Science and technology of organic farming / Allen V. Barker

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Organic farming is not only a philosophy; it is also a well-researched science. The second edition of The Science and Technology of Organic Farming presents the scientific basis of organic farming and the methods of application needed to achieve adequate yields through plant nutrition and protection.

Organic farming is a scientifically derived method of improving soil fertility to increase agricultural yields with limited chemical inputs. As such, it can meet public demand for reduced chemical inputs in agriculture and play a key role in meeting the needs of a growing world population. The new edition of this highly regarded book gives clear and comprehensive details on how soil fertility can be maintained and how plants can be nourished in organic agriculture.

Chapters on soil fertility and plant nutrition explain the chemistry of the plant, the soil, and the soil solution and outline the importance of plant macronutrients and micronutrients. The book offers practical information on using of green manures, composts and lime to maintain soil fertility; introduces methods of tillage of land; provides organic methods of controlling weeds, insects, and diseases; and suggests how food produce can be stored without refrigeration. The text provides information on how to assess and govern the nutritional status of crops and the fertility and condition of soil and presents guidelines, recommendations, and procedures for determining the best fertility recommendations for individual situations. This edition includes an entirely new chapter on hydroponics that explains organic approaches to hydroponic crop production.

With a full bibliography of references, this text is a practical guide for anyone interested in organic farming, from farmers and agricultural advisers to teachers, soil scientists, plant scientist, entomologists and students of other biological and environmental sciences.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. xiii)
• Author Biography (p. xv)
• Chapter 1 Definitions and Philosophies of Organic Farming (p. 1)
• History and Background (p. 1)
• Organic Materials Review Institute (Omri) Products List (p. 3)
• Other Concepts and Background (p. 4)
• Practices Related to Organic Fanning (p. 6)
• Biodynamic Fanning (p. 6)
• Permaculture (p. 7)
• Chapter 2 Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition (p. 9)
• Fertilizers (p. 11)
• Organic Fertilizers (p. 13)
• Analyses of Fertilizers (p. 16)
• Chapter 3 Requirements of Plants for Soil-Derived Nutrients (p. 19)
• Nitrogen (p. 19)
• Functions (p. 19)
• Effects of Nitrogen on Plant Growth and Quality (p. 20)
• Symptoms of Nitrogen Deficiency in Crops (p. 23)
• Amounts of Nitrogen Required by Crops (p. 25)
• Nitrogen Concentrations in Fertilizers (p. 29)
• Transformations of Nitrogen in Soil (p. 29)
• Forms of Nitrogen in Soil (p. 33)
• Immobilization of Nitrogen in Soil (p. 34)
• Phosphorus (p. 36)
• Functions (p. 36)
• Effects of Phosphorus on Plant Growth and Quality (p. 37)
• Symptoms of Phosphorus Deficiency in Plants (p. 38)
• Amounts of Phosphorus Required by Crops (p. 39)
• Phosphorus Concentrations in Fertilizers (p. 40)
• Recovery of Phosphorus from Fertilizers (p. 44)
• Increasing the Availability of Soil and Fertilizer Phosphorus (p. 46)
• Fate of Fixed Phosphorus (p. 47)
• Potassium (p. 49)
• Functions (p. 49)
• Effects of Potassium on Plant Growth and Quality (p. 51)
• Symptoms of Potassium Deficiency in Plants (p. 52)
• Amounts of Potassium Required by Crops (p. 52)
