Research Article

Wheat quality in organic and conventional farming: results of a 21 year field experiment

  1. Paul Mäder1,*,
  2. Diana Hahn1,2,
  3. David Dubois3,
  4. Lucie Gunst3,
  5. Thomas Alföldi1,
  6. Hans Bergmann2,
  7. Michael Oehme4,
  8. Renato Amadò5,
  9. Hanna Schneider5,
  10. Ursula Graf6,‡,
  11. Alberta Velimirov7,†,
  12. Andreas Fließbach1,
  13. Urs Niggli1

Article first published online: 22 MAY 2007

DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.2866

Issue

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

Volume 87, Issue 10, pages 1826–1835, 15 August 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

Mäder, P., Hahn, D., Dubois, D., Gunst, L., Alföldi, T., Bergmann, H., Oehme, M., Amadò, R., Schneider, H., Graf, U., Velimirov, A., Fließbach, A. and Niggli, U. (2007), Wheat quality in organic and conventional farming: results of a 21 year field experiment. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 87: 1826–1835. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.2866

Author Information

  1. 1

    Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland

  2. 2

    Faculty of Biology and Pharmacy, Institute of Science of Nutrition, Friedrich Schiller University, Dornburgerstrasse 25, DE-07743 Jena, Germany

  3. 3

    Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station ART, Reckenholzstrasse 191, CH-8046 Zurich, Switzerland

  4. 4

    Department of Chemistry, Organic Analytical Chemistry, University of Basle, Neuhausstrasse 31, CH-5057 Basle, Switzerland

  5. 5

    ETH Zurich, Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland

  6. 6

    Research Institute of Vital Quality, Tösstalstrasse 38, CH-8623 Wetzikon 3, Switzerland

  7. 7

    Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Biological Agriculture and Applied Ecology, Rinnböckstrasse 15, A-1110 Vienna, Austria

  1. †

    FiBL Austria, Theresianumgasse 11/1, A-1040 Vienna, Austria

  1. ‡

    Former name: Ursula Balzer-Graf

*Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 27 JUN 2007
  2. Article first published online: 22 MAY 2007
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 20 SEP 2006
  4. Manuscript Revised: 21 JUN 2006
  5. Manuscript Received: 13 JAN 2006

Funded by

  • Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture

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Keywords:

  • wheat quality;
  • organic farming;
  • conventional farming;
  • wheat constituents;
  • mycotoxins;
  • food preference tests

Abstract

Consumers have become more aware of healthy and safe food produced with low environmental impact. Organic agriculture is of particular interest in this respect, as manifested by 5.768 million hectares managed pursuant to Council Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 in Europe. However, there can be a considerable risk that the avoidance of chemical inputs in organic farming will result in poor food quality. Here the results of a study on the quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in a 21 year agrosystem comparison between organic and conventional farming in central Europe are reported. Wheat was grown in a ley (grass/clover) rotation. The 71% lower addition of plant-available nitrogen and the reduced input of other means of production to the organic field plots led to 14% lower wheat yields. However, nutritional value (protein content, amino acid composition and mineral and trace element contents) and baking quality were not affected by the farming systems. Despite exclusion of fungicides from the organic production systems, the quantities of mycotoxins detected in wheat grains were low in all systems and did not differ. In food preference tests, as an integrative method, rats significantly preferred organically over conventionally produced wheat. The findings indicate that high wheat quality in organic farming is achievable by lower inputs, thereby safeguarding natural resources. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry

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