients qui entraînent une perte de confiance des agriculteurs et des agricultrices. Néanmoins, l’amélioration de la qualité des formulations microbiennes et les progrès réalisés dans la compréhension des mécanismes biologiques ont contribué à accroître progressivement la rentabilité des applications au champ. Cette fiche résume les dernières avancées de la recherche en la matière. &nbsp

This fact sheet takes a closer look at the multifaceted role of agriculture in climate change. Various scientific findings are presented that show the potential of organic farming to mitigate climate change.

L’agriculture joue un rôle important dans le changement climatique. D’une part, ses émissions de gaz à effet de serre contribuent au réchauffement mondial; d’autre part, elle dispose d’un fort potentiel d’atténuation du changement climatique. Cette fiche d’information met en exergue le rôle multifactoriel de l’agriculture dans le changement climatique et présente différentes connaissances scientifiques mettant en évidence le potentiel d’atténuation du changement climatique de l’agriculture biologique.

A field experiment was set up 2010 for the further development of reduced tillage in organic farming. The focus of the experiment is on the interaction between tillage and the type of fertilization as well as the fertilization level on loess soil. The mean yield over nine years was about 5 % reduced with RT compared to CT. We found no significant interaction between tillage and fertilization. Fertilization had a significant effect on yields in three years only. For SOC, the difference in the 0-10 cm layer became significant in 2019, while the difference in the 10-20 cm layer did not. Fertilization had a significant effect on SOC in the 0-10 cm layer but there was no significant interaction. Cmic increased in the 0-10 cm layer significantly and decreased in the 10-20 cm layer but not significantly in RT compared to CT. In conclusion, RT largely works in this location as the yield losses are low.

Der Mensch bewirtschaftet den Boden zur Nahrungsproduktion seit rund 12 000 Jahren – seit der industriellen Revolution und der raschen Zunahme der Weltbevölkerung zudem immer intensiver. Dass der Boden, insbesondere seine organische Substanz, dadurch Schaden nimmt, ist bekannt. Bieten die Methoden des Ökolandbaus eine Lösung des Problems?

Reduced tillage has proven positive effects on topsoil carbon storage (Krauss et al. 2022) and consequently for topsoil structure compared to conventional ploughing. However, in organic farming, many farmers use the plough because it is considered as a reliable method of reducing weeds and stimulating mineralization in spring (Peigne et al. 2015). A field trial was set up 2002 on the biodynamic FiBL Farm Linde, Frick AG, and 2010 on the organic farm Schlatthof, Aesch BL, both Switzerland, for the further development of organic arable farming in the area of reduced tillage. The experiments are still ongoing. The tillage treatments are conventional tillage (annual ploughing, approx. 20 cm deep, CT) versus reduced tillage (chisel ploughing with occasional use of a skim plough for ley termination, approx. 10 cm deep, RT). Further factors are fertilization (Aesch and Frick) and biodynamic preparations (Frick; FiBL 2019 and 2022). Among other parameters, crop yields, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil microbial biomass were measured in three-year intervals in 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm depth. The mean yield reduction with RT compared to CT was approx. 4% in both experiments over all years. For SOC, there was an increase of 25% in the clay loam in Frick, and 14% in the silty loam in Aesch under RT in the 0-10 cm layer, and no significant differences were measured in the layer 10-20 cm on both sites. 2021 soil microbial biomass was significantly higher in 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm in RT compared to CT in Frick and in 0-10 cm layer in Aesch. Weed pressure was higher in RT compared to CT on both sites. In conclusion, RT enhanced SOC and microbial biomass on both sites and acceptable yield were achieved, but weeds should be monitored further to avoid future problems. For improved weed control, hoeing will be introduced as a new factor in Aesch and the efficiency of hoeing intensity on N-mineralisation, C-depletion and contribution margin will be assessed.

La fiche technique explique la procédure à suivre pour l’échantillonnage du sol et offre un soutien dans le choix du programme d’analyse et l’interprétation des analyses de laboratoire. Elle met également en évidence l’importance des différents éléments nutritifs en agriculture biologique et les conséquences d’un apport insuffisant ou excessif.

