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Alcon F, Albaladejo-García JA, Martínez-García V, Rossi ES, Blasi E, Lehtonen H, Martínez-Paz JM, Zabala JA. Cost benefit analysis of diversified farming systems across Europe: Incorporating non-market benefits of ecosystem services. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169272. [PMID: 38141994 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
Crop diversification can enhance farm economic sustainability while reducing the negative impact on the environment and ecosystem services related. Despite the market and non-market benefits of crop diversification, monocropping is a widely used dominant practice in Europe. In this context, this works aims to assess the overall economic impact of several crop diversification systems across Europe and compared it to the monocropping system. For this purpose, an economic valuation by integrating market and non-market values for eight case studies distributed across three different European pedoclimatic regions (Southern Mediterranean, Northern Mediterranean and Boreal) is proposed. The economic valuation was conducted both in the short and medium-long term. For the short-term we conducted a social gross margin analysis, while for the medium-long term a cost-benefit analysis is developed. The results show an improvement in social gross margins for most of the diversification scenarios assessed when environmental and socio-cultural benefits are considered in the short-term. In the medium and long-term the transformation of cropping towards a more diversified agriculture is encouraged by greater economic benefits. These results provide a first insight in global economic performance of diversified cropping systems, whose main contribution relies on the integration of market and non-market values of ecosystem services from crop diversification. They are expected to be useful for guiding policy makers to promote crop diversification practices as a key instrument for building resilience in farming systems for an adaptive management to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Alcon
- Departamento de Economía de la Empresa, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
| | - Jose A Albaladejo-García
- Departamento de Economía de la Empresa, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain; Departamento de Economía Aplicada, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Victor Martínez-García
- Departamento de Economía de la Empresa, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
| | - Eleonora S Rossi
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo del Lellis snc, Viterbo 01100, Italy
| | - Emanuele Blasi
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo del Lellis snc, Viterbo 01100, Italy
| | - Heikki Lehtonen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, PL 2, 00791 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jose M Martínez-Paz
- Departamento de Economía Aplicada, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Jose A Zabala
- Departamento de Economía Aplicada, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
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Pramanick B, Kumar M, Naik BM, Singh SK, Kumar M, Singh SV. Soil carbon-nutrient cycling, energetics, and carbon footprint in calcareous soils with adoption of long-term conservation tillage practices and cropping systems diversification. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169421. [PMID: 38128664 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Calcareous soils, comprising vast areas in northern and eastern parts of India, are characterized by low soil organic carbon (SOC) with high free CaCO3 that results in low nutrient bioavailability with poor soil structure. Improvement of this soil can be achieved with conservation tillage with residue retention coupled with diversification of cropping system including legumes, and oilseeds in the system. Concerning all these, a long-term experiment was carried out in the calcareous soils having low organic carbon and high free CaCO3 (∼33 %) with varied tillage practices, viz. permanent bed with residue (PB), zero tillage with residue (ZT), and conventional tillage without residue (CT); and cropping systems viz. maize-wheat-greengram (MWGg), rice-maize (RM), and maize-mustard-greengram (MMuGg) during 2015-2021. From this study, it was observed that PB and ZT resulted in ∼25-30 % increment in SOC compared to the initial SOC, while CT showed a 4 % decrease in the SOC. Conservation tillage practices also resulted in better soil aggregation and favourable bulk density of the soil. Furthermore, PB and ZT practice exhibited 10-13 %; 15-18 %; 11-15 %; 40-60 %, 20-36 %, and 23-45 % increments in the soil available N, P, K, soil microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase activity, and urease activity, respectively over those under CT. Crop diversification with the inclusion of legume and oilseed crops (MMuGg, and MWGg) over cereal-dominated RM systems resulted in better soil health. Maize equivalent yield and energy use efficiency (%) were also found to be the maximum under PB, and ZT, in combination with the MMuGg system. ZT and PB also reduced the carbon footprint by 465 and 822 %, respectively over CT by elevating SOC sequestration. Hence, conservation tillage practices with residue retention coupled with diversification in maize-based cropping systems with mustard and greengram can improve soil health, system productivity, and energetics, and reduce the carbon footprint in calcareous soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biswajit Pramanick
- Department of Agronomy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa 848125, Bihar, India.
