Bell pepper yield and soil properties during conversion from conventional to organic production in Indian Himalayas K.A. Gopinath b, *, Supradip Saha a , B.L. Mina a , Harit Pande a , A.K. Srivastva a , H.S. Gupta a a Vivekananda Institute of Hill Agriculture (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Almora, Uttarakhand 263 601, India b Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500 059, India 1. Introduction In the past five decades, the traditional knowledge and practices of organic farming have almost eroded from many parts of India due to influx of modern ‘‘green revolution’’ technologies. However, many communities particularly in the hill and mountain regions have sustained this knowledge. Hence, most of the cultivated area in north-western Himalayas of India has largely remained organic by default. In view of the renewed interest in organic farming and demand for organic products worldwide including India, these areas have vast potential to emerge as major suppliers of organic products. The world organic market is estimated at more than 30 billion Euros in 2006 (Willer and Yussefi, 2007). This organic market expansion makes it possible for farmers to sell their products at high price premiums. India’s National Program for Organic Production (NPOP) requires at least a two-year conversion period for annual crops before produce may be certified as organically grown. These two years pose many challenges, because the changes in the chemical, physical, and biological properties of the soil take time to reach an ecological balance. Several experimental transitional studies have reported initial lower yields, followed by yields similar to those of conventional production (Liebhardt et al., 1989; MacRae et al., 1993; Astier et al., 1994). Lower yields in the transition from conventional to organic production are expected, due to lower nutrient concen- tration and slower release rates of organic materials (Liebhardt et al., 1989; MacRae et al., 1993). Nutrient management is, therefore, one of the most critical management areas for organic Scientia Horticulturae 122 (2009) 339–345 ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 19 April 2008 Received in revised form 18 May 2009 Accepted 20 May 2009 Keywords: Crop yield Economics Organic conversion Organic farming Soil properties ABSTRACT A conversion period of at least two years is required for annual crops before produce may be certified as organically grown. There is a need for better understanding of the various management options for implementing from conventional to organic production. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of three organic amendments on growth and yield of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), the benefit:cost ratio, soil fertility and enzymatic activities during conversion to organic production. For that purpose six treatments were established: composted farmyard manure (FYMC, T 1 ); vermicompost (VC, T 2 ); poultry manure (PM, T 3 ) along with biofertilizers (BF) [Azotobacter + phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (Pseudomonas striata)] and mix of three amendments (FYMC + PM + VC + BF, T 4 ); integrated crop management (FYMC + NPK, T 5 ) and unamended control (T 6 ). The bell pepper yield under organic management was markedly lower (33–53% and 18–40% less in first and second year of conversion, respectively) than with the integrated crop management (FYMC 10 Mg ha À1 + NPK – 100:22:41.5 kg ha À1 ) treatment (T 5 ). Combined application of three organic amendments (FYMC 10 Mg ha À1 + PM and VC each 1.5 Mg ha À1 + BF, T 4 ) and T 1 produced similar but significantly higher bell pepper yield (27.9 and 26.1 Mg ha À1 , respectively) compared with other organic amendment treatments. Both T 4 and T 1 greatly lowered soil bulk density (1.15–1.17 Mg m À3 ), and enhanced soil pH (7.1) and oxidizable organic carbon (1.2–1.3%) compared with T 5 and unamended control (T 6 ) after a two-year transition period. However, the N, P and K levels were highest in the plots under integrated management. T 1 plots showed higher dehydrogenase activity values. However, acid phosphatase and b- glucosidase activities were higher in T 6 plots whereas urease activity was greater in T 5 plots compared with other treatments. Among the treatments involving organic amendments alone, T 1 gave a higher gross margin (US $ 8237.5 ha À1 ) than other treatments. We conclude that T 1 was found more suitable for enhancing bell pepper growth and yield, through improved soil properties, during conversion to organic production. ß 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Fax: +91 5962 231539. E-mail address: gopinath_ka@yahoo.com (K.A. Gopinath). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Scientia Horticulturae journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scihorti 0304-4238/$ – see front matter ß 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2009.05.016