Pub Date : 2025-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127517
Francesco Ferrero, Ernesto Tabacco, Gabriele Rolando, Giorgio Borreani
Intensive dairy farming relies on large inputs of N fertilizer and on the off-farm nitrogen to sustain a high milk output per hectare, which leads to an overuse of N, and to a reduction of Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE). This multiyear study aims to verify, through a Living Lab approach, on two commercial dairy farms in the Northern Italy, the effect of planning and managing of a forage system on N balance and NUE. Two periods (3 years each) before and after the changes in the farm and forage management were considered. The introduction of legume crops, double cropping, winter crops, and the adoption of early cutting of forages coupled with an efficient conservation of forages, were adopted on the farms. These actions have improved the uptake potential of the crops and the recycling of N from livestock to the forage system and back again. Changes in forage system management allowed to increase the average dry matter yield and N uptake per hectare on both farms, mainly due to the contribution of alfalfa, Italian ryegrass, and corn harvested as high moisture silage. The N output from cash crops, forages, and N input from nitrogen fertilizers were reduced on both farms, while the input from biological N fixation was increased. This resulted in a reduction of around 30 % of N surplus on the farms, and in a higher N efficiency. This study shows that milk production could be intensified, and nitrogen surplus could be reduced by acting on the management of the forage system and of conservation techniques to improve feed self-sufficiency, and by relying on the introduction of legume crops and on a reduction of off-farm nitrogen, through a synergistic Living Lab approach.
{"title":"Integrated forage system reduces off-farm purchased nitrogen and limit surplus on intensive dairy farms in northern Italy","authors":"Francesco Ferrero, Ernesto Tabacco, Gabriele Rolando, Giorgio Borreani","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127517","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127517","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensive dairy farming relies on large inputs of N fertilizer and on the off-farm nitrogen to sustain a high milk output per hectare, which leads to an overuse of N, and to a reduction of Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE). This multiyear study aims to verify, through a Living Lab approach, on two commercial dairy farms in the Northern Italy, the effect of planning and managing of a forage system on N balance and NUE. Two periods (3 years each) before and after the changes in the farm and forage management were considered. The introduction of legume crops, double cropping, winter crops, and the adoption of early cutting of forages coupled with an efficient conservation of forages, were adopted on the farms. These actions have improved the uptake potential of the crops and the recycling of N from livestock to the forage system and back again. Changes in forage system management allowed to increase the average dry matter yield and N uptake per hectare on both farms, mainly due to the contribution of alfalfa, Italian ryegrass, and corn harvested as high moisture silage. The N output from cash crops, forages, and N input from nitrogen fertilizers were reduced on both farms, while the input from biological N fixation was increased. This resulted in a reduction of around 30 % of N surplus on the farms, and in a higher N efficiency. This study shows that milk production could be intensified, and nitrogen surplus could be reduced by acting on the management of the forage system and of conservation techniques to improve feed self-sufficiency, and by relying on the introduction of legume crops and on a reduction of off-farm nitrogen, through a synergistic Living Lab approach.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127517"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143055408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A current significant vineyard challenge is how other-than tillage soil management solutions can be implemented without incurring in major competition for water and nutrients with the consociated grapevines. Therefore, a three-year study was carried at two hilly sites (Sartori and Ottina) in Northern Italy to evaluate the impact of two novel winter cover crop terminations (interrow rolling, R, and sub-row mulching, SRM) on vine physiology and performance as compared to standard practice, either alternate tilled-grassed interrow and/or green manuring (GM). Moreover, at the Ottina site, cover crop sowing used two different seed mixtures: the cereal based Humusfert (HF) and the legume based Nitrofert (NF). Each season, in summer, soil and vine water status were measured as soil saturation degree (θs/θsat), pre-dawn (ΨPD) and midday leaf water potential (ΨMD), whereas gas exchange was monitored as leaf assimilation (A) and stomatal conductance (gs). At both sites, for data pooled over years, the amount of rolled dry biomass was lower than 650 g m−2 and R did not result in any significant variation of water status, gas exchange and vine performance versus the standard practice. Vice versa, at the Sartori site, the amount of mulched biomass under the row was quite abundant (1.517 g m−2 dry weight) and effective for weed suppression. SRM also maintained less negative ΨPD in the warmest part of 2022 and 2023 seasons without, however, greatly impacting leaf water status, gas exchange and vine performances. At Ottina, SRM assured, for data pooled over years, higher total soluble solids (TSS) and malic acid and lower pH than R suggesting that sugar accumulation and acid degradation were partially decoupled. At the same site, NF allowed to increase yield without any concurrent change in vigor with a consequent ripening delay in terms of lower TSS, pH and anthocyanins, and higher tartaric acid at harvest, a sought effects under a global warming scenario. It is also practically relevant that HF lowered berry [K] significantly vs. NF suggesting that it might be used as an additional control tool to limit K accumulation into the berries and, eventually, wine pH. Overall, while SRM had better performance than R in terms of weed suppression, soil water status and berry ripening, results can vary as a function of the type of seed mixture which, in turn, closely interacts with specific environmental conditions.