• Potassium-Containing Fertilizers (p. 54)
• Potassium in Soils (p. 56)
• Problems in Maintaining Fertile Levels of Potassium in Soil (p. 58)
• Management of Potassium Fertilization (p. 60)
• Calcium (p. 61)
• Function (p. 61)
• Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency in Plants (p. 61)
• Effects of Calcium on Plant Growth and Quality (p. 62)
• Effects of High Concentrations of Calcium in Soils (p. 64)
• Calcium Removal by Plants (p. 65)
• Calcium Concentrations in Fertilizers (p. 65)
• Magnesium (p. 66)
• Functions (p. 66)
• Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency in Plants (p. 67)
• Effects on Plant Growth and Quality (p. 68)
• Amounts of Magnesium Required by Crops (p. 68)
• Concentrations of Magnesium in Fertilizers (p. 68)
• Sulfur (p. 69)
• Functions (p. 69)
• Occurrences of Sulfur Deficiency in Plants (p. 70)
• Symptoms of Sulfur Deficiency in Plants (p. 71)
• Effects of Sulfur on Plant Growth and Quality (p. 71)
• Sulfur Removal by Crops (p. 71)
• Concentrations of Sulfur in Fertilizers (p. 72)
• Sulfur in Soils (p. 72)
• Minor Elements (p. 73)
• Iron (p. 73)
• Zinc (p. 76)
• Zinc in Soils (p. 76)
• Functions of Zinc in Plants (p. 77)
• Effects of Zinc on Plant Growth and Quality (p. 77)
• Fertilizers for Zinc (p. 78)
• Copper (p. 78)
• Copper in Soils (p. 78)
• Functions of Copper in Plants (p. 78)
• Effects of Copper on Plant Growth and Quality (p. 78)
• Fertilizers (p. 79)
• Manganese (p. 79)
• Manganese in Soils (p. 79)
• Function of Manganese in Plants (p. 79)
• Effects of Manganese on Plant Growth and Quality (p. 80)
• Fertilizers for Manganese (p. 80)
• Molybdenum (p. 80)
• Molybdenum in Soils (p. 80)
• Function of Molybdenum in Plants (p. 80)
• Fertilizers for Molybdenum (p. 81)
• Boron (p. 81)
• Boron in Soils (p. 81)
• Function of Boron in Plants (p. 82)
• Fertilizers for Boron (p. 82)
• Chlorine (p. 82)
• Chlorine in Soils (p. 82)
• Function of Chlorine in Plants (p. 83)
• Fertilizers for Chlorine (p. 83)
• Nickel (p. 83)
• Nickel in Soils (p. 83)
• Function of Nickel in Plants (p. 83)
• Beneficial Elements (p. 84)
• Chapter 4 Liming (p. 85)
• Liming Materials (Limes) (p. 86)
• Agricultural Limestones (p. 86)
• Mesh of Limestone (p. 89)
• Quicklime and Hydrated Lime (p. 89)
• Wood Ashes (p. 90)
• Management Related to Application of Limes (p. 91)
• Chapter 5 Management of Farm Manures (p. 95)
• Composition of Farm Manures (p. 96)
• Production of Farm Manures (p. 98)
• Handling of Farm Manures (p. 98)
• Storage of Manures (p. 99)
• Time for Application of Manures (p. 102)
• Benefits from Applications of Farm Manures to Land (p. 104)
• Objections to Manures (p. 106)
• Chapter 6 Composting (p. 109)
• Benefits of Applications of Composts to Land (p. 111)
• Procedures for Composting (p. 112)
• Selecting the Materials (p. 112)
• Selecting the Site (p. 114)
• Selecting the Process (p. 115)
• 14-day Process (p. 115)
• 90-day Process (p. 116)
• Sheet Composting (p. 119)
• Commercial Composts (p. 119)
• Chapter 7 Management of Green Manures (p. 121)
• Functions of Green Manuring (p. 121)
• Addition of Organic Matter (p. 121)
• Addition of Nitrogen (p. 121)
• Catch Crops (p. 123)
• Cover Crops (p. 123)
• Selection of a Crop for Green Manuring (p. 124)
• Incorporating the Green Manure Into the Soil (p. 126)
• Problems with Green Manures (p. 127)
• Chapter 8 Mulches (p. 131)
• Functions of Mulches (p. 131)
• Water Conservation (p. 131)
• Weed Control (p. 132)
• Temperature Regulation (p. 135)
• Other Uses of Mulches (p. 136)
• Sanitation (p. 136)
• Erosion Protection (p. 136)
• Ornament (p. 137)
• Insect Control (p. 137)
