Argall Family wrote:
> Amy wrote
>
> "Avery: I, also, am in favor of irradiation. I am particularly in favor of
> it for organic food that is grown when it is grown with the assistance of
> manure, because that involves a serious bacterial risk, and the irradiation
> would eliminate that."
>
> Amy, certified organic food, at least in Australia, should not be grown in
> manure. Manures must go through some adequate (time or temperature)
> composting process to deal with pathogens. I think that we, as organisms who
> are 10% dry weight microorganisms ourselves, should try to move away from
> the marketing perspective that a world without microbes is a real world or a
> safe world. The issue is of overall plant health and nutrition and of a
> microorganism environment which is on balance beneficial, supporting larger
> organism (plants or people) which are robust and vigorous at the cellular
> level and resistant to immune disorder. I agree with a focus of your
> message, that there is nothing special about replacing chemical fertilisers
> with 'natural' fertilisers. The focus of organic growing has to be well away
> from that. The focus needs to move from the plant to the soil. Only in a
> really healthy and lively soil will a plant with vitality grow. In a real
> sense, the origins of life are around us every moment in the soil, in the
> intimacy of association and the complexity of the boundaries between mineral
> derived molecules, bacteria and fungi, and plant root fibres. As in the
> intestine, the symbiotic relationships are essential to health of the
> organism. It is sensible really, to look at our own dependence on plants,
> and on animals better equipped than we are to digest plants, as part of the
> whole symbiotic package. And note that parasitism is really a sub-set of
> symbiosis - it is not always easy to say that a given microorganism (or a
> given bug, or person in a community) is just a dangerous factor or one which
> has a role of value from some perspectives. When overall ecological balance
> is weakened, when organisms are subjected to environmental stresses,
> opportunistic organisms may have destabilising effects. The purpose of
> organic growing, in an ecologically supportive sense, is not to fight
> individual bugs, but to strengthen whole ecologies.
>
> Dennis
>
> The Australian National Standard
> for Organic and Bio-dynamic Produce
> .Second Edition
> Organic Produce Advisory Committee, Australian Quarantine and Inspection
> Service
> Copyright ISBN 0-646-35460-4
>
> "3.2 The aims outlined above are achieved through management practices that
> create soils of enhanced biological activity, as determined by the humus
> level, crumb structure and feeder root development, such that plants are fed
> through the soil ecosystem and not primarily through soluble fertilisers
> added to the soil. Plants grown in organic systems take up nutrients that
> are released slowly from humus colloids, at a rate governed by warmth. In
> this system, the metabolism of the plant and its ability to assimilate
> nutrients is not overstressed by excessive uptake of soluble salts in the
> soil water (such as nitrates). Therefore the development of soil structure
> is fundamental to organic farming systems. Organic farming systems rely to
> the maximum extent feasible upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal
> manures [but on this, Amy, see 3.9 below], legumes, green manures,
> mechanical cultivation, approved mineral-bearing rocks and aspects of
> biological pest management to maintain soil productivity and tilth, to
> supply plant nutrients and to control diseases, insects, weeds and other
> pests...
>
> "3.9 The fertility and the biological activity of the soil must be
> maintained or increased by any combination of the following methods:
> - cultivation of legumes, green manures or perennial deep-rooting plants in
> an appropriate rotation programme;
> - sheet composting using animal manures must go through two green manure
> crops before the area is used for small crops;
> - fully composted organic matter derived from selected sources as listed in
> Annex IB;..."
>
> Annex B does not allow fresh manure:
>
> "B. Permitted materials for use in Soil Fertilising and Soil Conditioning
>
> Substances Specific conditions
> slurry from certified sources
> aerobic compost compost is the conversion of organic
> anaerobic compost materials into humus colloids
> straw
> mined carbon-based products such as peat, or coal
> blood and bone, fish meal, hoof and horn meal,
> or other waste products from fish or animal processing
> seaweed or seaweed meal
> plant and animal derived by-products of the food and textile industries
> sawdust, bark and wood waste from untreated sources
> basic slag only after residue testing for heavy metals
>
> dolomite and lime from natural sources
> gypsum (calcium sulphate) from natural sources
> calcined or rock phosphate and other crushed mineral bearing rocks
> excluding those minerals which are more than 20% soluble
> phosphoric guano
> rock potash and sulphate potash
> wood ash from untreated sources
> sulphur
> clay, bentonite
> attapulgite
> perlite
> trace elements includes materials such as borax
> natural chelates are acceptable, eg ligno sulphonates not synthetically
> chelated elements and those using the natural chelating agents such as
> citric, maleic, tartaric and other di- and tri- acids
> homoeopathic preparations
> approved microbiological and biological preparations
> naturally occurring biologicalorganisms (eg worms and worm castings)
> excluding products derived from genetic modification technology
> fish products
> zeolites
> vermiculite
> potassium glauconite"
>
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