{"title":"Novel termination techniques of winter cover crops in the vineyard: Effects on physiology and performance of Pinot Noir and Malvasia di Candia aromatica grapevines","authors":"Leonardo Cunial , Irene Diti , Paolo Bonini , Rachele Patelli , Matteo Gatti , Gabriele Cola , Massimiliano Bordoni , Thi Ngoc Anh Nguyen , Claudia Meisina , Roberto Confalonieri , Livia Paleari , Stefano Poni","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127514","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A current significant vineyard challenge is how other-than tillage soil management solutions can be implemented without incurring in major competition for water and nutrients with the consociated grapevines. Therefore, a three-year study was carried at two hilly sites (Sartori and Ottina) in Northern Italy to evaluate the impact of two novel winter cover crop terminations (interrow rolling, R, and sub-row mulching, SRM) on vine physiology and performance as compared to standard practice, either alternate tilled-grassed interrow and/or green manuring (GM). Moreover, at the Ottina site, cover crop sowing used two different seed mixtures: the cereal based Humusfert (HF) and the legume based Nitrofert (NF). Each season, in summer, soil and vine water status were measured as soil saturation degree (θs/θsat), pre-dawn (Ψ<sub>PD</sub>) and midday leaf water potential (Ψ<sub>MD</sub>), whereas gas exchange was monitored as leaf assimilation (A) and stomatal conductance (g<sub>s</sub>). At both sites, for data pooled over years, the amount of rolled dry biomass was lower than 650 g m<sup>−2</sup> and R did not result in any significant variation of water status, gas exchange and vine performance versus the standard practice. Vice versa, at the Sartori site, the amount of mulched biomass under the row was quite abundant (1.517 g m<sup>−2</sup> dry weight) and effective for weed suppression. SRM also maintained less negative Ψ<sub>PD</sub> in the warmest part of 2022 and 2023 seasons without, however, greatly impacting leaf water status, gas exchange and vine performances. At Ottina, SRM assured, for data pooled over years, higher total soluble solids (TSS) and malic acid and lower pH than R suggesting that sugar accumulation and acid degradation were partially decoupled. At the same site, NF allowed to increase yield without any concurrent change in vigor with a consequent ripening delay in terms of lower TSS, pH and anthocyanins, and higher tartaric acid at harvest, a sought effects under a global warming scenario. It is also practically relevant that HF lowered berry [K] significantly vs. NF suggesting that it might be used as an additional control tool to limit K accumulation into the berries and, eventually, wine pH. Overall, while SRM had better performance than R in terms of weed suppression, soil water status and berry ripening, results can vary as a function of the type of seed mixture which, in turn, closely interacts with specific environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127514"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143152630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127521
Quanyi Hu , Jun Yang , Zhanpeng Chen , Xuelin Zhang , Chengfang Li
The economic benefits of rice–wheat (RW) and rice–oilseed rape (RO) rotation in China are low. By contrast, the rice–edible mushroom Stropharia rugosoannulata (RE) rotation yields significantly higher economic benefits than RW and RO rotations. Furthermore, RE rotation can avoid air pollution caused by rice straw burning and has been widely adopted in China. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how the rotation affects CH4 and N2O emissions and global warming potential. Herein, three rice-based rotations, including RW, RO and RE rotations, were conducted in central China. The RE rotation resulted in the lowest CH4 emission from the winter crop season as well as the lowest annual N2O emission from the rice seasons among the three rotations. Moreover, compared with the RW and RO rotations, the RE rotation significantly increased the soil organic carbon content by 30.2 % and 31.2 %, and the rice yield by 16.0 % and 17.0 %, respectively. Hence, the RE rotation significantly reduced the net global warming potential by 2008.4 % and 696.5 % compared with the RW and RO rotations, respectively. Furthermore, the RE rotation improved soil fertility compared with the other two rotations. Although the RE rotation required the highest agricultural input among the three rotations, it contributed to the highest net ecosystem economic profits owing to its highest agricultural income and lowest environmental damage cost. Thus, RE rotation is an effective rice-based rotation that can use rice straws to reduce the net global warming potential and increase economic benefits and soil fertility. Therefore, RE rotation may serve as an alternative strategy for achieving sustainable agricultural production in winter fallow areas of the rice-upland region in Yangtze River Basin, China.
