Themes and discussion
Find out more about organic arable farming and organic livestock husbandry, join the discussions, and exchange ideas and information with colleagues and scientists.
> Soil quality and fertility
Sustainable crop production is dependent on maintaining and improving soil quality and fertility, which are in turn dependent on organic matter in the soil and its impact on the soil’s chemical, biological and physical properties. Organic matter is the source of life for the immense variety of soil microbes and soil fauna that make nutrients available and build soil structure. Therefore, crop rotations should always include a phase that allows organic matter in the soil to build up i.e. through incorporating perennial grass-clover leys or catch crops during autumn and winter. To protect soil life, the input of nutrients via manure, crop residues or other fertilisers should be well-balanced. Compaction by heavy machinery should be avoided for the same reason.
On this page, you can find tools and resources to help you improve soil quality and fertility, and you can discuss the topic with others.
Recommended tool
Demonstration of Plough Dethatchers
The crop to be incorporated was a frost susceptible green manure that spontaneously grassed and looked like an old ley. The ground was very dry. The…
Most popular toolHow to successfully convert to organic arable farming
The leaflet addresses farmers who are interested in conversion to organic arable farming. Information includes contact points for workshops and…
Latest toolCultivation in rows – Nitrogen fixation by catch crops and their effect on yield
Row cultivation in cereals with nitrogen-fixing crops can improve nitrogen supply in the crop rotation, while reducing nitrogen leaching.…
Tools
| Title | Issuing organisation | Project | Year of release | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A farmer’s guide to organic fruit and vegetable production | OCW - Organic Centre Wales | OK-Net Arable | 2008 | 3.5 (2) |
| Aerated compost tea (ACT) to improve soil biology and to act as a... | ORC - Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4.7 (3) |
| Assessing soil structure with two simple methods : Spade Test and mini 3D soil... | ARVALIS - Institut du végétal | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| Autumn cover crops | AIAB - Associazione Italiana Agricoltura Biologica | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | 3 (4) |
| Bringing the dirt to your doorstep: organic no-till weed management | Rodale Institute | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 2.8 (4) |
| Catch crop in maize | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4 (1) |
| Cereal Disease Encyclopaedia | AHDB - Agriculture and Horticulture Development... | OK-Net Arable | 2008 | |
| Challenges of Organic Arable Farming 1st module: Strategies to enhance soil... | IAMB - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| Challenges of Organic Arable Farming 2nd module: Fertilization strategies to... | IAMB - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| Challenges of Organic Arable Farming 4th module: Technical tools, strategies... | IAMB - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| Challenges of Organic Arable Farming - 6th module: Recovery and final synthesis | IAMB - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| Choosing cover crops for arable crop rotations | ITAB - Institute for Organic Agriculture and Food | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Commercial organic fertiliser as supplementary fertilisers in potato crop... | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4 (1) |
| Composting leaflet – agroecological approach at your farm | Bioforum Vlaanderen vzw | OK-Net Arable | 2013 | 4.5 (2) |
| Control of creeping thistle by stubble cultivation | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4.5 (2) |
| Controlled traffic farming: A new track for soil and weed control in organic... | Inagro | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Cover Crop (Rye) and No-Till System in Wisconsin | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 5 (3) |
| Cover crop and living mulch toolbox | Technical University of Munich TUM, School of Life... | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 3.4 (10) |
| Cover crop management and termination | SARE - Sustainable Agriculture Research &... | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | |
| Cover crop mulches and no-till maize | AIAB - Associazione Italiana Agricoltura Biologica | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | 1 (1) |
| Cover crop mulches and no-till soybean | AIAB - Associazione Italiana Agricoltura Biologica | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| Crop rotation and its ability to suppress perennial weeds | SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4.5 (2) |
| Crop rotation and its ability to suppress perennial weeds | SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | 3 (1) |
| Crop Rotation in Organic Systems | OACC - Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada,... | OK-Net Arable | - | |
| Crop rotations on diversified farms | Southern Regional Extension Forestry | OK-Net Arable | 2013 | |
