This is the Study 1 of the project "Development and Assessment of Organic Production Management Technologies for Rice-based and Upland Agroecosystem".

This study will be conducted in two separate farms, one from formerly conventional rice-based and the other from upland agroecosystem. Different combinations of organic and inorganic fertilizers will be evaluated but combination rates will be modified per year with gradual increase in OF while gradual decrease in inorganic fertilizer until such rate is fully organic. Full organic conversion is hypothesized to be attained from 3 to 5 years or when no longer discernible significant different in yield as against to conventional.

The cropping pattern for rice-based will rice followed by six different crops. These six crops are known and identified as the most common crops planted by farmers in the locality. Upland cropping patterns will also be identified considering the most practiced/common in the locality.

The cropping patterns to be evaluated under rice-based ecosystem will be the following:

For the purpose of identifying the most probable duration for organic conversion, different combinations and rates of organic and inorganic fertilizers are designed in a manner that such combination or rate changes every year until it reaches full application of organic. For a more meaningful result, this transitional scheme is observed side by side with treatments such as full organic and inorganic fertilizer with control (no fertilizer application).

The following data will be monitored and gathered from each cropping pattern:

Determined the best combination rate of organic and inorganic fertilizer during the conversion/transition period.

Best transitional combination rate based on yield performance, transitional duration, soil properties, economic return and other relevant data.