{"title":"Rice-edible mushroom Stropharia rugosoannulata rotation mitigates net global warming potential while enhancing soil fertility and economic benefits","authors":"Quanyi Hu , Jun Yang , Zhanpeng Chen , Xuelin Zhang , Chengfang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127521","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127521","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The economic benefits of rice–wheat (RW) and rice–oilseed rape (RO) rotation in China are low. By contrast, the rice–edible mushroom <em>Stropharia rugosoannulata</em> (RE) rotation yields significantly higher economic benefits than RW and RO rotations. Furthermore, RE rotation can avoid air pollution caused by rice straw burning and has been widely adopted in China. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how the rotation affects CH<sub>4</sub> and N<sub>2</sub>O emissions and global warming potential. Herein, three rice-based rotations, including RW, RO and RE rotations, were conducted in central China. The RE rotation resulted in the lowest CH<sub>4</sub> emission from the winter crop season as well as the lowest annual N<sub>2</sub>O emission from the rice seasons among the three rotations. Moreover, compared with the RW and RO rotations, the RE rotation significantly increased the soil organic carbon content by 30.2 % and 31.2 %, and the rice yield by 16.0 % and 17.0 %, respectively. Hence, the RE rotation significantly reduced the net global warming potential by 2008.4 % and 696.5 % compared with the RW and RO rotations, respectively. Furthermore, the RE rotation improved soil fertility compared with the other two rotations. Although the RE rotation required the highest agricultural input among the three rotations, it contributed to the highest net ecosystem economic profits owing to its highest agricultural income and lowest environmental damage cost. Thus, RE rotation is an effective rice-based rotation that can use rice straws to reduce the net global warming potential and increase economic benefits and soil fertility. Therefore, RE rotation may serve as an alternative strategy for achieving sustainable agricultural production in winter fallow areas of the rice-upland region in Yangtze River Basin, China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127521"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143152631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The content of phenolic compounds in olive fruits is a matter of interest, not only because of their contribution to olive oil quality but also to their beneficial effects on human health. While some studies mention genetic and agronomic factors affecting the olive fruit phenolic composition, there is still a lack of information on the role of the environmental growth temperature. This study addresses the impact of different thermal regimes on hydrophilic phenol contents from two olive cultivars (Arbequina and Coratina) growing at several environments in Argentina. The variability associated with the growing environment was significant for all compounds analyzed; lower total phenol contents were associated with warmer environments. Verbascoside and oleuropein aglycone were the compounds reflecting more clearly this general tendency; their contents were approximately 2–3 fold lower in the warmest than in the coldest environment. To assess relationships between thermal records and phenolic contents, various models were tested; those including the thermal time showed the best fit. In general, data from cv. Arbequina showed better fit than those from cv. Coratina. As a summary, a genotype-associated response is suggested whereby the tested cultivars would have the ability to accumulate higher amounts of total and specific phenols when grown in cooler environments.
{"title":"Phenolic content and profile of olive fruits: Impact of contrasting thermal regimes in non-Mediterranean growing environments","authors":"Pierluigi Pierantozzi , Mariela Torres , Cibeles Contreras , Vitale Stanzione , Martín Tivani , Luciana Gentili , Valerio Mastio , Peter Searles , Magdalena Brizuela , Fabricio Fernández , Alejandro Toro , Carlos Puertas , Eduardo Trentacoste , Juan Kiessling , Marina Bufacchi , Fiammetta Alagna , Ornella Calderini , María Cristina Valeri , Luciana Baldoni , Damián Maestri","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127506","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127506","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The content of phenolic compounds in olive fruits is a matter of interest, not only because of their contribution to olive oil quality but also to their beneficial effects on human health. While some studies mention genetic and agronomic factors affecting the olive fruit phenolic composition, there is still a lack of information on the role of the environmental growth temperature. This study addresses the impact of different thermal regimes on hydrophilic phenol contents from two olive cultivars (Arbequina and Coratina) growing at several environments in Argentina. The variability associated with the growing environment was significant for all compounds analyzed; lower total phenol contents were associated with warmer environments. Verbascoside and oleuropein aglycone were the compounds reflecting more clearly this general tendency; their contents were approximately 2–3 fold lower in the warmest than in the coldest environment. To assess relationships between thermal records and phenolic contents, various models were tested; those including the thermal time showed the best fit. In general, data from cv. Arbequina showed better fit than those from cv. Coratina. As a summary, a genotype-associated response is suggested whereby the tested cultivars would have the ability to accumulate higher amounts of total and specific phenols when grown in cooler environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127506"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143020051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127513
Shuang Lei , Sajjad Raza , Annie Irshad , Yun Jiang , Ahmed Salah Elrys , Zhujun Chen , Jianbin Zhou
Inefficient nitrogen (N) utilizing cropping systems add substantial amount of unconsumed N fertilizer in the soil profile as residual N. High nitrate accumulation in the soil profile is detrimental to soil health and significantly contributes to groundwater pollution. This study investigated the long-term fate of residual N in the deep soil profile, including its contributions to crop yield and nitrogen recovery efficiency. A field experiment was carried out for seven years comprising winter wheat and summer maize as an annual rotation. For the initial two years (2015–2017) N fertilizer was applied at two rates (N340 including 160 kg N ha1 for wheat and 180 kg N ha1 for maize, N500 including 220 kg N ha1 for wheat and 280 kg N ha1 for maize) with and without nitrification inhibitor (dicyandiamide, DCD). While for the next five years (2017–2022) the crops were grown without N fertilization. N fertilization increased grain yield compared to control, and DCD addition caused additional increases in yield mainly at 500 kg N ha1. The yield did not decrease in the first year without fertilization but started to decrease considerably in later years. N fertilization increased grain N uptake by more than 100 % in all treatments in fertilized years and the first unfertilized year compared to control but decreased strongly in the second year without fertilization. The cumulative fertilizer N recovery did not differ among N fertilized treatments during fertilized years but increased strongly when N uptake under unfertilized years were incorporated. The cumulative fertilizer N recovery in N340 + DCD increased from 37 %–44 % in fertilized years to 74 %–80 % in unfertilized years. A substantial residual nitrate accumulation (237–489 kg N ha1) accumulated in the soil profile (0–200 cm) after two years of fertilization. Crops grown during unfertilized years fulfilled the majority of their N requirements from residual nitrate as indicated through considerable decrease in residual N accumulation (31 %–41 %) in the first unfertilized year. Soil N accumulation became less than 60 kg ha1 after growing crops without fertilization for four years with no difference among treatments including control. This study highlights that residual N is an important component of crop N uptake and should therefore be used to correct N application rates to avoid overuse of N fertilizers.
