Soil fertility is one of the main themes of the quality mark On the way to PlanetProof. Within this theme, it is required to realise a positive organic matter balance (OM balance). An organic matter balance shows the amount of organic matter supply required to compensate for the decomposition of soil organic matter.

International update

For the calculation of the OM balance, there is an online calculation tool as developed by the Dutch Nutrient Management Institute (NMI) on behalf of SMK. So far, this tool was only available in Dutch. Due to the internationalisation of On the Way to PlanetProof, NMI has now translated the tool into English and made several adjustments for the application of the Tool in Southern Europe. For example, the decomposition rate of organic matter in the soil is adjusted, due to the higher soil temperature in Southern Europe. In addition, several new crops have been added to the database: citrus fruit, peach, nectarine, apricot, melon, and watermelon.

The new internationally applicable calculation tool OM balance is available at: www.om-balance.org. The menu allows one to select the English or Dutch version. In addition, when importing company data, a choice can be made for the region of Southern Europe. Use of the new tool is recommended instead of the old version. The old version of the tool will remain accessible for some time to prevent the loss of the data entered.