ABSTRACT
Organic farming is basically a holistic management system, which promotes and improves the health of the agro-ecosystem related to biodiversity, nutrient biocycles, soil microbial and biochemical activities. Biodynamic farmers make use of cover crops for dynamic accumulation of soil nutrients, nematode control, soil loosening, and soil building in addition to the commonly recognized benefits of cover crops like soil protection and nitrogen fixation. Cover crop strategies include under sowing and catch cropping as well as cover crops and summer green manures. Crop rotation - the sequential planting of crops is honed to a fine level in biodynamic farming. In addition to beneficial associations, companion planting increases biodiversity on the farm which leads to a more stable agroecosystem. The fact remains that biodynamic farming is practiced on a commercial scale in many countries and is gaining wider recognition for its contributions to organic farming, food quality, community supported agriculture, and qualitative tests for soils and composts.