| | - Mritunjay Kumar
- Department of Agronomy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa 848125, Bihar, India
| | - Banavath Mahesh Naik
- Department of Agronomy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa 848125, Bihar, India
| | - Santosh Kumar Singh
- Department of Soil Science, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa 848125, Bihar, India
| | - Mukesh Kumar
- Department of Agronomy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa 848125, Bihar, India
| | - Shiv Vendra Singh
- Department of Agronomy, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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Yang X, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Niu Y, Christie P, Chen J, Hu H, Chen Y. Optimizing cropping systems to close the gap between economic profitability and environmental health. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:2498-2512. [PMID: 37846026 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Supporting food security while maintaining ecosystem sustainability is one of the most important global challenges for humanity. Optimization of cropping systems is expected to promote the ecosystem services of agroecosystems. Yet, how and why cropping system influences the trade-offs between economic profitability and multiple ecosystem services remain poorly understood. We investigate the influence of six cropping systems on trade-offs between economic profitability and multiple ecosystem services after considering 36 agricultural ecosystem properties using field experiment data from 2020 to 2022. We show that designing cropping system is a critical tool to closing the gap between ecosystem sustainability and commercial profitability. Cropping system with three harvests within 2 yr had higher performance in overall ecosystem multiple services through enhancement of supporting, regulating, and economic performance without compromising provisioning compared with four other systems. These systems diminished the trade-off among multiple services, resulting in a 'win-win' situation for economics and multiple services. By contrast, the monoculture and double cropping systems lead to a strong trade-off between pairwise services including ecosystem health and profitability. Our work illustrates the substantial potential of rotation systems with three harvests within 2 yr in enforcing ecosystem services and closing the trade-offs among multiple agricultural ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Yang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistémico, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Ave Reina Mercedes 10, E-41012, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Yuxuan Niu
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Peter Christie
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Ji Chen
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, 8830, Tjele, Denmark
| | - Hangwei Hu
- School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3010, Australia
| | - Yongliang Chen
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
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Scheper J, Badenhausser I, Kantelhardt J, Kirchweger S, Bartomeus I, Bretagnolle V, Clough Y, Gross N, Raemakers I, Vilà M, Zaragoza-Trello C, Kleijn D. Biodiversity and pollination benefits trade off against profit in an intensive farming system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2212124120. [PMID: 37399410 PMCID: PMC10334771 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212124120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Agricultural expansion and intensification have boosted global food production but have come at the cost of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Biodiversity-friendly farming that boosts ecosystem services, such as pollination and natural pest control, is widely being advocated to maintain and improve agricultural productivity while safeguarding biodiversity. A vast body of evidence showing the agronomic benefits of enhanced ecosystem service delivery represent important incentives to adopt practices enhancing biodiversity. However, the costs of biodiversity-friendly management are rarely taken into account and may represent a major barrier impeding uptake by farmers. Whether and how biodiversity conservation, ecosystem service delivery, and farm profit can go hand in hand is unknown. Here, we quantify the ecological, agronomic, and net economic benefits of biodiversity-friendly farming in an intensive grassland-sunflower system in Southwest France. We found that reducing land-use intensity on agricultural grasslands drastically enhances flower availability and wild bee diversity, including rare species. Biodiversity-friendly management on grasslands furthermore resulted in an up to 17% higher revenue on neighboring sunflower fields through positive effects on pollination service delivery. However, the opportunity costs of reduced grassland forage yields consistently exceeded the economic benefits of enhanced sunflower pollination. Our results highlight that profitability is often a key constraint hampering adoption of biodiversity-based farming and uptake critically depends on society's willingness to pay for associated delivery of public goods such as biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen Scheper
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AAWageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Isabelle Badenhausser
- Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Prairies Plantes Fourragères, Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement, F-86600Lusignan, France
| | - Jochen Kantelhardt
- Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Economics, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, 1180Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Kirchweger
