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Science 31 May 2002:
Vol. 296. no. 5573, pp. 1694 - 1697
DOI: 10.1126/science.1071148
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Reports

Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming

Paul Mäder,1* Andreas Fliebeta bach,,1 David Dubois,2 Lucie Gunst,2 Padruot Fried,2 Urs Niggli1

An understanding of agroecosystems is key to determining effective farming systems. Here we report results from a 21-year study of agronomic and ecological performance of biodynamic, bioorganic, and conventional farming systems in Central Europe. We found crop yields to be 20% lower in the organic systems, although input of fertilizer and energy was reduced by 34 to 53% and pesticide input by 97%. Enhanced soil fertility and higher biodiversity found in organic plots may render these systems less dependent on external inputs.

1 Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland.
2 Swiss Federal Research Station for Agroecology and Agriculture, Reckenholzstrasse 191, CH-8046 Zürich, Switzerland.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: paul.maeder{at}fibl.ch

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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Environmental Aspects of Ethical Animal Production.
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Comparison of Long-Term Organic and Conventional Crop-Livestock Systems on a Previously Nutrient-Depleted Soil in Sweden.
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Community Structure Analyses Are More Sensitive to Differences in Soil Bacterial Communities than Anonymous Diversity Indices.
M. Hartmann and F. Widmer (2006)
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Gross Nitrogen Transformations in an Agricultural Soil after Repeated Dairy-Waste Application.
M. Y. Habteselassie, J. M. Stark, B. E. Miller, S. G. Thacker, and J. M. Norton (2006)
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S. B. Kramer, J. P. Reganold, J. D. Glover, B. J. M. Bohannan, and H. A. Mooney (2006)
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Identification and Specific Detection of a Novel Pseudomonadaceae Cluster Associated with Soils from Winter Wheat Plots of a Long-Term Agricultural Field Experiment.
M. Pesaro and F. Widmer (2006)
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Soil and Winegrape Quality in Biodynamically and Organically Managed Vineyards.
J. R. Reeve, L. Carpenter-Boggs, J. P. Reganold, A. L. York, G. McGourty, and L. P. McCloskey (2005)
Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 56, 367-376
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The Myth of Coexistence: Why Transgenic Crops Are Not Compatible With Agroecologically Based Systems of Production.
M. A. Altieri (2005)
Bulletin of Science Technology Society 25, 361-371
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Agroecosystem Performance during Transition to Certified Organic Grain Production.
K. Delate and C. A. Cambardella (2004)
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Nutrition ecology: the contribution of vegetarian diets.
C. Leitzmann (2003)
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition 78, 657S-659
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Quantification of the environmental impact of different dietary protein choices.
L. Reijnders and S. Soret (2003)
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition 78, 664S-668
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A compass for health: rethinking precaution and its role in science and public health.
J. A Tickner, D. Kriebel, and S. Wright (2003)
Int. J. Epidemiol. 32, 489-492
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Impact of Land Use Intensity on the Species Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Agroecosystems of Central Europe.
F. Oehl, E. Sieverding, K. Ineichen, P. Mader, T. Boller, and A. Wiemken (2003)
Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 69, 2816-2824
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)