ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND PLANT NUTRITION Dr. Péter Csathó

ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND PLANT NUTRITION  1. History of agriculture and soil fertility 2. Basic principles and methods of soil tests (30 slides) 3. Principles and methods of plant analysis 4. Types of Plant Nutrition Experiments 5. Principles and method of nutrient balance 6. Plant nutrition and environmental aspects of soil pH and lime status 7. Assessing of organic farming from the aspect of sustainable plant nutrition 8. The environmental aspects of plant nutrition 9. Heavy metal load of agricultural production related to plants nutrition 10. The basics of environmentally sound plant nutrition advisory system : Evaluation of the database of Hungarian long-term field NPK fertilization exeriments 11. The structure of environmentally sound plant nutrition advisory system 12. Comparative evaluation of the environmentally sound plant nutrition advisory system, and its application in case of some farms

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY POWER PLANTS 7. Assessing of organic farming from the aspect of sustainable plant nutrition ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY POWER PLANTS

The public often questions the large-scale use of chemical substances The public often questions the large-scale use of chemical substances. The interest in traditional methods that rely on "biological agriculture„ is becoming stronger. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

potential adverse environmental impacts of conventional / intensive farming: land degradation: erosion, wind erosion, acidification, salinization, flattening, desertification, loss of humus material, soil impoverishment of life, residues and accumulation of harmful elements, resistant weeds and pests occur. From economical aspect the dependence on industrial products , energy, as well as commodity market is becoming overwhelming. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

Finding the way out of it have been begun already in the 20s, 30s of XX century, various biodynamic trends have emerged in Western Europe. Alternative methods of various trends of today brings together at international level by , the IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture International Movement) 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

Objections to biological / alternative management: More salt, nitrates, heavy metals, etc. can get to the land and groundwater from manure and organic compost than from fertilizers. Fertilizers can not be replaced with organic manure anyway, since it is not available in unlimited quantities. Without chemical fertilizers and pesticides the crops would reduce, the price of the products would increase and famine would occur. Many plant diseases and animal pests can be defeated with biological methods. There is no evidence that the foods produced by biological methods are healthier. Moreover, only by introducing the mineral fertilization of the plants can make the plant full value. The difference between the biological and the modern ( so called "traditional") farming is so small ,that the special designation is not justified. Biological farming exists only in the imagination of the ideologically committed ideologues , saviors in the world, and frightened consumers. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

The concept of sustaining agriculture „ Sustainable agriculture is a natural approach which based on the understanding of the long-term impact of human activity on the environment. It synthesizes the principles of the above philosophy, and the latest developments in science and creates an integrated farming system that built on and preserve natural resources. These systems avoids the damage of the environment and preserve the fertility of the soil. They provide short and long-term economic viability for rural communities , maintaining the quality of life. " 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

norms relating to the protection of agricultural land; Continuous revise is needed in the light of the latest knowledge and research results for the following regulations norms relating to the protection of agricultural land; standards related to the quality and composition of plant products standards for the application of fertilizers and soil improvement materials; norms that restrict farming (livestock density, fertilizer production, etc.). - The principles and rules concerning the methods of fertilizer recommendation systems. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

The energy balance of agriculture 65% of the energy requirement is from the use of fertilizers and tilling (Győrffy 1975). The balance of the whole plant growing is strongly positive with the ratio between 2-5. The positive energy balance of crop production can ne hidden by animal production, if it is not largely based on grazing. Food production ends with a negative balance. Production: 1/6; processing-distribution-household preparation : 5/6. Without experiencing the annual "miracle of multiplication of bread" the humanity would have been wiped out, respectively. The population of today would be minimal. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

The production and use of alternative energy Bio-Ethanol / Biodiesel Fuel Energy Grasses / energy willow energy balance of bio power plants (fired by straw, stalks and wood chips) The giant fossil energy demand of transportation The alternative main crops take area from food crops, in a world where the soil will run out sooner than oil. Population Explosion, farmland per capita (Kadar, 2012). 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

Healthy food: Healthy raw material Healthy processed products (Genetically modified food ingredients) Nutrient sides: high nitrate levels can cause problems for example in baby foods Healthy processed products (Additives E1-E1 million) 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

The bio (organic) farming: chemical-free The pesticides and fertilizers are tarred with the same brush. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

The comparison of organic system with fertilization systems in Hungary (related to the same amount of active ingredients) 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

Hungary: Questions of the '50s: Can humans sustain the fertility of the soil with fertilizers ? Can fertilizer substitute manure? The fight of traditional extensive farming system (open-pollinated corn production, using only manure) and the modern, intensive farming system (introducing hybrid maize, using only manure (itt nem műtrágy van véletlenül az intenzívnél?) . Questions today: Can humans sustain the fertility of the soil with farmyard manure ? Can manure substitute the expesive fertilizers ? It needs an appropriate animal density. At present, only 1/10 or 1/15, the NPK requirement of Hungarian plant production can be provided from farmyard manure. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

