New studies show that long-term organically treated soils emit 40 percent less greenhouse gases per hectare than regular soils.

Agriculture accounts for about 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Soil emissions account for the largest share, especially in the form of nitric oxide.

The results of a long-term field experiment conducted by Dr. Andreas Gattinger from the University of Giessen showed that in organically cultivated areas, nitrogen oxide emissions per hectare were approximately 40 percent lower than in traditional field sites.

In terms of yield, the “biodynamic” system had the lowest emissions of nitric oxide, and the control treatment with “zero fertilization” had one of the highest. The corn crop showed no difference in nitrous oxide emissions between organic and traditional farming.

This conclusion is confirmed by the fact that important indicators of soil fertility, such as pH (soil acidity), organic matter in the form of humus and microbial biomass in soil, negatively correlated with emissions of nitric oxide. The results of the study should now be transferred to various soils, regions and cultivation systems through further long-term studies.