• Plant Nutrition (p. 137)
• Leaching Control (p. 137)
• Living Mulches (p. 137)
• Problems with Mulches (p. 138)
• Cost (p. 138)
• Wrong Application (p. 138)
• Packing (p. 138)
• Decomposition (p. 139)
• Plant Nutrition (p. 139)
• Mice and Other Varmints (p. 140)
• Fire (p. 140)
• Chapter 9 Tillage (p. 141)
• Preparation of Seedbeds (p. 141)
• Implements for Tillage (p. 142)
• Moldboard Plow (p. 142)
• Disks (p. 143)
• Disk Plow (p. 143)
• Rotary Tillers (p. 144)
• Minimum Tillage (p. 144)
• Conservation Tillage (p. 147)
• Intertillage of Crops (p. 147)
• Weed Control (p. 147)
• Soil Mulches (p. 147)
• Breaking of Crusts (p. 148)
• Chapter 10 Weed Control (p. 149)
• Crop Damage from Weeds (p. 149)
• Classification of Weeds (p. 150)
• Control of Weeds (p. 151)
• General Methods of Weed Control (p. 151)
• Mechanical (p. 151)
• Cropping (p. 151)
• Biological (p. 151)
• Chemical (p. 152)
• Specific Methods of Weed Control (p. 152)
• Cultivation (Tillage) (p. 152)
• Burning (p. 154)
• Mowing or Clipping (p. 155)
• Crop Rotation (p. 155)
• Mulching (See Chapter 8) (p. 155)
• Fertilization (p. 156)
• Biological Control (p. 157)
• Allelopathy (p. 157)
• Other Herbicides (p. 158)
• Chapter 11 Insect Control (p. 159)
• Crop Damage by Insects (p. 159)
• Methods of Insect Control (p. 160)
• Application of Organic Sprays and Dusts (p. 160)
• Sprays (see Table 11.1) (p. 161)
• Dusts (see Table 11.2) (p. 165)
• Toxicity of Insecticides (p. 168)
• Biological Control (see Table 11.4) (p. 168)
• Methods of Biological Control (p. 170)
• Cultural Control (see Table 11.5) (p. 174)
• Crop Management (p. 174)
• Physical Controls (p. 177)
• Barriers (p. 177)
• Traps (p. 181)
• Manual and Mechanical Control (p. 183)
• Insect-Resistant Varieties (p. 184)
• Plant Nutrition (p. 185)
• Chapter 12 Plant Diseases (p. 187)
• Causes of Diseases (p. 187)
• Spreading of Diseases (p. 188)
• Means of Spreading (p. 188)
• Infection with Diseases (p. 189)
• Control of Diseases (p. 190)
• Cultural Practices to Increase or Maintain Plant Resistance (p. 190)
• Chapter 13 Companion Planting (p. 201)
• Benefits of Companion Planting (p. 202)
• Insect Control (p. 202)
• Improvement of Soil Conditions (p. 203)
• Improvement of Product (p. 203)
• Thinning of Crops (p. 203)
• Weed Control (p. 204)
• Plans for Companion Planting (p. 204)
• Pitfalls of Companion Planting (p. 206)
• Chapter 14 Storage of Produce (p. 207)
• Storage Facilities (p. 207)
• Basements (p. 207)
• Cellars (p. 208)
• Outbuildings (p. 209)
• Pits (p. 210)
• Management of Storage Facilities (p. 211)
• Sanitation (p. 211)
• Temperature (p. 211)
• Humidity (p. 213)
• Handling of Produce (p. 213)
• Chapter 15 Hydroponics (p. 215)
• Nutrient Solutions (p. 216)
• Solid Media for Hydroponics (p. 221)
• Methods of Hydroponics (p. 229)
• Glossary (p. 235)
• Bibliography (p. 243)
• Index (p. 245)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Allen V. Barker is a Professor in The Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has over 55 years of experience in teaching and research in organic and conventional agriculture and has interests in soil fertility and plant nutrition. He was raised on a crop and livestock farm in southern Illinois, near where his family has farmed since 1800. He was graduated in an Agricultural Science major at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and received master's and doctoral degrees from Cornell University. He regularly teaches courses in organic farming, soil fertility, plant nutrition, and organic farming seminars at the University of Massachusetts. He is a retired farmer.