Maintenance and replenishment of organic matter in soil

1. Crop residues
-Leftover parts of various crops after harvest
-Roots, straw and stalks and vegetable tops are
valuable as a source of organic matter and plant
nutrients.
- The removal of crop residues leads to decrease
organic matter, lower soil fertility level.
-Can be recycled either by composting or by
mulching or by direct incorporation into the soil
or keeping the roots of the crop into the soil.
- Straw of most of the cereals contain 35, 10 and
80% of total N, P and K taken up by crop.
2. Animal manures
-the excreta (dung and urine) of the domestic
animals.
-In Bangladesh, cowdung is the most
important animal manure, -although a big
portion is used as fuel.
-Fresh animal manure should not be applied,
the heat and CO2 harmful for the young
roots.
-Animal manure should be stored in pits
-The urine should be preserved with the
dung.
-The manure in the pit should be kept moist
in order to reduce the volatilization of
nitrogen in gaseous forms,
3. Compost
-Decomposing different waste materials
of plant and animal origin.
-Ingredients are straw, weeds, household
wastes like non-edible food, fruit and
vegetable parts, after-meal wastes,
municipal garbage, sugar mill bagasse,
rice husk etc.
-Municipal and leather wastes should be
treated.
-small quantities of urea and triple
superphosphate hastens the rotting of
raw materials like straw, sugarcane
trash, rice husk etc.
4. Vermicomposting
-Using earthworms to convert
organic wastes to valuable
compost.

-The earthworm inhabits organic

matter lying on soil surface;

-Eat fallen leaves and other non-

decomposed litter.
5. Concentrated organic manure
-These are oil cake, slaughter house
wastes, fish meal, guano and poultry
manure which are rich in NPK.
-They are costly and should be applied
to high value crops only.
6. Green manure
-Crops that are grown and ploughed
down while they are green.
-Any herbaceous plant may be used for
green manuring, but plants of the
family leguminosae are preferred
(nitrogen fixation benefit).
-The common GM plants include
dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata), African
dhaincha (S. rostrata), sunhemp
(Crotalaria juncea).
-The crops should be ploughed down
when the plants are of 50-55 days old.
7. Azolla
-Dual culture of Azolla in wetland rice for green biomass.
-It can be practiced in boro and T. aman rice cropping.
-Inoculation of 0.5-1.0 kg/sq.m Azolla inoculum after 7-
10 days of transplanting may produce 10 ton/ha biomass
within 2-3 weeks.
8. Blue green algae
-Blue green algae can add upto 3-8
ton organic carbon in a cropping
season.
-Many other
microorganism( Azotobacter,
Azospirillum, Rhizobium, Bacillus,
Pseudomonas etc.) that produce
growth hormones help in better
seed germination and root
development
-this contributing considerably to
organic matter status in soil.
9. Control of soil temperature
-Influences the reduction of both organic carbon and
nitrogen of the soil.

In order to check the reduction of organic matter soil

temperature should be kept low.

-It is possible to maintain low soil temperature by

irrigated cropping, mulching etc.
10. Preservation of soil moisture
-Affects the organic matter and nitrogen of the soil.

-With the increase of soil moisture organic matter

content is augmented.

- After application of organic matter to soil, if drying

of soil is checked, soil organic matter is slowly
exhausted.
11. Improvement of soil texture
-Water holding capacity of light soil (e.g. sandy soil) is
low and presence of oxygen is high.

-As a result, added organic matter is rapidly exhausted.

-Texture of light soil is improved if some heavy soil

(e.g. silt) is mixed with it and stability of organic
matter is such soil is enhanced.
12. Limiting tillage
-Due to deep tillage soil is highly inverted.
-organic matter from lower layer comes to soil surface
which is exhausted by oxidation.

The loss of organic matter is reduced by using shallow

tillage implements such as rotovator of power tiller and
country plough.

-Zero tillage and limited or minimum tillage are more

helpful for maintenance of soil organic matter.
Rotovator
13. Crop production practices
-Soil organic matter content can be
improved by using proper cropping
pattern or crop rotation.
-For example, soil organic matter is
increased if forest trees are planted in
the crop field.

-In boro-fallow-T. aman rice cropping

pattern green manuring crop can be
cultivated instead of fallow period.

-If grass or legume crops are included in

the crop rotation, organic matter is
increased.
 CONCEPT OF ORGANIC FARMING
Organic farming
Organic farming is defined as the farming without the use of chemical
fertilizers or synthetic pesticides.

