Search results for "Cropping"

Effect of cropping system and irrigation on the bio-agronomic and quality response of industrial tomato (Licopersicon esculentum Mill.)

2010

Harnessing productivity potential and rehabilitation of degraded sodic lands through Jatropha based intercropping systems

2016

Abstract This paper evaluates an intercropping model with J atropha curcas L. (JCL) as an alternative crop on degraded sodic land in north India. Monoculture of JCL has not proven economically viable in India in view of its poor yield; therefore, intercrops in between JCL plantations were tried to optimize land use efficiency. The results revealed that the planting of JCL at 3 × 3 m spacing with inter-cultivation of sweet basil–matricaria (SB-M) cropping system for four years was more economically viable than planting at 3 × 2 m spacing and the other rotations tested in the study. Improvements in soil properties in terms of soil pH, EC and organic carbon were found with the SB-M cropping sy…

The green granary of the Empire? Insights into olive agroforestry in Sicily (Italy) from the Roman past and the present

2023

Groves with ancient olive trees (Olea europaea L.) could be considered remnants of old agroforestry systems. Anything but static, these agro-ecosystems have undergone drastic transformational processes in Mediterranean countries, where abandonment or intensification have been observed far more than continuity, expansion or renaissance, leading to environmental degradation of rural areas. Starting from this assumption and inspired by historical ecology and historical geography, we consider centuries-old olive trees as living archives of human-nature interactions and are thus proxies of past agroforestry. Our aim is to better understand what has driven dynamics of change and persistence, happ…

Modelling the effects of cropping systems on weed dynamics: the trade-off between process analysis and decision support

2022

Models are essential to synthesize knowledge on weeds and to design integrated weed-management strategies. These models must rank cropping systems as a function of weed infestation, and account for variability in effects to estimate probabilities of success or failure. Three case studies are presented: (1) an empirical static single-equation model that directly relates weed biomass to crop management, with few inputs and parameters, (2) a matrix-based multiannual model predicting a few key weed stages annually, from weed control options and a few parameters, (3) a mechanistic process-based multiannual model predicting detailed soil, crop and weed state variables daily, with an individual-ba…

Impact de la flore adventice sur la rétention des pesticides : développement d’un nouvel indicateur pour l’évaluation des systèmes de culture

2016

Weeds are usually considered as harmful for crops but they are essential for biodiversity. Indicators were already developed using the model FLORSYS (Colbach et al., 2014) to evaluate the cropping system in term of harmfullness or benefits related to weed flora. We thus propose a new indicator to evaluate the potential of pesticide retention by weed flora and its impact on pesticide transfer into the environment. The indicator is divided in two parts i) herbicide application efficiency (herbicides interception by weeds), ii) plant uptake for the others pesticides. Several cropping systems have been simulated with the FLORSYS model. Preliminary results have been analyzed using the tree regre…

Modélisation des effets des systèmes de culture sur la dynamique de la plante parasite orobanche rameuse en interaction avec les adventices

2019

Reducing pesticide use is a major challenge in agriculture and involves developing more sustainable methods that rely on non-chemical cropping techniques and biological regulations according to agroecological principles. Branched broomrape (Phelipanche ramosa (L.) Pomel) is a root parasitic plant which infects crops and causes dramatic yield losses worldwide. Managing broomrape is complex because it requires combining several cropping techniques whithin a global weed management strategy because broomrape is also able to infect non-parasitic weeds. The aim of this thesis was to stynthetize knowledge on branched broomrape dynamics in agroecosystems and to aggregate it within a mechanistic mod…

Peut-on concilier un faible usage de pesticides, une bonne performance économique et environnementale ? Analyse d’un réseau national de fermes de dém…

2017

Feeding an increasing world population with a sustainable agriculture is one of the greatest challenges of this century. The reduction of the reliance on pesticides is a critical aspect in this quest for sustainability. Whether cropping systems with reduced reliance on pesticides would be able to reconcile the various components of sustainability remains however a matter of debate. Are they as productive and profitable than current mainstream cropping systems? Here the objective is to study the feasibility of a reduced reliance on pesticides in France. We used a unique dataset from a national network of more than thousand arable commercial farms between 2009 and 2011. Launched in the framew…

Straw uses trade-off only after soil organic carbon steady-state

2018

Soil organic matter (SOM) is the key for a healthy soil and a relevant property to achieve the sustainability on soil management. However, soils are still net exporters of organic matter. One example is the use of wheat straw residue for industrial and energy applications, which has gained attention in the last years. The offfarm use of this abundant and low cost resource should follow sustainability criteria to avoid soil degradation and SOM losses. Straw residue incorporation is recognized as a recommended management practice to control erosion and mitigate CO2 emissions by increasing SOM. The goal of this work was: i) to evaluate the steady-state carbon (C) level in relation to C input a…

Mycorrhizae in crop production

2007

International audience; It has been a revelation that, strictly speaking, most plants do not have roots but rather mycorrhizae, a fact that has had tremendous consequences on the life of plants and the evolution of soil-plant systems. The research on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses has been intensive over the past forty years and we have learned a lot on the physiology, biology, ecology, and genetics of the symbiosis and the fungi involved in it. Most important, it appeared that cropping systems could be more sustainable with the management of AM fungi and reduced reliance on agrochemicals. The extraradical mycelia of AM fungi are an essential link between the plants, which are the co…

Sustainable Fertilization in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

2015

The nutrient level in the soil is one of the most investigated aspects of agricultural research, also including research into Medicinal and Aromatic plants. The effect of fertilization has been studied in detail for many species, with contrasting results as concerns above all the qualitative aspects of production. Generally speaking, an increased level of nutrients induces an enhancement of plant biomass, but when the goal of cultivation is different from herbage yield, i.e. when a special plant part (seeds, or roots, or flowers) is of interest, or when the quality features are especially important, the outcome of fertilization may be dramatically different. A fine-tuned fertilization pract…