Soil Conservation and Organic Farming

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Soil Fertility Management. 3. Managing soil fertility in organic farming systems. 4. Important roles of soil microorganisms in organic farming. 5. Soil fertility management-towards sustainable farming systems. 6. Soil Management for the conservation of soil nitrogen. 7. Effects of different management practices on soil conservation. 8. Weed management in low external input and organic farming system. 9. Organic and conventional farming systems: Environmental and economic issues. 10. Soil fertility management and insect pests. 11. Fertility management dynamics of soil. 12. Effect of land use and soil management practices on soil fertility quality. 13. Soil management and agrodiversity. 14. Managing soils for long-term productivity. 15. The Origin and hazard of inputs to crop protection in organic farming systems. 16. Selected soil enzymes: Examples of their potential roles in the ecosystem. 17. The importance of land-use legacies to ecology and conservation. Bibliography. Index.

Soil Fertility can be considered to be a measure of the soil’s ability to sustain satisfactory crop growth, both in the short and longer-term. Organic farming recognizes the soil as being central to a sustainable farming system. Soil fertility is determined by a set o interactions. Organic matter is essential for soil fertility, it maintains good soil physical conditions e.g. soil structure, aeration and water holding capacity.