Land Use, Yield and Quality Changes of Minor Field Crops: Is There Superseded Potential to Be Reinvented in Northern Europe?

Abstract

Diversification of agriculture was one of the strengthened aims of the greening payment of European Agricultural Policy (CAP) as diversification provides numerous ecosystems services compared to cereal-intensive crop rotations. This study focuses on current minor crops in Finland that have potential for expanded production and considers changes in their cropping areas, yield trends, breeding gains, roles in crop rotations and potential for improving resilience. Long-term datasets of Natural Resources Institute Finland and farmers’ land use data from the Agency of Rural Affairs were used to analyze the above-mentioned trends and changes. The role of minor crops in rotations declined when early and late CAP periods were compared and that of cereal monocultures strengthened. Genetic yield potentials of minor crops have increased as also genetic improvements in quality traits, although some typical trade-offs with improved yields have also appeared. However, the gap between potential and attained yields has expanded, depending on the minor crop, as national yield trends have either stagnated or declined. When comparing genetic improvements of minor crops to those of the emerging major crop, spring wheat, breeding achievements in minor crops were lower. It was evident that the current agricultural policies in the prevailing market and the price environment have not encouraged cultivation of minor crops but further strengthened the role of cereal monocultures. We suggest optimization of agricultural land use, which is a core element of sustainable intensification, as a future means to couple long-term environmental sustainability with better success in economic profitability and social acceptability. This calls for development of effective policy instruments to support farmer’s diversification actions.

Characterizing an outperforming pea cultivar for intercropping with oat at high latitudes

“…Different timing of phenological events also improves resilience against weather constraints and variability (Peltonen-Sainio et al 2016a). Interestingly, panicle emergence in oat and onset of flowering in pea -and thereby, timing of grain set and filling -did not overlap.…”

“…This may facilitate complementarity between oat and pea as companions in intercrops. For example, risk of drought episodes -often with coinciding elevated temperatures -is particularly high in early summer, after which it diminishes (Peltonen-Sainio et al 2016a, Peltonen-Sainio et al 2016b, Peltonen-Sainio et al 2016c: in years when drought occurs, oat yields are at higher risk than for pea, as elevated temperatures interfere with yield formation of oat, but favors that in pea ). As we found substantial variation in accumulation of precipitation and temperature across years and locations, it is apparent that the recorded variation in onset and duration of critical phenophases exposed companion crops to harmful and/or advantageous weather events differently.…”

“…They provide the means to diversify cropping systems that are currently dominated by cereal monocultures in Finland (Peltonen-Sainio et al 2017) and benefit from nitrogen (N) fixation capacity. These and many other ecosystem services provided by grain legumes may lead to a decrease in dependency on fossil fuel-consuming input use, increase in production of crop-based protein and long-term improvements in resilience against climatic variability through diversified cropping systems in high-latitude conditions (Peltonen-Sainio et al 2016a). Designing agricultural systems that benefit from multi-functionality and better balanced agronomic and environmental services is a means to maintain viable and sustainable food production (Storkey et al 2015).…”

A call for weed research in industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L)

“…Minor crops, such as hemp, may be particularly affected by weeds, due to a lack of registered herbicides. Biotic stressors, such as weeds, are among the major factors that cause yield instability and even total crop failure for minor crops (Peltonen‐Sainio et al ., ), and Fennimore and Doohan () argued that research is particularly needed for minor crops in the United States, because of limited options for weed management and the small fraction of funding made available for weed research. Similarly, Santín‐Montanyá et al .…”

Replacing Imports of Crop Based Commodities by Domestic Production in Finland: Potential to Reduce Virtual Water Imports

“…This corresponds to 305,000 tons of faba beans (120,000 ha) or 318,000 tons of field peas (150,000 ha) that would be needed to fully replace the soybean imports. Currently, faba beans and peas are minor crops cultivated only in marginal land areas in Finland, but faba bean areas, in particular, have steadily increased (Peltonen-Sainio et al, 2016, 2017. In 2010, only 7,000 ha of faba beans and 4,000 ha of peas were cultivated domestically (Official Statistics of Finland, 2018).…”