Soil Fertility in Organic Farming: A Review

ABSTRACT

Organic farming has been an alternative to regular farming. The organic wastes are utilized in this practice rather than fertilizers and pesticides. Microbes act as bio fertilizers in order it enhance production with minimum losses, which is the main objective of organic practice. Soil profile is primary focus in organic farming. Symbiotic relationships of microorganisms contribute in retaining the nutrients. The strategies like composting are done to make soil richer in more nutrients, in order to give more output than the usage of synthetic applicants. Recent evidences have found the association of microbial abundance and activity at greater extent in organic agriculture. This in turn is responsible for enhancing the mineralisation capacity of soil. There are various indicators or biomarkers for the measurement of abundance or activity which has been designed, such as qPCR, PLFA, in which soil microbial community size is evaluated. Herbicide free conservation tillage has been proved for the effective farming practices.

Keywords: Organic farming, soil, fertility, soil-nutrient