Dave
One has to a 'member'to get access to this
article.
Any chance of a copy and paste on it/
cheers
Glen A
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 24, 2002 7:26
AM
Subject: Science article on BD
For those interested in objective science
reporting see http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/296/5573/1694?ijkey=Fh/EYrZtSiFKc&keytype=ref&siteid=sci European
researchers examined several ag systems including BD. "Organic" and BD are
pretty similar in yield, lower than conventional ag, but with less inputs so
that profits are comparable. What is interesting is the pronounced difference
between BD and "organic" regarding soil microbiota. Both have better organic
structure due to use of compost but BD shows some dramatic differences in the
bio-activity level of the soil. The lower yields are a disappointment -- one
could wish they had tested for food quality rather than just quantity. I also
wonder if the BD practices could have been improved, given that they report
Phytophtora blight on the "organic" and BD potatoes
contributed to lower yield. In contrast, grain yield was 90% of
conventional
==================== David Robison
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