Production and profitability of diversified agricultural systems

Abstract

Diversifi ed crop rotation is an option for expanding producer incomes, and its adoption has presented a series of agronomic advantages compared to less diversifi ed crop rotation systems. In this context, the objective of this study was to verify if higherdiversifi ed crop rotation systems perform economically better than low-diversifi ed 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 diversifi cation, and four replications. We observed that higher-diversifi ed crop rotation systems yield higher revenues and profi ts. Only these systems, specifi cally the ones that included canola-corn, crambe-corn, and saffl ower-soybeans, or wheat-corn+brachiaria, canola-corn, and edible beans-soybeans were economically feasible. Despite higher cost, diversifi ed systems with a greater number of commercial crops in winter presented higher profi ts. However, diversifi ed systems with a high proportion of cover crops in winter are economically infeasible because their net return is negative.

The diversification of species in crop rotation increases the profitability of grain production systems

“…The quantification and analysis of the items composing the costs of each system are extremely important for producers’ decision-making. However, this analysis requires extreme caution because higher production costs do not necessarily mean lower yields, and similarly, lower costs do not necessarily mean higher profits 20 , 21 .…”

“…In addition to economic factors, the double-crop system has also generated problems such as the proliferation of pests, diseases and weeds because, in contrast to crop rotation, it does not interrupt the life cycles of pests and diseases 51 . To control the proliferation of pests, diseases and weeds, the increased use of inputs and an increase in the number of agricultural operations are required 52 , with a consequent increase in production costs 20 . This increase in production costs can be observed for winter corn crops, which were more expensive than summer soybean crops.…”

“…Although the agronomic benefits of crop rotation practices are well described in the literature, studies reporting their economic advantages are still scarce 20 – 24 . Research on the economic results of grain production systems in Brazil is of great relevance, as it helps and facilitates the decision-making of farmers.…”

Adoption of Conservation Agriculture as a Driver of Sustainable Farming: Opportunities, Constraints, and Policy Issues

“…Pittelkow et al [29] stated that no-tillage has a negative impact on crop yield, but when combined with the other two principles (cover crops and crop rotation); it generates an equal or greater crop yield than conventional agriculture. Therefore, no-tillage, cover crop, and diversification (crop rotation) produce high crop yields ensuring the CA system's economic sustainability [38][39][40]. The widespread adoption of three CA principles around the world has ushered in a new era of environmental control and mitigation for damages associated with conventional agriculture.…”

Weed phytosociology in diversified soybean production systems

“…The most common grain production system in the State of Paraná, consisting of second-crop corn/soybean, represents a crop succession with relative fragility, both in the agronomic and conservationist (Franchini, Costa, Debiasi, & Torres, 2011;Selim, 2019) and economic areas (Volsi, Higashi, Bordin, & Telles, 2021). About 6 million ha of annual crops were cultivated in the State of Paraná in the 2019/2020 summer growing season, of which 90.25% with soybean and 5.93% with corn, while the other crops represented only 3.82%.…”