| The sustainability of an organic stockless arable rotation on a fertile soil in eastern England was assessed from 1990 to 2005. The good water and nutrient holding characteristics of the silty clay loam soil were well suited to a stockless organic rotation. Fertility-building clover crops were the most difficult to establish, and failed completely in some years despite one or two re-sowings. Crop yields were good, particularly for cereals, with an average for winter wheat of 7 t ha-1. Crop yield did not show any particular trend with time; there was no evidence of either a post conversion adjustment period, or a fall in yield due to declining fertility. High organic crop prices in the 1990s, resulted in significantly higher gross margins than from... |
