Soil Fertility Management for Organic Crops

Growers need sound information to guide their management decisions on organic vegetable production practices in California, yet specific information is scarce. The Organic Vegetable Production in California Series consists of publications written by farm advisors and specialists from the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Each publication addresses a key aspect of organic production practices applicable to all vegetable crops.

Coffee pulp accelerates early tropical forest succession on old fields

Applying nutrient-rich agricultural by-products, such as fruit peels and pulp, to degraded land has been proposed as a strategy to overcome a number of barriers to tropical forest recovery. While such linkages between agroindustry and restoration represent win–win scenarios, practical applications remain largely unexplored. In this case study, we tested coffee pulp as an amendment to catalyze forest succession on post-agricultural land in southern Costa Rica.