Types of compost preparation in biodynamic farming and their impact on soil and yield from wheat and einkorn

Dina Atanasova, Mladen Naydenov, Vasilina Maneva

Abstract: The experiment was conducted in the period 2015-2017, in the biologically certified experimental
field of Institute of Agriculture – Karnobat, Bulgaria. Biodynamic agriculture is spread over an area of 2 ha, with 1 ha of cereals and 1 ha of pea as a precursor. Standard biodynamic preparations have proven their worth and are used in all biodynamic farms around the world. The new, alternative formulations of Maria Thun have not yet been studied. The aim of the study is to compare the two types of biodynamic compost preparations and to take into account their impact on soil and yield from wheat and einkorn. Standard compost biodynamic preparations (E502, E503, E504, E505, E506, E507) have been found to significantly increase the biological activity of the compost in which the compost is applied and the soil in which the compost is applied. This has a positive effect on the yield of wheat and einkorn, which is higher when using standard biodynamic preparations.
Alternative biodynamic preparations have been shown to have lower potency than standard biodynamic preparations.

Keywords: biodynamic farming; compost preparations; einkorn; wheat

Date published: 2019-12-02