Biodynamic agriculture was the first ecological farming system to arise in response to commercial fertilizers and specialized agriculture after turn of last century; It is an advanced organic farming system that is gaining increased attention for its emphasis on food quality and soil health. In practice, the main difference between biodynamic agriculture and organic is the use of cosmic. rhythms and the use of so-called biodynamic preparations.
Cosmic rhythms mean that the light of the sun, moon, and planets influence plants in regular patterns. By recognizing the effect of each rhythm, such as planting by phases of the moon, farming operations could be timed to the advantage of the crops being raised. Thun developed what may be called the "Thun theory" whereby crops were differentiated into the four categories of root (e.g., potatoes, radish), leaf (e.g. lettuce, spinach) flower and fruit/seed (Thun 1991, 1999,2001) Since her work was first published there have been supporters and detractors, popular and more rigorously considered who have made their own trails and evaluated her work. Kollerstrom and staudenmaier in 2001 reviewed both supportive and dismissive research and concluded that following careful re- analysis, the evidence demonstrated that the results confirmed the earlier findings that the sidereal rhythm does indeed effect germination and growth in the way described by Thun and biodynamic sowing and planting calendar. Various biodynamic calendars are published around the world based on Thun work. In such calendars planting and harvest times are suggested for optimal growth and quality development of the plant part affected. In the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA) the biodynamic calendar published annually by Maria Thun is used (Thun and Thun, 2005). |