利用种植制度的低效氮肥使大量未消耗的氮肥在土壤剖面中作为残余氮添加。土壤剖面中硝酸盐的高积累不利于土壤健康,并显著导致地下水污染。本研究探讨了深层土壤剖面中残余氮的长期命运,包括其对作物产量和氮恢复效率的贡献。进行了为期7年的田间试验,其中冬小麦和夏玉米每年轮作一次。在前两年(2015-2017),施氮量为两种(N340,小麦施氮量为160 kg ,玉米施氮量为180 kg ,N500,小麦施氮量为220 kg ,玉米施氮量为280 kg ),有和没有硝化抑制剂(双氰胺,DCD)。而在接下来的五年(2017-2022年)里,这些作物在种植时不施用氮肥。与对照相比,施氮增加了籽粒产量,DCD的额外增加主要在500 kg N ha1。在不施肥的第一年产量没有下降,但在随后的年份开始明显下降。与对照相比,施氮在施肥年和未施肥第1年使各处理的籽粒吸氮量增加了100 %以上,但在未施肥的第二年则大幅下降。氮肥累积恢复率在各施肥处理间无显著差异,但在未施肥处理下结合氮素吸收时显著提高。N340 + DCD的累积氮肥回收率由施肥年的37 % ~ 44 %提高到未施肥年的74 % ~ 80 %。施肥2年后,土壤剖面(0 ~ 200 cm)中残留硝酸盐积累量显著(237 ~ 489 kg N ha1)。在未施肥年份生长的作物通过残余硝酸盐满足了大部分的氮需求,这表明在第一个未施肥年份,残余氮积累显著减少(31% % - 41% %)。作物不施肥4年后,土壤氮素积累量低于60 kg ha1,包括对照在内的处理间无差异。本研究强调,残氮是作物氮吸收的重要组成部分,因此应用于校正施氮量,以避免氮肥的过度使用。
{"title":"Long-term legacy impacts of nitrogen fertilization on crop yield, nitrate accumulation, and nitrogen recovery efficiency","authors":"Shuang Lei , Sajjad Raza , Annie Irshad , Yun Jiang , Ahmed Salah Elrys , Zhujun Chen , Jianbin Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127513","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127513","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inefficient nitrogen (N) utilizing cropping systems add substantial amount of unconsumed N fertilizer in the soil profile as residual N. High nitrate accumulation in the soil profile is detrimental to soil health and significantly contributes to groundwater pollution. This study investigated the long-term fate of residual N in the deep soil profile, including its contributions to crop yield and nitrogen recovery efficiency. A field experiment was carried out for seven years comprising winter wheat and summer maize as an annual rotation. For the initial two years (2015–2017) N fertilizer was applied at two rates (N340 including 160 kg N ha<sup><img>1</sup> for wheat and 180 kg N ha<sup><img>1</sup> for maize, N500 including 220 kg N ha<sup><img>1</sup> for wheat and 280 kg N ha<sup><img>1</sup> for maize) with and without nitrification inhibitor (dicyandiamide, DCD). While for the next five years (2017–2022) the crops were grown without N fertilization. N fertilization increased grain yield compared to control, and DCD addition caused additional increases in yield mainly at 500 kg N ha<sup><img>1</sup>. The yield did not decrease in the first year without fertilization but started to decrease considerably in later years. N fertilization increased grain N uptake by more than 100 % in all treatments in fertilized years and the first unfertilized year compared to control but decreased strongly in the second year without fertilization. The cumulative fertilizer N recovery did not differ among N fertilized treatments during fertilized years but increased strongly when N uptake under unfertilized years were incorporated. The cumulative fertilizer N recovery in N340 + DCD increased from 37 %–44 % in fertilized years to 74 %–80 % in unfertilized years. A substantial residual nitrate accumulation (237–489 kg N ha<sup><img>1</sup>) accumulated in the soil profile (0–200 cm) after two years of fertilization. Crops grown during unfertilized years fulfilled the majority of their N requirements from residual nitrate as indicated through considerable decrease in residual N accumulation (31 %–41 %) in the first unfertilized year. Soil N accumulation became less than 60 kg ha<sup><img>1</sup> after growing crops without fertilization for four years with no difference among treatments including control. This study highlights that residual N is an important component of crop N uptake and should therefore be used to correct N application rates to avoid overuse of N fertilizers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127513"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143020055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Even though weeds are recognized as one of the main causes of yield losses in organic crop production, breeding for varietal competitiveness is still rare. The objective of the present study was to run simulations with the mechanistic crop-weed model FlorSys to identify (1) variety-intrinsic parameters that make organic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) more competitive against weeds in organic conditions, and (2) wheat ideotypes, i.e., optimal combinations of wheat-parameter values to maximise yield, weed tolerance and weed suppression. FlorSys is based on an individual-based 3D canopy model, simulating daily crop-weed seed and plant dynamics over the years, depending on the cropping system and pedoclimate. The model includes three winter wheat varieties, and 20 virtual varieties were added by randomly combining variety-parameter values according to a Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) plan, respecting parameter ranges and correlations observed in the actual varieties. A global sensitivity analysis was run, using another LHS plan to combine wheat varieties, crop rotations and management techniques in 2800 contrasting organic cropping systems (e.g., undersowing with clover, no-till, type of weed flora) and 400 conventional systems. Average yield potential per variety was highly correlated to yield in the presence of weeds (R² = 0.79) but only slightly to weed tolerance, i.e., the opposite of yield loss due to weeds (R² = 0.10). Classification and regression trees (CART) identified parameters (notably, low pre-emergent seedling loss, fast post-emergence growth rate, late flowering) and their combinations that drive potential yield and competitiveness against weeds. If nitrogen and water were non-limiting after crop emergence, ideotypes that combine late flowering, late grain maturity and winter hardiness with early highly covering and homogeneous plant establishment, possibly to the detriment of root development, were the most relevant. If crop establishment was too late and/or unsatisfactory, a homogeneously tall canopy whose heavy plants presented a high harvest index was essential. No/low-till systems that rely primarily on mechanical weeding or herbicides needed early-emerging varieties with small/thick leaves and small plants per unit biomass to limit crop damage by weeding tools and improve herbicide penetration into the canopy, respectively. These results are suggestions for breeders and farmers to breed and choose wheat varieties for agroecological cropping systems aiming to better regulate weeds by biological interactions. Further research is needed to link model parameters to variables that could be measured routinely during breeding schemes.