- Studienzentrum für Internationale Analysen–Schlierbach, Studienzentrum für Internationale Analysen, 4553Schlierbach, Austria
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-41092Sevilla, Spain
| | - Vincent Bretagnolle
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372, Centre national de la recherche scientifique & Université de La Rochelle, F-79360Villiers-en-Bois, France
- Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research platform « Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre », 79360Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Yann Clough
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, 22362Lund, Sweden
| | - Nicolas Gross
- Université Clermont Auvergne, l’Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, VetAgro Sup, Unité Mixte de Recherche 212 Ecosystème Prairial, F-63000Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Ivo Raemakers
- Independent amateur entomologist, 6247CGGronsveld, The Netherlands
| | - Montserrat Vilà
- Estación Biológica de Doñana – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-41092Sevilla, Spain
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Facultad de Biología, University of Sevilla, 41012Sevilla, Spain
| | - Carlos Zaragoza-Trello
- Estación Biológica de Doñana – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-41092Sevilla, Spain
| | - David Kleijn
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AAWageningen, The Netherlands
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Brentjens ET, Bratt AR. Beneath the surface: spatial and temporal trends in water quality and its impacts on algal community composition in the Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. AQUATIC ECOLOGY 2023; 57:243-262. [PMID: 37223620 PMCID: PMC10016187 DOI: 10.1007/s10452-023-10008-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Urban and agricultural expansion and intensification pose a critical threat to water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Increased nutrient loading into waterways combined with warming temperatures due to climate change have increased eutrophication and algal blooms. The relationship between land use, nutrient availability, and algal growth can vary dramatically across space and time, but few studies have captured this variation. The goal of this research is to assess water quality across time and disparate land uses, and its influence on algal community composition in the Albemarle Sound, a brackish water estuary in North Carolina. We collected water quality data from 21 sites across the sound, visiting six sites in Chowan County biweekly and 15 other sites twice between June and August 2020. Water samples from each site were tested for nitrate, phosphate, ammonia, bicarbonate, and total phosphorus (TP). Preserved algal samples from the six Chowan County sites were enumerated under a microscope to estimate genus richness and biomass. In the Chowan County sites, phosphorus increased and nitrate decreased over the course of the summer. Across all sites, TP increased with development and agricultural land use. These results suggest that sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in the sound differ. Algal richness increased with nitrate concentration and decreased with precipitation while biomass increased with water temperature. Our results indicate that climate change impacts, particularly increasing temperatures and extreme precipitation, influence how land use, water quality, and algal community composition interact. These data demonstrate the co-benefits of mitigating climate change in developing management strategies to reduce algal blooms. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10452-023-10008-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma T. Brentjens
- Department of Environmental Studies, Davidson College, Davidson, NC USA
| | - Anika R. Bratt
- Department of Environmental Studies, Davidson College, Davidson, NC USA
- Department of Environmental Studies, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN USA
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6
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Latif A, Sun Y, Noman A. Herbaceous Alfalfa plant as a multipurpose crop and predominant forage specie in Pakistan. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1126151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Fodder crops play an important role in agriculture as they deliver food for animals, which is eventually converted to food for humans. All over the world, Alfalfa has had utmost importance for a few decades, not only as a fodder crop due to having high nutritional value for dairy farming but also being positively involved in many health-related and environmental affairs. Medicinally, it helps in controlling diseases such as arthritis, cholesterol, anemia, and cardio-related illnesses. Furthermore, like other cereal crops (wheat, rice, corn, etc.), it could also be a great source of several healthy nutrients for humans when the proper quantity is added to daily meals. However, unlike other nations of the world such as America, China, and India, Pakistan does not utilize it directly in human meals. This crop also has eco-friendly behavior since it controls soil erosion by binding the soil particles together and makes atmospheric nitrogen available to the plants by fixing it in the soil. Other uses include its role in water purification, improved pollination, and most importantly, its tolerance against water, salt, and temperature stress, making its position even stronger in arid and semi-arid areas. This review will draw researchers' attention to its multiple uses other than fodder crop and most importantly, its nutritional availability at a very low cost, which could prove nothing short of a miracle for the economy if properly mediated.
