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Tillage Impact On Soil Quality Within An Organic, Sod-Based Vegetable Rotation.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013: 10:05 AM
Marriott Tampa Waterside, Grand Ballroom C and D, Second Level

Christine M. Bliss1, Peter C. Andersen1, Cheryl Mackowiak1, Steve Olson1, David L. Wright1, Ann Blount2, James Marois3 and Russ Mizell3, (1)North Florida Research & Education Center, University of Florida, Quincy, FL
(2)UF/IFAS North Florida Research & Education Center, Marianna, FL
(3)North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Quincy, FL
Major challenges in organic farming include limited fertilizer application, reduced insect, disease, and weed control with increased production costs compared to conventional farming. Improving soil quality through cover crops and conservation tillage is a long term way of alleviating some of these issues. Sod-based rotations have been proven to increase soil quality and so may also provide a management practice to improve organic vegetable production.  This study compared two tillage treatments, conventional and conservation, in a bahiagrass rotation of 0 to 3 years before vegetable production in order to determine if organic production would benefit from a proven conventional, sod-based rotation system.   Soil quality factors were measured, including available soil nutrients, labile carbon, soil moisture, and nematodes.
See more from this Division: ASA Section: Agronomic Production Systems
See more from this Session: General Organic Management Systems: II

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