Yield surplus of organic and fertilized systems compared to absolute control system. The active-ingredients of the treated systems were the same. The results are presented for different soil textures. (n = experimental years) (Árendás and Csathó, 2002) 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

Yield surplus of organic and fertilized systems compared to absolute control system. The active-ingredients of the treated systems were the same. The results are presented for different humus contents. (n = experimental years) (Árendás and Csathó, 2002) 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

Yield surplus of organic and fertilized systems compared to absolute control system. The active-ingredients of the treated systems were the same. The results are presented for different soil plant cultures. (n = experimental years) (Árendás and Csathó, 2002) 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

The effect of AL-K2O content of control soils on the yield difference (GE t / ha)of fertilized and manures systems and on the relative yields (%) . The active-ingredients of the fertilized and manured systems were the same. (Árendás and Csathó, 2002) (itt a relatív termés az istálló trágyázásra vonatkozik?) 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

The fertilizer equivalent percentage of manure (Árendás and Csathó, 2002; international data) Nitrogen: 50-70% Phosphorus: 100% Potassium: 100% 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

The benefits of bio (organic) farming: - The ecological balance is more sustainable; - Favorable from the aspect of employment, because organic farms sharply increase the demand for labor; - There is no pesticide or fertilizer residue; - Natural enemies of pests may help with the defense: → aphid ladybug; → grape leaf mite predatory mite; greenery pests → wasps, etc. .; - In the developed countries there is a serious solvent consumer demand for organic products . In spite of it, even in these countries the proportion of organic farms is under 1-2% of the total agricultural / arable land . 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

In Hungary , The Bioculture Movement started in 1983. The Bioculture Association was established in 1987 which is a member of the international organization called IFOAM. In 1991, a rating system is developed which is recommended in organic farming. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

The bio (organic) farming disadvantages: The fact that fertilizers and pesticides were tarred with the same brush is unfavorable from the aspect of plant nutrition . The use of pesticides is prohibited in organic farming . It is true that most of the fertilizers acidify the soil, but the same can be said - on a smaller scale – from organic manures. The calcareous soils can buffer the unfavorable acidification effect and by liming acid soils , the damage caused by acidification can be eliminated. It seems that the banning of chemical fertilizers from organic farming is based on ideological rather than rational basis. The organic farming allows the use of organic fertilizers and composts. These manures are however, usually poor in phosphorus . 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

Organic farmers can only use mineral (natural) fertilizers such as rock phosphates. However, the reactive sedimentary rock phosphates have an effect only on acidic soils. The same can be said about the alkaline Thomas slag which is also allowed to use on organic farms. It should be noted that both, especially the latter has high heavy metal contamination. There is not any available phosphorus fertilizers that can be used by organic farmers in case of neutral and calcareous soils. USA, 1930 Hopkins's bio trend and Hungary, even today is the trend in organic farms recommends the application of rock phosphate for every kind of soils, even though the farmers' attention should be drawn to the limitations of the its application. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

-There is no mandatory, complete initial soil test. - Avoiding the heavy metal pollution in the organic farms are still not resolved. -There is no mandatory, complete initial soil test. -Heavy metal pollution of rock phosphates. The media news suggest that in the whole country and in the whole world as well should be only organic farms. In this case, the average yield level would fall back very quickly to the yield level of the 1920s and 30s, and the average cereal yield would be 1-1.5 t / ha instead of 4-6 t / ha in Hungary. It would not guarantee even the country's self-sufficiency . Not to mention the fact that with the deletion of the herbicides, 40-50% of the population could go back to agriculture and drag hoe. Modern man prefer dragging the tennis racket than the hoe. Only resistant cultivars can be used in organic farming as plant protection interventions are very limited. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

In summary, it can be concluded that the shortage of phosphorus can lead to serious problems in organic farming from the aspect of sustainable plant nutrition. It would be necessary to lift ideology limit and to allow the application of phosphorous fertilizers in case of neutral and calcareous soils. While in acidic soils reactive rock phosphates with small Cd contamination (<20 mg / kg Cd) can be used. Neutral, calcareous soils: The soil should be filled with the water-soluble P fertilizers on a long-term advance. After two years of the cessation of fertilizer use the area can be classified as organic farm. Thus the territorial expansion of organic farming is limited by both the available quantity of organic manure and by the consumer market demand. 7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side

7. The bio (organic) farming assessing sustainable plant nutrition side