Soil fertility in organic farming systems – fundamentally different?

The debate over whether soil fertility is fundamentally different in organic farming systems than in conventional systems is discussed. Soil fertility is the result of physical, chemical, and biological processes that provide nutrients, water, aeration, and stability to plants. Some components of fertility change very slowly (over rotation or decadal time scales) and should be distinguished from those that make short-term contributions (e.g., fertilizer or manure additions). The term inherent fertility describes characteristics that are stable yet respond to soil management practices. Nutrient management is fundamentally different between organic and conventional farming systems, but the basic soil fertility/nutrient cycling processes are the same (though their relative importance and rates may differ). Nutrient reserves are more important in organically managed soils than in conventionally managed soils receiving fertilizer inputs.