Researchers in Spain trying to tackle organic fraud have managed to use nitrogen isotopic discrimination to determine if non-organic, synthetic fertilisers were used on sweet pepper plants.
“Isotopic discrimination has demonstrated that we can successfully identify fraud if synthetic N fertilizers are used in the organic production of sweet peppers,” said research leader Francisco del Amor. “However, further studies including the effects of different soil characteristics, climate, and biotic or abiotic stress could be useful in determining the proper interval of 15N-values to exclude non-organic fertilisation practices for certification policies.”
They also found that regardless of the organic manure used, no additional fertilisation - synthetic or organic - is required before 106 days after transplanting.
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