Guidelines of Organic farming Part -I
“An organic farm, properly speaking, is not one that uses certain methods and substances and avoids others; it is a farm whose structure is formed in imitation of the structure of a natural system; it has the integrity, the independence, and the benign dependence of an organism. ‘ − Wendell Berry, The Gift of Good Land, 1981
The organic farming guidelines include not so complex methods but simple techniques those are harmonious with nature. Actually, in this, the interception level is when the out-sourced help or labor is needed.
1. Soil check
2. Tillage and cultivation
3. Manure application
4. planting stocks
5. crop rotation
6. weeds and pest management
Soil checking is necessary, as to confirm, what the quality of soil acidic, basic or it is neutral. The same could be done in any agricultural laboratory. The database of Soil check laboratories is available here. Thereafter the soil preparation goes on. The alkaline soils are made basic by addition of elemental sulphur. Acidic soils are made basic by adding of wood ashes. Generally, to maintain pH value of soil organic matters are best. However, there are NOP (National Organic Program) annotated materials that have to be used to maintain pH of soil. The preliminary soil input is carried out on by organic matter, which is partially decomposed biological matter. This organic matter input carries out the twin program that is the soil nurturing and soil conditioning. In soil, conditioning the pH value of soil is maintained to neutral through buffering. This further enhances water field capacity, drainage, decreased soil erosion, and the biological activity. The deficient nutrients are added as per crop requirements. These all practices are done to maintain health of soil. As ,high water holding capacity, high biological activity through living organisms(beneficial), and high carbon retention to defense against global-warming triggering are qualities of healthy soil.
Tillage is like pampering the soil and farmers carry out this in different ways. Majority of the organic farmers use minimum tilling through chisel plows, disks, spaders, and harrows. However, some cases (a fallow field and a field with compaction layer) require use of moldboard plows, ganged plows, and rippers. Now a day the permanent bed system (tilling individual bed by light equipments) is increasing that requires minimum disturbances to the field. Another system in practice gaining attention is the no-till system for the specific crop rotation.
Next is the composting and manure application. There are various methods in nutrient application but the NOP have set some rules regarding the manure application and nutrient supply. Nutrients to the soil are supplied when needed and can be crop specific. Generally, prior to composting the C: N carbon to nitrogen ratio 25:1 to 40:1, a temperature between 131oF to 170oF should be maintained. Composting provides the valuable nutrients to the decomposing organic matter, as the weeds are destroyed at seed level, human and livestock pathogens are reduced, insoluble nutrients are made soluble by production of humic acid etc. NOP also has rules of uncomposted manure incorporation directly into the soil (90 days for human consumption and 120 days for edible root crops) before harvesting the crops. This is done to reduce the risk of non-decomposed material reaching into the human bodies through crops. Despite of ruling out of synthetic fertilizers the untreated chemicals, which are source of nitrogen, calcium, sulphur, phosphorus, and potassium, are allowed by NOP as nutrient additives in planed use. Ashes are also permissible when the sources not have the higher contents of lead and arsenic. Repeated uses of ashes are not permissible. Some of them are Hydrolyzed fish putrefied by phosphoric acid, aquatic plants products like Ascophyllum Nodosum having growth regulators and stimulants like indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) gibberelic acid and cytokinins. These hormones delay the senescence and mature crop decay. Elemental and buffered sulphur is generally used for alkali soils. Still it to be used with care in the limited calcium soils, and in other case, the gypsum is the alternate. Magnesium in form of synthetic compound can be used as foliar feed. Other micronutrients allowed are cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc can be added if they are derived from sulfate, carbonate, oxide, or silicate sources. Prohibition is on synthetic nitrates and chlorides as they are to be procured directly from nature. Soluble synthetic boron is allowed
(To Be Continued Part II)