Konkuk University, Seoul · October 5–7, 2016

Natural Science Farming Symposium 2016

A day of talks in Seoul, then two days on the farms. 23 talks, three languages. Master Cho's students from ten countries showed what natural farming did on their fields, from Afghan potatoes to Hawaiian macadamias. Every talk is translated, checked line by line, and boiled down to what was tested and what happened.

Read what it all adds up to →

Also on the record: Hilo 2015

Topics microbes soil economics pigs poultry rice history corn food scale disease feed health minerals protectors reproduction Clear

4 talks on “yield”

Ahmad Jawid Zamany ·Afghanistan ·14 min

Natural-Farmed Tomatoes Fruited a Week Sooner, Yielded More

A one-season tomato trial (cv. Sunglove) in Paju compared Natural Science Farming, organic and conventional plots. The natural plots started slower but ended with taller plants, more leaves, longer roots, first harvest about a week earlier and the highest marketable yield: 3.80 kg per plant against 3.42 organic and 3.12 conventional. They also scored lower for blossom end rot and insect damage and higher for taste and appearance.

Found Highest marketable yield: 3.80 kg/plant vs 3.42 organic and 3.12 conventional

fruit quality microbes pests tomato yield

Ahmad Jawid Zamany ·Afghanistan ·6 min

Natural Eggplant: More Fruit, Fewer Insects, Keeps Longer

The companion to the speaker's tomato trial: eggplant (cv. Black Horse) in Paju under Natural Science Farming, organic and conventional systems, same design. The natural plots gave the most marketable fruit, 4.08 kg per plant against 3.56 organic and 3.1 conventional, had far fewer insects, and their fruit took longer to spoil and scored higher for taste and Brix. One season, small plots.

Found Most marketable fruit: 4.08 kg/plant vs 3.56 organic and 3.1 conventional

eggplant fruit quality microbes pests shelf life yield

Baryalai Malekzada ·Afghanistan ·17 min

Reproduction (WCA) on the Soil Lifted Potato Yield 63%

A potato trial at Paju, March to July 2016, grown with natural farming solutions throughout, tested ten ways of giving Reproduction (water-soluble calcium, WCA): on the soil, on the leaves, or both, at three strengths. The strongest soil dose gave the top yield, 40.7 t/ha against 25.03 for no calcium, and the heaviest tubers. Calcium on the leaves alone did little for yield; soil and leaf together built the most foliage.

Found Strongest soil dose (T4) gave the top yield: 40.7 t/ha vs 25.03 with no calcium

microbes phosphorus potato reproduction soil yield

Zacheous Kazibwe ·Uganda ·8 min

Farm-Made Microbes Beat Commercial EM on Peanuts

A one-season peanut trial at Konkuk's Paju test farm compared solid Microbes (IMO4), liquid Microbes (IMO4 in water), commercial EM and a water-only control. Both IMO treatments gave more pods, heavier seed, far more root nodules and higher soil microbe counts. Solid IMO4 gave the top yield, 2,816 kg/ha, against 1,904.6 for EM and 1,674.8 for the control.

Found Solid IMO4 gave the highest yield, 2,816 kg/ha

legumes microbes peanut soil yield