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Brighenti TM, Gassman PW, Schilling KE, Srinivasan R, Liebman M, Thompson JR. Determination of accurate baseline representation for three Central Iowa watersheds within a HAWQS-based SWAT analyses. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 839:156302. [PMID: 35640760 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Improving food systems to address food insecurity and minimize environmental impacts is still a challenge in the 21st century. Ecohydrological models are a key tool for accurate system representation and impact measurement. We used a multi-phase testing approach to represent baseline hydrologic conditions across three agricultural basins that drain parts of north central and central Iowa, U.S.: the Des Moines River Basin (DMRB), the South Skunk River Basin (SSRB), and the North Skunk River Basin (NSRB). The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) ecohydrological model was applied using a framework consisting of the Hydrologic and Water Quality System (HAWQS) online platform, 40 streamflow gauges, the alternative runoff curve number method, additional tile drainage and fertilizer application. In addition, ten SWAT baselines were created to analyze both the HAWQS parameters (baseline 1) and nine alternative baseline configurations (considering the framework). Most of the models achieved acceptable statistical replication of measured (close to the outlet) streamflows, with Nash-Sutcliffe (NS) values ranging up to 0.80 for baseline 9 in the DMRB and SSRB, and 0.78 for baseline 7 in the NSRB. However, water balance and other hydrologic indicators revealed that careful selection of management data and other inputs are essential for obtaining the most accurate representation of baseline conditions for the simulated stream systems. Using cumulative distribution curves as a criterion, baselines 7 to 10 showed the best fit for the SSRB and NSRB, but none of the baselines accurately represented 20% of low flows for the DMRB. Analysis of snowmelt and growing season periods showed that baselines 3 and 4 resulted in poor simulations across all three basins using four common statistical measures (NS, KGE, Pbias, and R2), and that baseline 9 was characterized by the most satisfactory statistical results, followed by baselines 5, 7 and 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tássia Mattos Brighenti
- Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
| | - Philip W Gassman
- Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
| | - Keith E Schilling
- Iowa Geological Survey, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States.
| | - Raghavan Srinivasan
- Departments of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States.
| | - Matt Liebman
- Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
| | - Jan R Thompson
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
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Senanayake S, Pradhan B, Huete A, Brennan J. Spatial modeling of soil erosion hazards and crop diversity change with rainfall variation in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150405. [PMID: 34582866 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The spatial variation of soil erosion is essential for farming system management and resilience development, specifically in the high climate hazard vulnerable tropical countries like Sri Lanka. This study aimed to investigate climate and human-induced soil erosion through spatial modeling. Remote sensing was used for spatial modeling to detect soil erosion, crop diversity, and rainfall variation. The study employed a time-series analysis of several variables such as rainfall, land-use land-cover (LULC) and crop diversity to detect the spatial variability of soil erosion in farming systems. Rain-use efficiency (RUE) and residual trend analysis (RESTREND) combined with a regression approach were applied to partition the soil erosion due to human and climate-induced land degradation. Results showed that soil erosion has increased from 9.08 Mg/ha/yr to 11.08 Mg/ha/yr from 2000 to 2019 in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. The average annual rainfall has increased in the western part of the Central Highlands, and soil erosion hazards such as landslides incidence also increased during this period. However, crop diversity has been decreasing in farming systems, namely wet zone low country (WL1a) and wet zone mid-country (WM1a), in the western part of the Central Highlands. The RUE and RESTREND analyses reveal climate-induced soil erosion is responsible for land degradation in these farming systems and is a threat to sustainable food production in the farming systems of the Central Highlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumudu Senanayake
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, NSW, Australia; Natural Resources Management Centre, Department of Agriculture, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
| | - Biswajeet Pradhan
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, NSW, Australia; Department of Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering, Sejong University, Choongmu-gwan, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea; Earth Observation Center, Institute of Climate Change, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Alfredo Huete
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, NSW, Australia; Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Jane Brennan
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, NSW, Australia