{"title":"Tracking ideal varieties for agroecological weed management in organic wheat. A simulation study","authors":"Pierre Lebreton , Delphine Moreau , Rémi Perronne , Nathalie Colbach","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2024.127501","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2024.127501","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Even though weeds are recognized as one of the main causes of yield losses in organic crop production, breeding for varietal competitiveness is still rare. The objective of the present study was to run simulations with the mechanistic crop-weed model <span>FlorSys</span> to identify (1) variety-intrinsic parameters that make organic wheat (<em>Triticum aestivum</em> L.) more competitive against weeds in organic conditions, and (2) wheat ideotypes, i.e., optimal combinations of wheat-parameter values to maximise yield, weed tolerance and weed suppression. <span>FlorSys</span> is based on an individual-based 3D canopy model, simulating daily crop-weed seed and plant dynamics over the years, depending on the cropping system and pedoclimate. The model includes three winter wheat varieties, and 20 virtual varieties were added by randomly combining variety-parameter values according to a Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) plan, respecting parameter ranges and correlations observed in the actual varieties. A global sensitivity analysis was run, using another LHS plan to combine wheat varieties, crop rotations and management techniques in 2800 contrasting organic cropping systems (e.g., undersowing with clover, no-till, type of weed flora) and 400 conventional systems. Average yield potential per variety was highly correlated to yield in the presence of weeds (R² = 0.79) but only slightly to weed tolerance, i.e., the opposite of yield loss due to weeds (R² = 0.10). Classification and regression trees (CART) identified parameters (notably, low pre-emergent seedling loss, fast post-emergence growth rate, late flowering) and their combinations that drive potential yield and competitiveness against weeds. If nitrogen and water were non-limiting after crop emergence, ideotypes that combine late flowering, late grain maturity and winter hardiness with early highly covering and homogeneous plant establishment, possibly to the detriment of root development, were the most relevant. If crop establishment was too late and/or unsatisfactory, a homogeneously tall canopy whose heavy plants presented a high harvest index was essential. No/low-till systems that rely primarily on mechanical weeding or herbicides needed early-emerging varieties with small/thick leaves and small plants per unit biomass to limit crop damage by weeding tools and improve herbicide penetration into the canopy, respectively. These results are suggestions for breeders and farmers to breed and choose wheat varieties for agroecological cropping systems aiming to better regulate weeds by biological interactions. Further research is needed to link model parameters to variables that could be measured routinely during breeding schemes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127501"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143020054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127516
Feng Chang , Shanchao Yue , Shuai Li , Hui Wang , Yafei Chen , Wenjia Yang , Bingyan Wu , Haini Sun , Shiwen Wang , Lina Yin , Xiping Deng
Increasing soil carbon sequestration is one of the main measures to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agricultural systems, and straw-derived biochar returning has the potential to increase soil carbon sequestration and crop yield, mitigate GHG emissions, but its application is largely restricted due to the high input. It remains unclear whether periodic application of straw-derived biochar could effectively meet these challenges. To explore the appropriate mode of straw-derived biochar returning which aims to achieve the goal of increasing yield and carbon sequestration without reducing economic benefits, a 7-year site experiment was carried out to compare the effects of conventional tillage, wheat straw returning and straw-derived biochar returning on winter wheat yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) contents, GHG emissions and economic benefits on the Loess Plateau of China. The highest average yield over the 7-year experiment was found under straw biochar, and average yield over the 7-year experiment was increased by 9.94 % and 2.28 %, as compared with conventional tillage and wheat straw, respectively. Meanwhile, under straw biochar the SOC content was significantly increased by 24.61 % and 12.57 % than conventional tillage and wheat straw after 7 years (p < 0.05). In addition, compared to conventional tillage and wheat straw, straw biochar increased the annual cumulative CO2 emissions, but reduced the annual cumulative N2O emissions; the net global warming potential under straw biochar decreased by 7.7 and 1.1 times (p < 0.05), and the greenhouse gas emission intensity decreased by 8.6 and 1.6 times (p < 0.05), those were mainly due to the fact that straw biochar increased wheat yield and SOC, but reduced N2O emissions. The 5-year cumulative net income and cumulative net ecosystem economic benefits under straw biochar were significantly increased by 12.16 % and 20.27 % compared to the conventional tillage, while the 7-year net ecosystem economic benefits was comparable to the wheat straw (p < 0.05). Taken together, our results suggest that the application of straw-derived biochar every five years could effectively increase carbon sequestration and mitigate GHG emissions, while maintaining the income simultaneously. Therefore, that the periodic straw-derived biochar returning could be an effective approach in rainfed agriculture of dryland, considering both economic and environmental effects.
