Nitrogen, weed management and economics with cover crops in conservation agriculture in a Mediterranean climate

Flower, Ken; Cordingley, N.; Ward, Phil; Weeks, Cameron

doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2011.09.011

Cited by 68 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Although chemical weed control can be (but does not need to be) a component in CA systems, the suitability of promoting such a system among resource-poor farmers has been questioned due to accessibility and affordability 141 , as well as the dangers of handling herbicides 102 . The use of green manure cover crops such as oats (Avena sativa L.), grass pasture 142 and velvet beans (Mucuna pruriens L.) has been shown to be effective in managing weeds in maize/cover crop rotations 143 . However, legumes that do not contribute to the household food basket have often been rejected by farmers in the past, which indicates a constraint to integrate green manure cover crops (GMCCs) into the smallholder farming systems 134 .…”

Section: Weed Incidence When Converting To Camentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: Advances in knowledge

Thierfelder¹,

Rusinamhodzi²,

Ngwira

et al. 2014

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

137

112

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The increasing demand for food from limited available land, in light of declining soil fertility and future threats of climate variability and change have increased the need for more sustainable crop management systems. Conservation agriculture (CA) is based on the three principles of minimum soil disturbance, surface crop residue retention and crop rotations, and is one of the available options. In Southern Africa, CA has been intensively promoted for more than a decade to combat declining soil fertility and to stabilize crop yields. The objective of this review is to summarize recent advances in knowledge about the benefits of CA and highlight constraints to its widespread adoption within Southern Africa. Research results from Southern Africa showed that CA generally increased water infiltration, reduced soil erosion and run-off, thereby increasing available soil moisture and deeper drainage. Physical, chemical and biological soil parameters were also improved under CA in the medium to long term. CA increased crop productivity and also reduced on-farm labor, especially when direct seeding techniques and herbicides were used. As with other cropping systems, CA has constraints at both the field and farm level. Challenges to adoption in Southern Africa include the retention of sufficient crop residues, crop rotations, weed control, pest and diseases, farmer perception and economic limitations, including poorly developed markets. It was concluded that CA is not a 'one-size-fits-all' solution and often needs significant adaptation and flexibility when implementing it across farming systems. However, CA may potentially reduce future soil fertility decline, the effects of seasonal dry-spells and may have a large impact on food security and farmers' livelihoods if the challenges can be overcome.

show abstract

Section: Weed Incidence When Converting To Camentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: Advances in knowledge

Thierfelder¹,

Rusinamhodzi²,

Ngwira

et al. 2014

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

137

112

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In these areas it is also known for being a promising crop in rotation with wheat (Durutan et al, 1990) and a good source of protein fodder for cattle (van der Veen, 1960) and sheep (Jacques et al, 1994). On the other hand, Flower et al (2012) showed that black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.) is a winter cereal crop with a more rapid growth and higher biomass production than other oats, widely used in Australia (Flower et al, 2012) and USA (Reeves & Price 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, Flower et al (2012) showed that black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.) is a winter cereal crop with a more rapid growth and higher biomass production than other oats, widely used in Australia (Flower et al, 2012) and USA (Reeves & Price 2005). It has been used not only for grain production and as a green cover crop due to its weed control potential (Santos et al, 2010), but also to obtain forage for dairy cows feed (Salgado et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nowadays, this traditional practise is facing the urge to modify the current crop management and to diversify the crop production. They are especially influenced by the stagnating products price, the need to improve and achieve more balanced agro-ecosystem through the crop rotation (Flower et al, 2012), as well as the accomplishment of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) greening measures. The most noteworthy measure included is the 'crop diversification', where the farm holdings with an arable land of 10-30 ha have to cultivate at least two crops, and farms exceeding 30 ha must have at least three crops, with no more than 75% of the cultivated area assigned to one crop.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Vicia narbonensis-Avena strigosa mixture, a viable alternative in rainfed cropping systems under Mediterranean conditions

Pedraza

Perea

Saavedra

et al. 2018

Span. j. agric. res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The demand of vegetable protein for animal feed and the need to diversify the crop rotation in rainfed Mediterranean climates has led to study the viability as new forage crop of the Vicia narbonensis-Avena strigosa mixture. Therefore, a 3-year field trial was conducted at two different and representative locations of the area to evaluate the capacity of both species to form a balanced mixture and to define its potential for high yield and forage quality. Different seeding ratios (65:35, 50:50 and 35:65) were compared with their pure stands and the standard mixture Avena sativa-Vicia sativa (65:35). Forage mixtures establishment and growth varied according to the environmental conditions with a negative influence of a dry year 1 for legumes (<300 mm) and a wet year 2 for oats (>630 mm). However, competition ratio indicated that there were not significant differences between mixed treatments, displaying intermediate ground coverage values, dry matter yield and crude protein regarding pure stands. Higher dry matter yield than control mixture in addition to similar crude protein, acid-detergent fibre, neutral-detergent fibre and digestible dry matter values, were produced at 35:65 in dry years and 65:35 and 50:50 in rainy years with loamy and clay soils, respectively. The appropriate development of both species in the mixture at different soil and rainfall conditions, as well as a good yield often higher than control mixture and a great forage quality, confirm to the narbon bean-black oat mixture as a viable and profitable crop alternative in rainfed cropping systems under Mediterranean conditions. Additional keywords: black oat; narbon bean; mixture rates; intercropping; dry matter yield; forage quality.

show abstract

“…Nitrate leaching became a serious concern due to a general misuse of nitrogen fertilizers (Flower et al, 2012). This occurs mostly in arable crops from central and northern Europe because of high percolating soil regime (Valkama et al, 2015), but also in semiarid Mediterranean drylands (Gabriel et al, 2013;Quemada et al, 2013).…”

Section: Nutrient Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundcover influence on physical and chemical soil properties, runoff and nutrient loss and grape yield and quality in semiarid Mediterranean vineyards

Díaz¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nitrogen, weed management and economics with cover crops in conservation agriculture in a Mediterranean climate

Cited by 68 publications

References 49 publications

Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: Advances in knowledge

Conservation agriculture in Southern Africa: Advances in knowledge

Vicia narbonensis-Avena strigosa mixture, a viable alternative in rainfed cropping systems under Mediterranean conditions

Groundcover influence on physical and chemical soil properties, runoff and nutrient loss and grape yield and quality in semiarid Mediterranean vineyards

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About