Vol.4 No.1 (2009)

SOIL QUALITY IN ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL FARMS OF NEW MEXICO, USA

Y. Ikemura and Manoj K. Shukla

Abstract: The goal of sustainable agriculture is to maintain a non-negative trend in productivity while maintaining soil quality. Our main objective was to determine the sustainability of organic cropping systems. Three of the selected farms were in organic production for three, six and nine years since certification, and a fourth in conventional production. We found significant relationships between some soil physical and chemical properties. Sand, transport and storage volumes together explained 92% of variability in biomass yield. A soil property-based rating index showed that the three-year organically managed field was the most sustainable whereas the conventional was the least sustainable system. The rating index was negatively correlated with biomass yield and increased with the duration of organic management, suggesting that an adjustment in management practices may improve soil properties and sustainability.

Keywords: biomass yield, bulk density, nitrate-N concentration, soil organic carbon, texture, sustainability

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