{"title":"Periodic straw-derived biochar improves crop yield, sequesters carbon, and mitigates emissions","authors":"Feng Chang , Shanchao Yue , Shuai Li , Hui Wang , Yafei Chen , Wenjia Yang , Bingyan Wu , Haini Sun , Shiwen Wang , Lina Yin , Xiping Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127516","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127516","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increasing soil carbon sequestration is one of the main measures to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agricultural systems, and straw-derived biochar returning has the potential to increase soil carbon sequestration and crop yield, mitigate GHG emissions, but its application is largely restricted due to the high input. It remains unclear whether periodic application of straw-derived biochar could effectively meet these challenges. To explore the appropriate mode of straw-derived biochar returning which aims to achieve the goal of increasing yield and carbon sequestration without reducing economic benefits, a 7-year site experiment was carried out to compare the effects of conventional tillage, wheat straw returning and straw-derived biochar returning on winter wheat yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) contents, GHG emissions and economic benefits on the Loess Plateau of China. The highest average yield over the 7-year experiment was found under straw biochar, and average yield over the 7-year experiment was increased by 9.94 % and 2.28 %, as compared with conventional tillage and wheat straw, respectively. Meanwhile, under straw biochar the SOC content was significantly increased by 24.61 % and 12.57 % than conventional tillage and wheat straw after 7 years (<em>p</em> < 0.05). In addition, compared to conventional tillage and wheat straw, straw biochar increased the annual cumulative CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, but reduced the annual cumulative N<sub>2</sub>O emissions; the net global warming potential under straw biochar decreased by 7.7 and 1.1 times (<em>p</em> < 0.05), and the greenhouse gas emission intensity decreased by 8.6 and 1.6 times (<em>p</em> < 0.05), those were mainly due to the fact that straw biochar increased wheat yield and SOC, but reduced N<sub>2</sub>O emissions. The 5-year cumulative net income and cumulative net ecosystem economic benefits under straw biochar were significantly increased by 12.16 % and 20.27 % compared to the conventional tillage, while the 7-year net ecosystem economic benefits was comparable to the wheat straw (<em>p</em> < 0.05). Taken together, our results suggest that the application of straw-derived biochar every five years could effectively increase carbon sequestration and mitigate GHG emissions, while maintaining the income simultaneously. Therefore, that the periodic straw-derived biochar returning could be an effective approach in rainfed agriculture of dryland, considering both economic and environmental effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127516"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143020053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-19DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127515
Gonzalo Parra, Lucas Borras , Brenda L. Gambin
Crop residue is an important component of the sustainability of agricultural production systems, and field comparative studies of residue decomposition across species and management practices are rare. Maize and sorghum are summer cereal options that compete for their acreage and are known to have contrasting harvest index. Our objective was to explore changes in residue amount, quality (assessed by residue total soluble carbohydrate concentration and C/N ratio), and decomposition rate of both crops. Our hypothesis was that sorghum leaves higher amounts of residue than maize after harvest, with decomposition rate differences among crops being negligible because the environmental context effect is a major component. We conducted field experiments in a temperate environment with maize and sorghum planted simultaneously. Sorghum crops were on average across conditions out-yielded by maize by 2.6 Mg ha−1, and left on average 2.2 Mg ha−1 more residue at harvest than maize. Sorghum residue decomposed at a significantly higher rate than maize (-4.6 vs −2.6 days−1 for sorghum and maize, respectively; p < 0.001). This is because the sorghum residue has a higher concentration of total soluble carbohydrates and a lower C/N ratio compared to maize. These residue quality traits were significantly affected by crop management. As a result of the differing rates of decomposition, both crops had similar amounts of residue after 90 days of fallow. Our findings highlight the importance of considering species and management variations in both the quantity and quality of crop residues when assessing their impact on soil fertility and carbon cycling, as these factors influence decomposition rates.