Agricultural management of soils has led to severe losses of soil organic matter (SOM), accompanied by an increased release of CO2 into the atmosphere and a reduction of soil fertility. Especially under the aspect of global warming and the increasing demand for food, there is a need for sustainable management options increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in agricultural soils, but knowledge gaps exist regarding C persistence in, and its transfer between functional SOC pools, within different farming systems. Here we report on impacts of different farming systems on the temporal dynamics of SOM fractions within the DOK long-term trial (Switzerland), from 1982 to 2017. A purely minerally (CONMIN), a minerally and organically (CONFYM), and a purely organically fertilized farming system (BIODYN) were compared with an unfertilized control (NOFERT). We separated archived soils from the Haplic Luvisol (0–20 cm depth) into particulate (POM) and mineral-associated OM (MAOM) fractions, via physical fractionation, and analyzed the chemical composition of selected fractions via solid-state 13C CPMAS-NMR spectroscopy. We demonstrate that under none of the analyzed farming systems, additional SOC was sequestered in the clay-sized MAOM fraction (

Conventional high-input farming systems in Europe are often regarded as unsustainable with severe environmental impacts on biodiversity, soils, water and climate. Low-input farming approaches, such as organic farming, have been proposed to reduce environmental impacts while further improving soil properties such as soil organic matter content and aggregate stability. Whether these changes also influence ecohydrological properties and improve the water relations of organically grown crops remains unclear. In this study we assessed the long-term effects of conventional and organic farming systems on the water relations of soils and crops in the “DOK” (bio-Dynamic, bio-Organic & ‘Konventionell’ = conventional) trial. In particular, we tested if organic and conventional farming lead to marked differences in soil moisture, soil water evaporation, as well as root water uptake depth and stomatal conductance of winter wheat and soybean during the growing seasons 2017 and 2018. Stable isotope analyses and ecophysiological measurements revealed that organic compared to conventional farming did not affect soil water evaporation or root water uptake depths. Instead, we found higher soil moisture in the rooting zone and reduced stomatal conductance (gs) in organically grown wheat. Treatment effects on soil moisture and gs of soybean were smaller but showed similar tendencies as observed in wheat. Also, leaf area, and grain and straw yield of wheat decreased under organic farming while yields of soybean were not affected by the treatments. Based on our data we suggest that reduced plant water use observed under organically managed farming lead to the observed higher soil moisture in organically compared to conventionally managed farming systems in the DOK trial. These results suggest advantages of organic farming regarding agronomic water use as well as for the resistance of farming systems to current or future drought scenarios. published

The authors would like to apologize for missing the correction provided below: To calculate the tea bag decomposition, the final weight of the tea bag instead of the % mass loss (i.e. 1-final weight/initial weight) was taken. Hence, the negative partial correlation originally found should be positive. The corrections have been made in the online version of the manuscript. Table 4. Partial correlation coefficients (ρ) between the labile organic carbon fractions expressed in mg kg−1 soil (Hy-DOC, DOC, POXC, HWEC and POMC) and % (TOC) and various soil chemical, physical and biological indicators used as dependent variable, corrected for the long term field experiments (LTEs). The number of samples used in the analyses was 167, but 101 for earthworm number, and earthworms biomass. In the table also the average correlation coefficients for each indicator group (chemical, physical and biological indicators) is reported, in addition to the overall average correlation coefficient (calculated across all the indicators). [Table presented] Hy-DOC hydrophilic dissolved organic carbon, DOC dissolved organic carbon, POXC permanganate oxidizable carbon, HWEC hot water extractable carbon, POMC particulate organic matter carbon, TOC total organic carbon, TON total nitrogen, CEC cation exchange capacity, WSA water stable aggregates, BD bulk density, MBC microbial biomass carbon, MBN microbial biomass nitrogen, SR soil respiration, qCO2 metabolic quotient, qMIC microbial quotient. *p ≤ 0.01, **p ≤ 0.001, ***p ≤ 0.0001.

"Achieving sufficient and stable crop yields with limited cropland and without excessive use of non-renewable resources under a changing climate are the multifunctional challenges of future agriculture. We compared the performance and sustainability of organic and conventional cropping systems in the DOK long-term systems comparison after 40 years of management. For the first time we present a comprehensive evaluation of the whole DOK design including the systems with reduced stocking rates. Yield, nutrient dynamic and soil quality evaluations show clearly the trade-offs between productivity and sustainability in organic as well as in conventional systems. Low input conventional systems reveal the best input-output performance but lowered soil quality; regular organic systems were most sustainable but achieved only moderate non-legume yields."

