OOS 20: Managing Organic Inputs in Agriculture to Optimize Soil Nutrient Cycling and Other Ecosystem Services

Session Organizer(s)

• Amber Kerr

  Energy and Resources Group, UC Berkeley
  Berkeley, CA, USA

Moderator(s)

• Sarah Davis

  Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs: Environmental Studies Program, Ohio University
  Athens, OH, USA

Volunteer(s)

• Yanjun Yang

  University of Kentucky
  Lexington, Kentucky, United States

Growers have a variety of choices for organic soil nutrient inputs, including animal manure, composted organic waste, cover crops, and processed amendments such as biochar or bone meal. These diverse options, and the complex ecological processes that arise from them, mean that it is not always straightforward to choose the best options for a particular operation. This session will explore benefits, tradeoffs, and interactions of organic soil nutrient management options using case studies from around the US. Emphasis is given to solutions that enhance soil-based ecosystem services such as carbon storage, water infiltration and retention, prevention of nutrient leaching and runoff, and support of soil food webs and biodiversity. This session highlights geographically and agronomically diverse systems, including fruit orchards in the West, grain crops in the Upper Midwest, and small vegetable farms in the South. Each presentation provides an illustrative example of how organic input decisions affect belowground ecosystem function. Presentations integrate technical findings (such as the relationship between crop diversity and belowground microbial diversity) with on-farm considerations (such as knowledge barriers and economic viability). Both certified organic and non-organic farmers may choose to use organic inputs, so both types of production are included in this session. Understanding how to best manage organic nutrient sources requires close collaboration between land users and researchers. The belowground processes that determine nutrient dynamics can be conceptually complex, impossible to see, and difficult to measure. However, regardless of how well-understood the dynamics are in theory, practical considerations dictate what management options are available (e.g., choice of cover crop species, frequency of manure application, or tillage depth of compost). The goal of this session is to provide an outline of current knowledge on organic input management while also highlighting ways that agroecologists and growers can continue working together for mutual benefit.

Presentations:

• ON DEMAND

  Forecasting and monitoring plant-available N supply in organic vegetable cropping systems
  

  Presenting Author: Dan M. Sullivan – Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University
• ON DEMAND

  Impacts of conservation management practices on plant nitrogen availability and greenhouse gas emissions for organic vegetables
  

  Presenting Author: Guihua Chen – Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation, California Department of Food and Agriculture
• ON DEMAND

  Orchard floor management for improved tree growth and soil health in organic peach systems
  

  Presenting Author: Jennifer R. Reeve – Plants, Soils, and Climate, Utah State University
• ON DEMAND

  Participatory capacity building in organic farming systems
  

  Presenting Author: Jennifer E. Taylor – College of Agriculture and Food Sciences/Cooperative Extension, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University
• ON DEMAND

  Seasonal soil N availability in organic grain and forage crop production in Wisconsin
  

  Presenting Author: Erin Silva – Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• ON DEMAND

  Using plant functional diversity to provide multiple belowground ecosystem services
  

  Presenting Author: Laurie E. Drinkwater – School of Integrated Plant Science-Horticulture Section, Cornell University