| Cultivating a diverse wheat population suitable for low-input and organic... | ORC - Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| Cultivation in rows – Catch crops - tolerance and regrowth | AU - Aarhus University , KU - Copenhagen University , AgroIntelli , Økologisk VKST , Barritskov Land- og Skovbrug , SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Cultivation in rows – cereals with catch crops | SEGES , AU - Aarhus University , KU - Copenhagen University , AgroIntelli , Økologisk VKST , Barritskov Land- og Skovbrug | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Cultivation in rows – Nitrogen fixation by catch crops and their effect on yield | SEGES , AU - Aarhus University , KU - Copenhagen University , AgroIntelli , Økologisk VKST , Barritskov Land- og Skovbrug | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Cultivation in rows – Sowing time for catch crops | AU - Aarhus University , KU - Copenhagen University , AgroIntelli , Økologisk VKST , Barritskov Land- og Skovbrug , SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | 5 (2) |
| Cultivation in rows – Weed control between stubble rows | AU - Aarhus University , KU - Copenhagen University , AgroIntelli , Økologisk VKST , Barritskov Land- og Skovbrug , SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Cultivation in rows – Weed control in spring cereal grains | AU - Aarhus University , KU - Copenhagen University , AgroIntelli , Økologisk VKST , Barritskov Land- og Skovbrug , SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | 5 (1) |
| Demonstration of Plough Dethatchers | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 4.5 (2) |
| Determine compost quality using the cress tests | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Direct drilling of winter cereals | AIAB - Associazione Italiana Agricoltura Biologica | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Direct Sowing of Maize | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2015 | |
| Direct sowing with green manure | Bioselena - Foundation for organic agriculture , IFOAM EU | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Diverse fertility building leys in arable rotations | ORC - Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 3.5 (2) |
| DSS "Weed Control in Organic Winter Wheat Production" | University of Bonn | OK-Net Arable | 2004 | |
| Earthworms: architects of fertile soils | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 3.6 (11) |
| ECOPHYTOPIC – The portal for integrated crop protection of arable crops | ACTA - Les Instituts Techniques Agricoles | OK-Net Arable | - | 3.3 (3) |
| Efficient nitrogen use from livestock manure | SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | |
| Efficient use of nitrogen from livestock manure | SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4 (2) |
| Friedrich Wenz on Soil Fertility and Reduced Tillage | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 5 (1) |
| Getting your land ready to grow organically – certified or not | Michigan State University | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | |
| Grain legumes and soil fertility - Strategies for a successful cultivation | BfN - Federal Agency for Nature Conservation | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 3.5 (2) |
| Green manure and cover crops in organic agriculture: general introduction | ITAB - Institute for Organic Agriculture and Food | OK-Net Arable | 2012 | |
| Green manure and cover crops in organic agriculture: guide to the choice of the... | ITAB - Institute for Organic Agriculture and Food | OK-Net Arable | 2012 | 4 (3) |
| Growing cover crops in organic arable crop rotations: Best practices from... | SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4 (2) |
| Growing cover crops in organic arable crop rotations: best practices from... | SEGES | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | |
| Hairy Vetch – an Excellent Green Manure for Dry Conditions | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 4 (2) |
| Healthy Grassland Soils Pocketbook | AHDB - Agriculture and Horticulture Development... | OK-Net Arable | 2015 | |
| How to successfully convert to organic arable farming | LFI - Ländliches Fortbildungsinstitut Österreich | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 5 (2) |
| Incorporating Green Manures | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2013 | 4.5 (2) |
| Intercropping grain peas with barley | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2015 | |
| Knowledge exchange platform for agroecology | SOLAGRO | OK-Net Arable | - | 3.2 (6) |
| LeNiBa - the KTBL / isip app for nitrogen balancing of legumes | KTBL - Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der... | OK-Net Arable | - | |
| Ley Destruction with Shallow Ploughing or Cultivators | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | |
| Living mulch in vegetables | AIAB - Associazione Italiana Agricoltura Biologica | OK-Net Arable | 2015 | |
| Managing for Soil Health on an Organic Farm - A Farmer's Perspective | Southern Regional Extension Forestry | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | |
| Mechanical weeding in arable crops | ITAB - Institute for Organic Agriculture and Food | OK-Net Arable | 2012 | 4.6 (9) |
| Monitoring and comparing cover crop performances | ITAB - Institute for Organic Agriculture and Food | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Multispectral remote sensing in participatory on-farm variety trials | ÖMKi - Hungarian Research Institute of Organic... | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| NDICEA - Nitrogen Planer – version 6.2 | LBI - Louis Bolk Institute | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 4 (4) |
| New ways of stubble cultivation | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2010 | |