In Europe, the plough is commonly used for soil tillage. Its history is dating back to the early days of agriculture and hence its use is deeply rooted in European culture. With ongoing heavier machines, larger fields and less landscape diversity, ploughing contributed to large-scale soil degradation. Long-term sustainability of the current ploughing practice is therefore questioned. In organic farming, ploughing is seen as an important tool for weed control, ley termination and incorporation of organic material. In the light of climate change and increasing pressure on food security, also organic farming practices need to be improved. The aim of reduced tillage in organic systems is therefore to replace ploughing by less intensive tillage but still to be able for mechanical weed control. The long-term trial in Frick was established in autumn 2002 on a heavy clay soil (stagnic eutric Cambisol) with the aim to compare continuous reduced tillage with traditional ploughing (18-20 cm) under organic farming conditions in the long run. In this trial, reduced tillage is determined as regular soil tillage to maximum 10 cm by chisel tillage with wide sweeps. Occasional aeration to max. 20 cm with a chisel at a maximum of once per rotation period and ley termination by shallow inversion (5 cm) with a special plough (“Stoppelhobel”) allow for system optimisation. After three rotation periods and 15 years, soil quality improved substantially by conversion to reduced tillage. Topsoil organic carbon content increased by 25 % and microbial biomass and activity by 32-34 % compared to ploughing. Organic carbon was stabilised by clay in the lower soil layers. Earthworms profited from reduced tillage with a higher reproduction. Belowground biodiversity also increased and shifted to more fungal based communities. Yield performance was similar to ploughing across all years but less stable with both higher and lower yields in single years. Crop performance under reduced tillage was more dependent on the current weather situation, especially N supply in early spring that is largely provided by soil and farmyard manure mineralisation in organic farming. Weed infestation under reduced tillage also increased and was seen to lower yields when N supply was sufficient. Perennial grasses and Convolvulus species were the most problematic weeds at this site. At this stage, it can be concluded that continuous reduced tillage is possible in organic farming. Soil conservation aims are fully met. Yet, management is more difficult and needs to be combined with other strategies like green manures, strategic soil aeration and a more sophisticated weed control. At the conference, a compilation of results from 15 years of research in the FiBL long-term trial will be presented.

In dem Artikel wird über den Einfluss der biodynamischen Präparate auf die Bodenqualität, Ertrag und Produktequalität im Fricker Langzeitversuch in den Jahren 2002-2019 berichtet.

Das Merkblatt erläutert das Vorgehen für die Bodenbeprobung und bietet Unterstützung bei der Wahl des Analyseprogramms und der Interpretation der Laboranalysen. Es zeigt auch die Bedeutung der einzelnen Nährstoffe im Biolandbau auf und die Konsequenzen einer Unter- oder Überversorgung.

Tento informační list shrnuje nejnovější výsledky výzkumu o účinnosti a používání biohnojiv.

Diese Broschüre richtet sich an Exekutivorgane des Bodenschutzes und informierte Bodennutzer. Siestellt Möglichkeiten dar, die zur Entwicklung eines Referenzwertes für den Gehalt landwirtschaftlicher Mineralböden an organischer Bodensubstanz (OBS) oder Humus zur Verfügung stehen. Sie bezieht Schweizer Regelwerke sowie die Erkenntnisse und Meinungen aus einem Workshop mit Interessensvertretern der Landwirtschaft, des Umweltschutzes und des kantonalen Vollzugs mit ein, der am 16.11.2017 stattgefunden hat.

