Soil Management and Fertilization

Protecting the long-term fertility of our soils and ensuring their responsible use are among the general objectives of organic production. Accordingly, in organic crop production, soil management and cultivation practices are used that preserve or increase soil organic matter, enhance soil stability and biodiversity, and prevent soil compaction and soil erosion.

Article 9 of the Turkish Regulation on the Principles and Implementation of Organic Agriculture, published in the Official Gazette No. 27676; sets out the rules for soil protection, preparation, and fertilization.

In organic crop production, unnecessary soil tillage or practices that may cause soil erosion are not allowed.

Soil fertility and biological activity are ensured by the methods listed below.

• Cultivation of legumes and deep-rooted plants within a perennial crop rotation program, or the practice of green manuring.
• The use of animal manure or organic materials from organic production, preferably both composted, is permitted. To prevent agricultural nitrogen from causing water pollution, the total amount of animal manure used in organic crop production may not exceed 170 kg/N/ha/year. This limit applies only to the use of farmyard manure, dried farmyard manure, dried poultry manure, composted animal excrement, composted farmyard manure including poultry manure, and liquid animal manure.
  Soil contamination should not be caused by direct runoff or leakage in animal manure storage areas, please take care.
• The use of biodynamic preparations is permitted.
• Nitrogen fertilizers obtained by chemical methods shall not be used.

If, despite the above measures, sufficient soil fertility and biological activity cannot be achieved, the Fertilizers, Soil Conditioners, and Nutrients Permitted in Organic Farming, listed in Annex I of the Regulation shall be used. In this context, records demonstrating the necessity of product use must be kept by the operator.

• For compost activation, suitable non-genetically modified plant-based preparations or microorganism preparations are used.
• To improve soil conditions and the availability of nutrients in soil or plants, non-genetically modified microorganism preparations, generally permitted in Turkish agricultural production, are used.

For the production, import, and marketing of organic fertilizers and soil improvers, after obtaining authorization and documentation from the Ministry, certification must be obtained from an authorized body by the operator producing, importing, or marketing such products.

For the production and import of organic fertilizers and soil improvers not defined in the annexes of the Regulation on the Production, Import, Export, and Marketing of Organic, Organomineral Fertilizers and Soil Conditioners, and Microbial, Enzyme-Containing, and Other Organic-Based Products Used in Agriculture, published in the Official Gazette No. 28956 dated 29/3/2014, but included in Annex I of the Regulation, certification must be obtained from an authorized body following approval by the Ministry, by the operator producing, importing, or marketing such products. Based on this certification, a document will be issued by the Ministry for the marketing of these products.

We strongly recommend that you read our article titled “Organic Fertilizer – Confusion with Organic Certified Fertilizer.”

Additionally, please remember: Certificates for fertilizers and soil conditioners are issued only under the Turkish Organic Farming Regulation and by control bodies authorized within this scope. Certification of such products under regulations such as the European Union or the United States National Organic Program (USDA-NOP) is not possible.

Even if commercial fertilizers and soil conditioners planned for use hold a valid and up-to-date certificate under the Turkish Organic Farming Regulation, operators must consult the control body before use to obtain approval of their suitability. The control body will request certain documents from the operator intending to apply the product (e.g., registration certificate, heavy metal analysis report, etc.). The list and conditions of use for fertilizers, soil conditioners, and nutrients permitted under the Turkish Organic Farming Regulation are not identical to those published in the new European Union Organic Farming Regulation or the United States National Organic Program (USDA-NOP), and there may also be differences between the EU and USDA-NOP. In fact, some standards specify the percentage of commercial fertilizers allowed. Especially operators certified under multiple regulations or standards must pay greater attention to this issue and seek prior approval from the control body, since non-compliance may be issued in certification if the commercial product does not conform to the relevant regulation or standard.

Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labeling of organic products addresses soil management and fertilization in Annex II, Part I, 1.9. According to this:

1.9.2. Soil fertility and biological activity shall be maintained and increased by the following methods:

(a) by the use of multiannual crop rotation including mandatory leguminous crops
as the main or cover crop for rotating crops and other green manure crops;

(b) in the case of greenhouses or perennial crops other than forage, by the use of short-term green manure crops and legumes as well as the use of plant diversity; and

(c) in all cases, by the application of livestock manure or organic matter, both preferably composted, from organic production.

In the case of greenhouses or perennial crops other than forage, the use of plant diversity, as well as short-term green manure crops and legumes, is a new rule introduced by Regulation (EU) 2018/848, and attention should be paid to this matter.

1.9.3. Where the nutritional needs of plants cannot be met by the above-mentioned measures, only fertilizers and soil conditioners permitted for use in organic production under Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 shall be used to the extent necessary. Operators shall keep records of the use of those products, including the date or dates on which each product was used, the
name of the product, the amount applied and the crop and parcels concerned.

Fertilizers and soil conditioners permitted for use in organic production under Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 are listed in Annex II of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1165 on the authorization and establishment of lists of certain products and substances permitted in organic production.

 Regulation (EU) 2021/1165 – Annex II (products and substances permitted in organic production)

Products listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2021/1165 may only be used in accordance with the specifications of the relevant EU and national legislation, usage restrictions, and the restrictive conditions indicated in the right-hand column of the tables in Annex II.

The currency of national legislation must be checked, as it may not be updated simultaneously with the relevant EU legislation. Therefore, evaluation of commercial fertilizers and soil conditioners by the control body prior to their use is important for full compliance with EU organic farming rules.

1.9.4. In conversion and organic production units, the total amount of animal manure used shall not exceed 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare per year on the agricultural area where it is used.

On this subject, we recommend reviewing our practical information page ‘Animal Manure Calculation.’

Mineral nitrogen fertilizers shall not be used. Biodynamic preparations may be used.

For more details, see Annex II, Part I, 1.9 of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 and Regulation (EU) 2021/1165.

Also, you may access the FiBL Organic Farming Research Institute page listing inputs compliant with Regulation (EU) 2018/848 via the link: https://www.inputs.eu/input-search.html. However, as always, please remember that approval from the control body must be obtained before using such products.

The United States Department of Agriculture National Organic Program (USDA-NOP) addresses soil fertility and nutrient management in § 205.203, and significant differences exist compared to other regulations. For example:

Raw (uncomposted, fresh) which must be composted unless it is:

• Applied to land used for a crop not intended for human consumption;
• Incorporated into the soil not less than 120 days prior to the harvest of a product whose edible portion has direct contact with the soil surface or soil particles; or
• Incorporated into the soil not less than 90 days prior to the harvest of a product whose edible portion does not have direct contact with the soil surface or soil particles.

Composted plant and animal materials produced through a process that:

• Established an initial C:N ratio of between 25:1 and 40:1; and
• Maintained a temperature of between 131 °F and 170 °F for 3 days using an in-vessel or static aerated pile system; or
• Maintained a temperature of between 131 °F and 170 °F for 15 days using a windrow composting system, during which period, the materials must be turned a minimum of five times.

The producer must not use:

• Any fertilizer or composted plant and animal material that contains a synthetic substance not included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production (see § 205.600);
• Sewage sludge (biosolids); and
• Burning as a means of disposal for crop residues produced on the operation.

For use in organic production, all liquid fertilizers with a nitrogen content above 3% must be approved by a material review program (NOP-accredited certification bodies with expertise in this area and the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)), see NOP 5012.

According to USDA-NOP, there are numerous NOP guidance documents available to assist in evaluating the suitability of commercial fertilizers planned for use. For this purpose, we recommend reviewing the NOP guidance document list.

According to USDA-NOP, you may also access the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) page listing materials evaluated and certified for suitability at: https://www.omri.org/omri-lists. However, please  remember to obtain approval from the control body before using any input.