作物残茬是农业生产系统可持续性的重要组成部分,而跨物种和管理方法的残茬分解的实地比较研究很少。玉米和高粱是夏季谷物的选择,它们在种植面积上相互竞争,而且收获指数也存在差异。我们的目的是探讨两种作物的残渣量、质量(通过残渣总可溶性碳水化合物浓度和碳氮比来评估)和分解率的变化。我们的假设是,收获后高粱的残留物量高于玉米,作物之间的分解率差异可以忽略不计,因为环境影响是一个主要组成部分。我们在温带环境下进行了玉米和高粱同时种植的田间试验。在不同条件下,高粱作物的产量平均比玉米高出2.6 Mg ha - 1,收获时的残留物平均比玉米多2.2 Mg ha - 1。高粱腐渣分解速率显著高于玉米(-4.6 vs - 2.6 d - 1);p & lt; 0.001)。这是因为高粱渣的总可溶性碳水化合物浓度高于玉米,碳氮比较低。这些品质性状受作物管理的影响显著。由于分解速度不同,两种作物在休耕90天后的残留量相似。我们的研究结果强调了在评估作物秸秆对土壤肥力和碳循环的影响时考虑其数量和质量的物种和管理变化的重要性,因为这些因素影响分解速率。
{"title":"Sorghum leaves more residue with a higher decomposition rate than maize","authors":"Gonzalo Parra, Lucas Borras , Brenda L. Gambin","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Crop residue is an important component of the sustainability of agricultural production systems, and field comparative studies of residue decomposition across species and management practices are rare. Maize and sorghum are summer cereal options that compete for their acreage and are known to have contrasting harvest index. Our objective was to explore changes in residue amount, quality (assessed by residue total soluble carbohydrate concentration and C/N ratio), and decomposition rate of both crops. Our hypothesis was that sorghum leaves higher amounts of residue than maize after harvest, with decomposition rate differences among crops being negligible because the environmental context effect is a major component. We conducted field experiments in a temperate environment with maize and sorghum planted simultaneously. Sorghum crops were on average across conditions out-yielded by maize by 2.6 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>, and left on average 2.2 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup> more residue at harvest than maize. Sorghum residue decomposed at a significantly higher rate than maize (-4.6 vs −2.6 days<sup>−1</sup> for sorghum and maize, respectively; p < 0.001). This is because the sorghum residue has a higher concentration of total soluble carbohydrates and a lower C/N ratio compared to maize. These residue quality traits were significantly affected by crop management. As a result of the differing rates of decomposition, both crops had similar amounts of residue after 90 days of fallow. Our findings highlight the importance of considering species and management variations in both the quantity and quality of crop residues when assessing their impact on soil fertility and carbon cycling, as these factors influence decomposition rates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127515"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143020052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-18DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127510
Zhenya Lu , Siwen Zhang , Guohua Li , Yining Ge , Patrick Gesualdi Haim , Shay Mey-Tal , Hillel Magen , Chengdong Huang
Sulfur (S) deficiency is an increasingly significant constraint to plant growth all over the world. Application of S fertilizer becomes an inevitable approach to alleviate S deficiency and improve crop yield. However, there is still lack of quantitative assessment of yield potential of crops fertilized with S fertilizer. In this study, an integrated meta-analysis with 181 studies with 1162 comparisons was conducted to evaluate the effect of S fertilization on crop yield in China. The results showed that S fertilization could improve crop yield by an average of 8.2 %. The increase in yield of sugarcane (11.2 %), tea (10.5 %), oil crops (9.9 %) and vegetables (9.1 %) were higher than that of cereal (7.4 %). The effect of S fertilization on crop yield was 9.5 % when soil pH was less than 6. Under soil S deficiency (≤16 mg kg−1), crop yield improved 9.6 %, more than 30 % of yield in the adequate S soil (more than 30 mg kg−1). Among S fertilizer types, ammonium sulfate had the bigger yield-increasing effect with 10.3 % than other S fertilizers. The yield effect of S fertilizers was correlated with soil organic matter, with 10.8 % yield under the low soil organic matter (≤12 g kg−1), and 6.7 % yield increase under high soil organic matter (≥20 g kg−1). Additionally, it resulted in a higher yield of 7.7 % under high precipitation (>1000 mm) compared to a 5.4 % yield increase under low precipitation (≤1000 mm). This study demonstrates that S fertilization significantly improve crop yield, and provided great potentials for integrated S management based on the soil-crop-climate conditions for higher crop yield without additional NPK input in China.