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Xiao L, Kuhn NJ, Zhao R, Cao L. Net effects of conservation agriculture principles on sustainable land use: A synthesis. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:6321-6330. [PMID: 34583427 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite the strong recommendations from scientists, to till or not to till remains a confusing question for many farmers around the world due to the worries of crop yield decline and negative impacts on soils and environment. A confused understanding of the role of the individual principles of conservation agriculture significantly limits the effectiveness and applicability of soil conservation strategies and frameworks to achieve sustainable agriculture. By distinguishing clearly between the different principles of conservation agriculture, the net effects of no-tillage on improving and sustaining agro-ecosystems are analyzed based on 49 recent meta-analyses in this study. The review shows that no-tillage leads to a significant decline of crop yield (-8.0% to 10.0%, median: -1.9%), whereas residue retention represents the key driver for improving crop production (4.0%-28.0%, median: 8.2%). The efficacy of no-tillage for water erosion control, especially runoff (-24.0% to -0.7%, median: -10.0%), is often insignificant and otherwise lower compared to residue retention (-87.0% to -14.0%, median: -45.5%). Soil carbon sequestration potential under conservation tillage is quite limited or even close to zero, and if any, it can likely be attributed to the associated residue retention (-0.1% to 12.8%, median: 9.7%) rather than no-tillage (-2.0% to 10.0%, median: 4.8%). Our analysis illustrates that in conservation agriculture, no-tillage as the original and central principle of soil management is often less effective than associated supplementary measures, in particular residue retention. Residue retention may therefore play a key role for achieving sustainable land use. An additional benefit of residue retention is the less dramatic change of farming practices compared to no-tillage. The results of this review illustrate that a new framework for assessing the benefits of conservation practices has to be developed. To till, or not to till, is not the question: residue retention seems more critical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangang Xiao
- College of Surveying and Geo-informatics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Nikolaus J Kuhn
- Physical Geography and Environmental Change Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rongqin Zhao
- College of Surveying and Geo-informatics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Lianhai Cao
- College of Surveying and Geo-informatics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China
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Wang T, Jin H, Fan Y, Obembe O, Li D. Farmers' adoption and perceived benefits of diversified crop rotations in the margins of U.S. Corn Belt. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 293:112903. [PMID: 34102504 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Monoculture and simplified two-crop rotation systems compromise the ecosystem services essential to crop production, diminish agricultural productivity, and cause detrimental effects on the environment. In contrast to the simplified two-crop rotation, diversified crop rotation (DCR) refers to rotation systems that contain three or more crops. Despite multiple benefits generated by DCR, its usage has dwindled over the past several decades. This paper examined determinants of farmers' adoption decisions and perceived benefits of DCR in the west margins of the U.S. Corn Belt where crop diversity has declined. We analyzed 708 farmer responses from a farmer survey conducted in the eastern South Dakota in 2018, accounting for county-level climate variables, as well as cropland data, soil and topographic variables in close proximity of the farm. Our findings indicated that farmers were more likely to utilize DCR as an adaptive strategy to cope with water deficit and reduce soil erosion on marginal land. Additionally, livestock integration and organic farming helped necessitate DCR adoption and magnify its benefits. Producer concerns towards lack of equipment and new crop profitability diluted producers' interests in DCR practice and compromised its benefits. Enhanced technical and policy support, along with infrastructure and market development, could help producers fully utilize DCR benefits and expand DCR usage to more regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Wang
- Ness School of Management and Economics, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA.
| | - Hailong Jin
- Ness School of Management and Economics, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA
| | - Yubing Fan
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Vernon, TX, 76385, USA
| | - Oladipo Obembe
- Ness School of Management and Economics, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA
| | - Dapeng Li
- Department of Geography & Geospatial Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA
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Volsi B, Higashi GE, Bordin I, Telles TS. Production and profitability of diversified agricultural systems. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20191330. [PMID: 34076037 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120191330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Diversified crop rotation is an option for expanding producer incomes, and its adoption has presented a series of agronomic advantages compared to less diversified crop rotation systems. In this context, the objective of this study was to verify if higher-diversified crop rotation systems perform economically better than low-diversified ones. To this end, we conducted an experiment in no-tillage crop areas in Londrina, in south of Brazil, for the years 2014/15 to 2016/17. The experiment design was randomized blocks, with six treatments, consisting of crop rotation systems with different levels of diversification, and four replications. We observed that higher-diversified crop rotation systems yield higher revenues and profits. Only these systems, specifically the ones that included canola-corn, crambe-corn, and safflower-soybeans, or wheat-corn+brachiaria, canola-corn, and edible beans-soybeans were economically feasible. Despite higher cost, diversified systems with a greater number of commercial crops in winter presented higher profits. However, diversified systems with a high proportion of cover crops in winter are economically infeasible because their net return is negative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Volsi
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Agronomia, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Km 380, 86057-970 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Eiji Higashi
- Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural do Paraná, IAPAR-EMATER, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Km 375, 86047-902 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Ivan Bordin
- Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural do Paraná, IAPAR-EMATER, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Km 375, 86047-902 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Tiago S Telles
- Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural do Paraná, IAPAR-EMATER, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Km 375, 86047-902 Londrina, PR, Brazil
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Gitonga NM, Njeru EM, Cheruiyot R, Maingi JM. Genetic and Morphological Diversity of Indigenous Bradyrhizobium Nodulating Soybean in Organic and Conventional Family Farming Systems. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.606618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic farming systems are gaining popularity as agronomically and environmentally sound soil management strategies with potential to enhance soil microbial diversity and fertility, environmental quality and sustainable crop production. This work aimed at understanding the effect of organic and conventional farming on the diversity of soybean nodulating bradyrhizobia species. Field trapping of indigenous soybean Bradyrhizobium was done by planting promiscuous soybeans varieties SB16 and SC squire as well as non-promiscuous Gazelle in three organic and three conventional farms in Tharaka-Nithi County of Kenya. After 45 days of growth, 108 nodule isolates were obtained from the soybean nodules and placed into 13 groups based on their morphological characteristics. Genetic diversity was done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting 16S rDNA gene using universal primers P5-R and P3-F and sequencing was carried out using the same primer. High morphological and genetic diversity of the nodule isolates was observed in organic farms as opposed to conventional farms. There was little or no genetic differentiation between the nodule isolates from the different farms with the highest molecular variation (91.12%) being partitioned within populations as opposed to among populations (8.88%). All the isolates were identified as bradyrhizobia with close evolutionary ties with Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Bradyrhizobium yuanminense. Organic farming systems favor the proliferation of bradyrhizobia species and therefore a suitable environmentally friendly alternative for enhancing soybean production.
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Hunt ND, Liebman M, Thakrar SK, Hill JD. Fossil Energy Use, Climate Change Impacts, and Air Quality-Related Human Health Damages of Conventional and Diversified Cropping Systems in Iowa, USA. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:11002-11014. [PMID: 32786565 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b06929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Cropping system diversification can reduce the negative environmental impacts of agricultural production, including soil erosion and nutrient discharge. Less is known about how diversification affects energy use, climate change, and air quality, when considering farm operations and supply chain activities. We conducted a life cycle study using measurements from a nine-year Iowa field experiment to estimate fossil energy (FE) use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, PM2.5-related emissions, human health impacts, and other agronomic and economic metrics of contrasting crop rotation systems and herbicide regimes. Rotation systems consisted of 2-year corn-soybean, 3-year corn-soybean-oat/clover, and 4-year corn-soybean-oat/alfalfa-alfalfa systems. Each was managed with conventional and low-herbicide treatments. FE consumption was 56% and 64% lower in the 3-year and 4-year rotations than in the 2-year rotation, and GHG emissions were 54% and 64% lower. Diversification reduced combined monetized damages from GHG and PM2.5-related emissions by 42% and 57%. Herbicide treatment had no significant impact on environmental outcomes, while corn and soybean yields and whole-rotation economic returns improved significantly under diversification. Results suggest that diversification via shifting from conventional corn-soybean rotations to longer rotations with small grain and forage crops substantially reduced FE use, GHG emissions, and air quality damages, without compromising economic or agronomic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie D Hunt
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
| | - Matt Liebman
- Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Sumil K Thakrar
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
| | - Jason D Hill
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
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Exploring the Potential of High-Resolution Satellite Imagery for the Detection of Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12071213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Sudden death syndrome (SDS) is one of the major yield-limiting soybean diseases in the Midwestern United States. Effective management for SDS requires accurate detection in soybean fields. Since traditional scouting methods are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and often destructive, alternative methods to monitor SDS in large soybean fields are needed. This study explores the potential of using high-resolution (3 m) PlanetScope satellite imagery for detection of SDS using the random forest classification algorithm. Image data from blue, green, red, and near-infrared (NIR) spectral bands, the calculated normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and crop rotation information were used to detect healthy and SDS-infected quadrats in a soybean field experiment with different rotation treatments, located in Boone County, Iowa. Datasets collected during the 2016, 2017, and 2018 soybean growing seasons were analyzed. The results indicate that spectral features, when combined with ground-based information, can detect areas in soybean plots that are at risk for disease, even before foliar symptoms develop. The classification of healthy and diseased soybean quadrats was >75% accurate and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was >70%. Our results indicate that high-resolution satellite imagery and random forest analyses have the potential to detect SDS in soybean fields, and that this approach may facilitate large-scale monitoring of SDS (and possibly other economically important soybean diseases). It may also be useful for guiding recommendations for site-specific management in current and future seasons.
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