La présente brochure s’adresseaux organes exécutifs de protection des sols et aux professionnels avertis. Elle présente les possibilités d’établir une valeur de référence applicable à la teneur en matière organique des sols minéraux agricoles. Elle intègre la réglementation suisse ainsi que les acquiset les avis d'un atelier réunissant des acteurs de l'agriculture, de la protection de l'environnement et de l’exécution cantonale, qui s'est tenu le 16novembre 2017

Supply chain (SC) structures become more dynamic and complex with an increasing globality. Complexity in SCs relates to three main dimensions. Spatial, horizontal, and vertical complexity are associated with higher uncertainty and missing transparency in Supply Chain Management (SCM). In modern SCM it is always assumed that the SCs are of global nature and reach across borders into different cultures (Vachon and Klassen, 2002, p. 219). This led to a competitive environment where company networks face each other instead of single firms (Kotzab et al., 2015, pp. 525–526). As there are many definitions of Supply Chain Complexity (SCC) that differ to some extent, the definition that underlines the basic approach of this paper is by. In SCM, SCC is defined as a combination of product, process, and network complexity (Bozarth et al., 2009, p. 80). SCC management is a challenging task for SC managers all over the world. If a company is about to fail at SCC management, negative consequences will be generated. These consequences reach from inconsistent incoming material quality to higher transaction costs and a general inflexibility. It is impossible for SC managers to eliminate complexity which establishes an importance to create an understanding of drivers in SCC, determine, evaluate, and implement strategies to reduce complexity. Higher complexity leads to an overall worse performance in SCM, forming an incentive to manage SCC . To review a research field, bibliometric analysis technique is applied. The analysis brings forth the main achievement in answering the following objectives: a) Providing the intellectual foundation of SCC, i.e. the most impactful articles, authors, institutions, and journals as well as the academic output. b) Providing the interdisciplinary character of SCC.

Der Biolandbau trägt mit dem Humusaufbau im Boden aktiv zur Verbesserung der Fruchtbarkeit, Wasserhaltekapazität und Struktur des Bodens bei. Er sichert so die langfristige Leistungsfähigkeit der Böden, verbessert das Wasserangebot für die Kulturen und reduziert Bodenverluste durch Erosion.

Anhand von Daten aus dem DOK Langzeit-Feldversuch in der Schweiz zeigen die Autoren, dass ökologische Anbausysteme im Mittel rund 40 % geringere flächenbezogene Emissionen aufweisen als konventionelle Systeme. Die geringsten Lachgas-Emissionen wurden im biodynamischen Anbausystem ermittelt, was möglicherweise auf die langjährige Kompostanwendung, die sich positiv auf den ph-Wert und auf das Bodenleben sowie die Bodenstruktur auswirkt, zurückzuführen ist.

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.

In this study, we checked the potential of bioirrigation – defined as a process of hydraulic lift where transfer of water occurs from deep soil layers to top soil layers through plant roots. We tested this in a pigeon pea (PP) – finger millet (FM) intercropping system in a field study for two consecutive growing seasons (2016/17 and 2017/18) at two contrasting sites in Bengaluru and Kolli Hills, India. Our objective was also to optimize the spatial arrangement of the intercropped plants (2 PP:8 FM), using either a row-wise or a mosaic design. The field trial results clearly showed that spatial arrangement of component plants affected the yield in an intercropping system. The row-wise intercropping was more effective than mosaic treatments at the Bengaluru field site, while at Kolli Hills, both row-wise and mosaic treatment performed equally. Importantly, biofertilizer application enhanced the yield of intercropping and monoculture treatments. This effect was not influenced by the spatial arrangement of component plants and by the location of the field experiment. The yield advantage in intercropping was mainly due to the release of PP from interspecific competition. Despite a yield increase in intercropping treatments, we did not see a positive effect of intercropping or biofertilizer on water relations of FM, this further explains why PP dominated the competitive interaction, which resulted in yield advantage in intercropping. FM in intercropping had significantly lower leaf water potentials than in monoculture, likely due to strong interspecific competition for soil moisture in intercropping treatments. Our study indicates that identity plant species and spatial arrangement/density of neighbouring plant is essential for designing a bioirrigation based intercropping system.

Die Landwirtschaft spielt im Klimawandel eine bedeutende Rolle. Als Verursacherin von Klimagasen trägt sie einerseits zur globalen Erwärmung bei, verfügt aber andererseits auch über ein grosses Potenzial zur Minderung des Klimawandels. In diesem Faktenblatt wird die vielseitige Rolle der Landwirtschaft im Klimawandel näher beleuchtet. Dabei werden verschiedene wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse dargestellt, die das Potenzial des Biolandbaus zur Minderung des Klimawandels zeigen.