{"title":"Sulfur fertilization contribute to China’s food security: A meta-analysis","authors":"Zhenya Lu , Siwen Zhang , Guohua Li , Yining Ge , Patrick Gesualdi Haim , Shay Mey-Tal , Hillel Magen , Chengdong Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127510","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127510","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sulfur (S) deficiency is an increasingly significant constraint to plant growth all over the world. Application of S fertilizer becomes an inevitable approach to alleviate S deficiency and improve crop yield. However, there is still lack of quantitative assessment of yield potential of crops fertilized with S fertilizer. In this study, an integrated meta-analysis with 181 studies with 1162 comparisons was conducted to evaluate the effect of S fertilization on crop yield in China. The results showed that S fertilization could improve crop yield by an average of 8.2 %. The increase in yield of sugarcane (11.2 %), tea (10.5 %), oil crops (9.9 %) and vegetables (9.1 %) were higher than that of cereal (7.4 %). The effect of S fertilization on crop yield was 9.5 % when soil pH was less than 6. Under soil S deficiency (≤16 mg kg<sup>−1</sup>), crop yield improved 9.6 %, more than 30 % of yield in the adequate S soil (more than 30 mg kg<sup>−1</sup>). Among S fertilizer types, ammonium sulfate had the bigger yield-increasing effect with 10.3 % than other S fertilizers. The yield effect of S fertilizers was correlated with soil organic matter, with 10.8 % yield under the low soil organic matter (≤12 g kg<sup>−1</sup>), and 6.7 % yield increase under high soil organic matter (≥20 g kg<sup>−1</sup>). Additionally, it resulted in a higher yield of 7.7 % under high precipitation (>1000 mm) compared to a 5.4 % yield increase under low precipitation (≤1000 mm). This study demonstrates that S fertilization significantly improve crop yield, and provided great potentials for integrated S management based on the soil-crop-climate conditions for higher crop yield without additional NPK input in China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127510"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143151468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-18DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2025.127518
Antonio Pulina , Davide Cammarano , Francesca Piseddu , Lisa Deiana , Alberto Sassu , Alessandro Deidda , Filippo Gambella , Giovanna Seddaiu , Pier Paolo Roggero
Remote sensing with Unpiloted Aerial Systems can provide information on the Nitrogen status of forage crops more quickly than destructive sampling techniques, which are not compliant with the need for fast and sustainable methodologies to support farmers’ decisions on livestock feeding. The study aimed to assess a remote sensing algorithm based on the Canopy Chlorophyll Content Index (CCCI) and the Canopy Nitrogen Index (CNI) to predict the canopy N content of forage crops under Mediterranean rainfed conditions. A dataset from a two-year field experiment on four forage crops, as both pure stands and mixtures, under two different mowing intensities was used to calculate CNI from plant N concentration and aboveground biomass. Multispectral data from an Unpiloted Aerial System were collected during the two-year cropping system to calculate CCCI. The N canopy content was then predicted based on the relationship between CNI and CCCI. A good agreement (RMSD = 4.72 g m−2, d = 0.92; P < 0.001) between the predicted and observed N canopy content (g m−2 of N) was found. The estimation of canopy N content improved under high cover of rigid ryegrass (RMSD = 5.56 g m−2, index of agreement = 0.95) and in frequently mowed plots. Overall, the agreement between observed and predicted N content improved under the threshold of 12.4 g m−2. The N content of different forage crops can be predicted from the remote-sensed CCCI starting from N dilution curves. The prediction accuracy is influenced by the mowing intensity and the differences in the relative abundance of species, and it is limited over a threshold of N corresponding to a high biomass level. The results can represent a basis for developing decision support tools for livestock farmers for a real-time field estimation of the forage quality in extensively managed grasslands. Further insights are needed to assess the predictive ability in relation to the relative abundance of legumes in mixtures and above the saturation threshold.
{"title":"Predicting the nitrogen content of mediterranean forage crops: A remote sensing approach","authors":"Antonio Pulina , Davide Cammarano , Francesca Piseddu , Lisa Deiana , Alberto Sassu , Alessandro Deidda , Filippo Gambella , Giovanna Seddaiu , Pier Paolo Roggero","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127518","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127518","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Remote sensing with Unpiloted Aerial Systems can provide information on the Nitrogen status of forage crops more quickly than destructive sampling techniques, which are not compliant with the need for fast and sustainable methodologies to support farmers’ decisions on livestock feeding. The study aimed to assess a remote sensing algorithm based on the Canopy Chlorophyll Content Index (CCCI) and the Canopy Nitrogen Index (CNI) to predict the canopy N content of forage crops under Mediterranean rainfed conditions. A dataset from a two-year field experiment on four forage crops, as both pure stands and mixtures, under two different mowing intensities was used to calculate CNI from plant N concentration and aboveground biomass. Multispectral data from an Unpiloted Aerial System were collected during the two-year cropping system to calculate CCCI. The N canopy content was then predicted based on the relationship between CNI and CCCI. A good agreement (RMSD = 4.72 g m<sup>−2</sup>, d = 0.92; P < 0.001) between the predicted and observed N canopy content (g m<sup>−2</sup> of N) was found. The estimation of canopy N content improved under high cover of rigid ryegrass (RMSD = 5.56 g m<sup>−2</sup>, index of agreement = 0.95) and in frequently mowed plots. Overall, the agreement between observed and predicted N content improved under the threshold of 12.4 g m<sup>−2</sup>. The N content of different forage crops can be predicted from the remote-sensed CCCI starting from N dilution curves. The prediction accuracy is influenced by the mowing intensity and the differences in the relative abundance of species, and it is limited over a threshold of N corresponding to a high biomass level. The results can represent a basis for developing decision support tools for livestock farmers for a real-time field estimation of the forage quality in extensively managed grasslands. Further insights are needed to assess the predictive ability in relation to the relative abundance of legumes in mixtures and above the saturation threshold.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 127518"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143151467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}