| Nitrogen budget calculator. A tool to calculate N-budgets in organic forage... | ZALF - Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape... | 2013 | 3.8 (4) | |
| Nutrient management in farms in conversion to organic | LfULG - Sächsische Landesanstalt für Umwelt,... | OK-Net Arable | 2008 | |
| Nutrient supply | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2011 | 2 (1) |
| Oregon Tilth 2017 WEBINAR SERIES | Oregon Tilth | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| Organic Cereals | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2010 | 4 (2) |
| Organic Cover Cropping and Intercropping | Washington State University - Puyallup | OK-Net Arable | 2011 | |
| Organic cultivation in autumn 2016 - Varieties, Seeds and Crop management | LFI - Ländliches Fortbildungsinstitut Österreich | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | |
| Organic Cultivation in Spring 2016 - Varieties, Seeds and Crop management | LFI - Ländliches Fortbildungsinstitut Österreich | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | |
| Organic no-till systems | Southern Regional Extension Forestry | OK-Net Arable | 2013 | |
| Organic quality wheat production - Results of long-term field trials of... | LFI - Ländliches Fortbildungsinstitut Österreich | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | |
| Organic Small Grain Production | Southern Regional Extension Forestry | OK-Net Arable | 2011 | |
| Pest Management in Organic Production Systems | Southern Regional Extension Forestry | OK-Net Arable | 2011 | |
| Potato Crop Management | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2010 | |
| Practical advice for organic production of lupines | Landesforschungsanstalt für Landwirtschaft und... | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 4 (4) |
| Practice Abstract: Intercropping grain peas with barley | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4.3 (3) |
| Processing Quality of Organic Wheat | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2015 | |
| Quick test for infiltration of arable soils | Bioland , FiBL Projekte GmbH | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Reduced Tillage | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | |
| Reduced Tillage Stubble Incorporation - Comparsion of Different Machine Types | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2013 | 4 (1) |
| Reduced Tillage Systems - Practical Recommendation | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | 3.7 (3) |
| Regionally adapted humus balance in organic farming | LfULG - Sächsische Landesanstalt für Umwelt,... | OK-Net Arable | 2013 | 3.7 (3) |
| Rolling of grains to prevent winter kill damage | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| ROTOR: organic crop rotation planner | ZALF - Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape... | OK-Net Arable | 2007 | 4.6 (11) |
| Satellite based and camera-controlled steering systems | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2015 | 2 (1) |
| Shallow Ploughing of Leys – Comparison of Different Plough and Cultivator Types | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2015 | |
| Simple building blocks for improved soil fertility – Look and judge yourself | Inagro | OK-Net Arable | 2007 | |
| SmartSOIL Tool | AU - Aarhus University | OK-Net Arable | 2015 | 2 (3) |
| Soil and Fertility Management in Organic Systems | OACC - Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada,... | OK-Net Arable | - | |
| Soil fertility - manure treatment | Landwirtschaftliches Zentrum Liebegg | OK-Net Arable | 2009 | |
| Soil protection and Crop Rotation | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2007 | |
| Soil quality test kit guide | USDA - United States Department of Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2001 | 3.1 (7) |
| Soil tillage | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2013 | |
| SOILapp | School of Advanced Studies Sant'Anna, Institute of... , Scuola Esperienziale Itinerante di Agricoltura... , AEGILOPS - The Greek Network for Biodiversity and... | OK-Net Arable | 2018 | |
| Sort Out Your Soil: A practical guide to green manures | Cotswold Seeds Ltd. , Garden Organic | OK-Net Arable | - | 4 (5) |
| Spade test | ISARA - Institut supérieure d’agriculture Lyon | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | |
| Testing peas for legume fatigue | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 5 (1) |
| The Basics of Soil Fertility | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2013 | 2.7 (3) |
| The Muencheberg Soil Quality Rating (SQR) | ZALF - Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape... | OK-Net Arable | 2007 | 4 (4) |
| The Spade test - Visual soil assessment in the field | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2016 | 4.5 (2) |
| The use of legumes - Nature-compatible cultivation practices | BfN - Federal Agency for Nature Conservation | OK-Net Arable | 2014 | |
| Using crop rotation to control wireworms | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4 (1) |
| Visual soil assessment: field guide for cropping | Landcare Research | OK-Net Arable | 2000 | 4.4 (5) |
| Weed control in organic farming through mechanical solutions | University of Kassel | OK-Net Arable | 2011 | 3.5 (4) |
| Weed control in soy with the finger weeder | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | |
| Winter field peas as green manure before maize | FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture | OK-Net Arable | 2017 | 4.5 (2) |
Discussion forum
Here you can discuss your problems and solutions for this theme