It is a system of agriculture that encourages healthy soils and crops

through such practices as
-nutrient recycling of organic matter (such as compost and crop
residues), crop rotations, proper tillage and the avoidance of synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides.

Its economic viability depends on the higher price that customers will
pay as yields from organic farming are generally lower than from
conventional farming.
 CONCEPT OF ORGANIC FARMING
According to International Federation of
Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM):
Organic farming is an agricultural classification
that promotes environmentally, socially and
economically sound production of food, fibre,
timber etc. In this system, maintenance of soil
fertility is considered as the key to successful
production.
“It avoids the use of chemo-synthetic fertilizers,
pesticides and pharmaceuticals. It also includes
social considerations”(IFOAM, 2005).
ORGANIC FARMING
“FEED THE SOIL, NOT
THE PLANT”

A familiar refrain among organic farmers

 ORGANIC FARMING
Numerous concepts are interchangeably
used to refer the concept of organic
farming:
•Organic agriculture
•Ecological farming
•Regenerative agriculture
•Biodynamic farming
•Alternative farming
•Organic biological farming
Organic farming is a production system which avoids or largely
excludes the use of synthetically compounded fertilizers,
pesticides, growth regulators and livestock feed additives. To the
maximum extent feasible, organic farming systems rely on crop
rotations, crop residues, animal manures, legumes, green
manures, off- farm organic wastes and aspects of biological pest
control to maintain soil productivity and tilth, to supply plant
nutrients and to control insects, weeds and other pests (As per
USDA).

Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system

which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including
biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It
emphasizes the use of management practices in preference to the
use of off-farm inputs, taking into account that regional conditions
require locally adapted systems. This is accomplished by using,
where possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical methods, as
opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfill any specific
function within the system (AS per FAO/WHO).
 Pioneer of Organic Farming?
English Botanist Sir Albert Howard (1873-
1947)

“The first duty of the agriculturalist must always be to

understand that he is a part of Nature and cannot escape from
his environment. He must therefore obey Nature's rules.”
― Albert Howard,
The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture
 When started?
Started during 1930s-1940s
Why started
As a reaction to agriculture’s growing reliance
on synthetic fertilizers
Current status?
As of 2011, worldwide about 37 million hectares of
land ( 0.9% of total farmland) were cultivated
organically which is more than threefold compared to
1999

Organic agriculture is practiced in 187 countries, and

72.3 million hectares of agricultural land were
managed organically by at least 3.1 million farmers.
Source: FiBL Survey 2021
 The AIMS of organic farming are

•To maintain long-term fertility of soil

•To effectively and economically utilize natural resources
•To avoid all forms of pollution caused by agriculture
•To provide safe and quality agricultural products

TO PRODUCE AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES THAT

ARE SUSTAINABLE AND HARMONIOUS WITH THE
ENVIRONMENT
 Principles of Organic farming
Principle of Health
Organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of
soil, plant, animal, human and planet as one and indivisible.

Principle of Ecology
Organic agriculture should be based on living ecological
systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help
sustain them.

Principle of Fairness
Organic agriculture should build on relationships that ensure
fairness with regard to the common environment and life
opportunities.
Principle of Care
Organic agriculture should be managed in a precautionary
and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being
of current and future generations and the environment.
 Components of Organic Farming
1. Organic manures
• Compost
• Farmyard manure
• Vermicompost
• Green manuring
• Crop residue
• Biofertilizer (N-fixing, phosphate solublizers and
mobilizers)
Example:Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum etc
2. Non-chemical weed control
•Prevention
•Cultural practices
•Mechanical practices
•Weed competitive variety
•Stale seedbed technique
•Biological management
•Bioherbicides/allelochemicals
3. Biological pest and disease management
•Conservation of natural enemies of pests
•Use of resistant variety
•Crop rotation
•Biopesticides
 DON’TS in organic farming
• Organic farming generally prohibits synthetic
pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, sewage sludge,
antibiotics, growth hormones, GMOs (genetically
modified organisms) or animal cloning etc.
• Animals are never fed the by-products of other
animals, synthetic drugs and are not kept constantly
caged indoors, without access to fresh air, or
opportunities to socialize with other animals
• Processed organic foods do not contain chemical
preservatives or synthetic additives like colorings
and waxe, synthetic food processing aids,
ingredients, and ionizing radiation etc.
Basic tools of organic farming

