1. 'Productivity, quality and sustainability of winter wheat under long-term conventional and organic management in Switzerland'
- Author
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Marie-Francoise Samson, Paul Mäder, David Dubois, Valentina Narducci, Ingrid K. Thomsen, Marina Carcea, Lucie Gunst, Jochen Mayer, Institute for Sustainability Sciences ISS, Agroscope, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture - Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau (FiBL), Ingénierie des Agro-polymères et Technologies Émergentes (UMR IATE), Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Montpellier 2 - Sciences et Techniques (UM2)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura–Centro di Ricerca per gli Alimenti e la NUTrizione (CRA-NUT), Agricultural Research Council (ARC), Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University [Aarhus], ERA Net Core Organic transnational partnership within the AGTEC-Org project, Institut de Recherche de l'Agriculture Biologique (FiBL), Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Montpellier 2 - Sciences et Techniques (UM2)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), and Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Montpellier 2 - Sciences et Techniques (UM2)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)
- Subjects
[SDV.SA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences ,Field experiment ,baking quality ,long-term sustainability ,Soil Science ,Plant Science ,nitrogen use efficiency ,nitrogen ,yield components ,Nutrient ,Yield components ,wheat ,size distribution ,11. Sustainability ,Long-term sustainability ,Cropping system ,integrated farming systems ,Baking quality ,performance liquid-chromatography ,2. Zero hunger ,Nitrogen use efficiency ,n-fertilization ,microbial biomass ,Crop yield ,use efficiency ,Agriculture ,cropping systems ,15. Life on land ,Soil quality ,proteins ,Crop protection ,field experiment ,Agronomy ,13. Climate action ,gluten ,Wheat ,Organic farming ,Environmental science ,protein-concentration ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,Organic fertilizer - Abstract
Long-term sustainability and high resource use efficiency are major goals for high quality baking wheat production throughout the world. Present strategies are low input systems such as organic agriculture or improved conventional systems (integrated). The fertilisation level and strategy, crop protection as well as preceding crop effects may modulate system performance with respect to wheat grain yield, quality and environmental performance of the systems. Our aim was to evaluate data of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) performance from the DOK long-term systems experiment in Switzerland comparing two mixed organic (biodynamic and bioorganic: BIODYN and BIOORG) and a mixed conventional cropping system (CONFYM) using mineral fertilisers and farmyard manure at two fertilisation intensities (level 1: 50% of standard fertilisation, level 2: standard fertilisation) since 1978. A conventional system was fertilised exclusively minerally at level 2 (CONMIN) and a control remained unfertilised (NOFERT). We compared crop yields, baking quality parameters, the nitrogen use efficiency and the effect of maize and potatoes as preceding crops obtained between 2003 and 2010 along with long-term soil sustainability parameters. The mean grain yields across both fertiliser levels of the organic cropping systems (BIODYN and BIOORG) were 64% of CONFYM, whereas crude protein contents were 79% of CONFYM at fertilisation level 2 and achieved 90% at level 1. The main driving factor of lower yields was a reduction of the numbers of ears per m(2) and the thousand kernel weight. The apparent nitrogen use efficiency decreased with increasing N fertilisation. Doubling the organic fertilisation in the organic systems only slightly improved wheat grain yields but was not able to improve grain baking quality, due to low mineral N additions via slurry and farmyard manure. In contrast the effects of the preceding crop potatoes in comparison with preceding silage maize outperformed the organic fertilisation effects, resulting in 33% higher yields and 11% higher crude protein contents. The yield components recorded in the case of preceding potatoes demonstrated a more synchronised nutrient supply throughout the wheat development. Over all low input systems and both fertilisation levels in the conventional mixed farm system at half standard fertilisation (level 1) performed best with distinctly higher grain yields and crude protein contents than in the organic systems with standard fertilisation. However, all systems, organic and conventional, with the low or zero organic fertiliser inputs performed poorly considering the long-term soil quality parameters, indicating a degradation of soil quality. The DOK long-term experiment allows an integrated view on the performance of baking wheat production and long-term sustainability. The results emphasise the importance of a sufficient supply of soils with organic fertilisers as well as the need to improve the availability of organic nitrogen and synchrony between nutrient supply and demand in organic baking wheat production, beside the selection of a suitable preceding crop.
- Published
- 2015