Conversão de um cafezal convencional em orgânico: um estudo de caso

Abstract

This research work on farming investigation was conducted in São Sebastião do Paraíso County, Minas Gerais State, a Brazilian southeastern region. A conversion process started in November, 1996 in 1,0ha of one-year-old arabic coffee plantation, Rubi cultivar, spaced 2,0x0,7m, where half part of this area was switched to an organic management during three years and the remain was kept as conventional. Higher amount and diversity of soil microrganisms and soil fauna was observed in the organic system. In the third year, crop production cost 8% less and coffee yielded 66.6% less in an organic system. The major difficult in conducting an organic coffee crop for higher yield was the lack of information for alternative management to control pest and plant diseases.