•Organic farming promotes the use of crop rotations

and cover crops, and encourages balanced
host/predator relationships.
• Organic residues and nutrients produced on the
farm are recycled back to the soil.
•Cover crops and composted manure are used to
maintain soil organic matter and fertility.
•Preventative insect and disease control methods are
practiced, including crop rotation, improved
genetics and resistant varieties.
•Integrated pest and weed management, and soil
conservation systems are valuable tools of an
organic farm.
 MERITS OF ORGANIC FARMING

1. Consumers’ benefits

• More nutritious: Organically grown foods are

dramatically superior in mineral content to that
grown by conventional method.
• Poison-free: Organic foods are free of health
hazardous chemicals
• More tasty: Organically produced fruits/ vegetables
are more tasty than conventionally grown ones.
• Food keeps longer: Organic foods are less susceptible
to rapid mold and rotting so can be stored longer.
2. Growers’ benefits

•Disease and pest resistance

•Weed competitiveness
•Drought resistance
•Lower input cost
•Added value/higher price of organic product
 LIMITATIONS
• Relatively low productivity
• Intensive tillage
• No scope of planting GM crops
• Labor intensive/time consuming
• Requires special skills
• Unavailability of organic farming tools ( manures,
bioferlilizers, bioherbicides, weed competitie variety)
• Marginal/poor farmers always go for short-term benefits
• Lack of approaches to promote organic farming
• Inadequate marketing channels/facilities
 Recommendations for adopting organic farming
• Establishment of commercial units to produce organic
fertilizers
• To increase availability of organic farming components like
biofertilizers, biopesticides etc
• Formation of organic farmers group
• Developing marketing channel/system for organic product
• Ensuring premium prices for organic prducts
• Building up farmers’ capacities through training, on-farm
trials
• Formulation of “National Organic Policy”
• Emphasis on organic farming research
• Establishment of organic certification authority
• Media have to play roles to increase consumers’ awareness
WHAT IS ORGANIC FOOD?

Food that is farmed in an environmentally sustainable

and socially responsible way, focusing on soil
regeneration, water conservation and animal welfare.
What is "Certified Organic"?
“Certified organic” is a term given to products
produced according to organic standards as certified by
one of the certifying bodies.

Farmers, processors and traders are each required to

maintain the organic integrity of the product and to
maintain a document trail for audit purposes.

Products from certified organic

farms are labeled and promoted
as “certified organic.”
 Organic farming in Bangladesh
The meaning of organic farming to farmers of Bangladesh is a practice in
which farmers manage their farm based on natural resources.
•To supply essential plant nutrients, farmers use cow dung; different
composts; legumes; green manure; crop residues; bio-fertilizer (Azolla,
Rhizobium, Azotobacter, etc.); ash; rice barn and husk; poultry litter;
biogas-slurry; and slaughter house wastages etc.
•For weed management, farmers apply mechanical practices instead of
herbicides.
•For controlling insects and diseases, they use different non-chemical
measures such as: Integrated Pest Management; mechanical measures
(e.g. hand net, light trap etc.); biological control (e.g. rearing of beneficial
insects and pathogens); and biopesticides (e.g. Nimidicide, tobacco
powder, Bishkanthali extract, chilli dust etc).
•Organic farmers and consumers rely on different natural inputs rather
than toxic hormones and preservatives for ripening fruits and storing
their seeds and other harvested crops (Sarker, 2010).
The Bangladesh Organic Products Manufacturers Association (BOPMA)
THANK YOU
Materials used in organic farming

1. Organic fertilizers
-Farmyard manure, compost, green manure, biological
nitrogen fixating (BNF) plants and other products of
organic origin are used as organic fertilizers instead of
chemical in organic farming.

-Moreover, decomposed dungs (1-2 weeks) plus certain

broad-leaf plant leaves area also used as top dressing to
vegetables.
Materials used in organic farming

2. Organic insecticides
Recipes of leaf, stem, shoot, root or bark of certain species
are used as insecticides in organic farming.
-Tomato leaves for grasshopper
-Basil leaves for aphids
-Garlic for aphid, grasshopper
3. Organic wastes
-Organic wastes are products, by-products or refuse of
organic origin (plant/animal/aquatics) produced through
-rural/urban production,
-consumption or processing having conventionally
little or no human-use value and considered as garbage or
waste materials.

-These are normally obtained in the food chain of human,

animals, plant and aquatics and finally used in the soil.