2012 Volume 4 Issue 1-2 Pages 53-66
Farming practices for sustainable agriculture to promote coexistence between humans and nature should focus not only on replacing the chemicals used in farming but also on re-designing the agro-ecosystem to maximize the ecological, economic and social synergies among them, and to minimize the conflicts. Soil management with the no- tillage, weed-cover and low-input farming system provides a matrix with positive ecological qualities for biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study focused on farming practices and soil nutrient dynamics in an agricultural field where the no-tillage with weed-cover and low-input system was practiced for 11 years in Ibaraki prefecture. The field showed significantly higher soil organic carbon content compared with conventional farming fields where chemical fertilizer had been applied. In no-tillage with weed cover fields, soil inorganic nitrogen contents were significantly higher in the 0-2.5 cm soil layer compared with deeper soil layers. This result suggested that accumulated weed cover residues enhanced soil organic carbon accumulation and soil nutrients. The vegetables that were harvested from this field showed relatively higher ascorbic acid and sugar content compared with conventional ones. These results suggested that the no-tillage with weed-cover and low-input system has a great potential for establishing a low-input organic farming system.
