Performance of reduced-tillage cropping systems for sustainable grain production in Maryland

Teasdale, John R.; Rosecrance, Richard C.; Coffman, C. Benjamin; Starr, J. L.; Paltineanu, I. C.; Lu, Yao‐Chi; Watkins, Bradley

doi:10.1017/s0889189300008535

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In general, even average yields were reported to be little affected by organic and conventional management, being 13% lower for organic systems that combine crops with animals and 20% for organic systems without animals. A more thorough examination of the organic systems in the USA revealed that the total amount of nutrients applied was as high as or even higher than that in comparative conventional systems (Teasdale et al, 2000;Porter et al, 2003;Denison et al, 2004;Sanchez et al, 2004;Pimentel et al, 2005). Similar nutrient application rates have also been reported in other publications dealing with organic cropping systems in the USA (Lockeretz et al 1980;Liebhardt et al, 1989;Clark et al, 1999).…”

Section: Cropping System Studies In the Usasupporting

confidence: 69%

Can Organic Crop Production Feed the World?

Kirchmann

Bergström²,

Kätterer³

et al.

Organic Crop Production – Ambitions and Limitations

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Agriculture provides the most essential service to mankind, as production of crops in sufficient amounts is necessary for food security and livelihood. This chapter examines the question of whether organic agriculture can produce enough food to meet future demand. This question relates to a moral imperative and any evaluation must therefore be based on objective scientific facts excluding ideological bias, political correctness, economic incentives or environmental opinions. The chapter begins by defining the conditions necessary for a stringent evaluation of crop yields and explains potential pitfalls. Yield data from national statistics, organic and conventional long-term experiments and comparative studies are then compiled and evaluated, followed by a discussion of the main factors behind low-yielding production. In a global perspective, the scientific literature shows that organic yields are between 25 and 50% lower than conventional yields, depending on whether the organic system has access to animal manure. The amount of manure available on organic farms is usually not sufficient to produce similar crop yields as in conventional systems and therefore green manures are commonly used. However, organic crop yields reported for rotations with green manure require correction for years without crop export from the field, which reduces average yield over the crop rotation. When organic yields are similar to those in conventional production, nutrient input through manure is usually higher than nutrient addition in conventional agriculture, but such high inputs are usually only possible through transfer of large amounts of manure from conventional to organic production. The main factors limiting organic yields are lower nutrient availability, poorer weed control and limited possibilities to improve the nutrient status of infertile soils. It is thus very likely that the rules that actually define organic agriculture, i.e. exclusive use of manures and untreated minerals, greatly limit the potential to increase yields. Our analysis of some yield-related statements repeatedly used by advocates of organic agriculture reached the following conclusions: Organic manure is a severely limited resource, unavailable in quantities sufficient for sustaining high crop yields; legumes are not a free and environmentally sound N source that can replace inorganic fertilisers throughout; and low native soil fertility cannot be overcome with local inputs and untreated minerals alone. 2Agricultural methods severely limiting crop yields are counter-productive. Lower organic yields require compensation through expansion of cropland -the alternative is famine. Combining expected population growth and projected land demand reveals that low-yielding agriculture is an unrealistic option for production of sufficient crops in the future. In addition, accelerated conversion of natural ecosystems into cropland would cause significant loss of natural habitats. Further improvement of conventional agriculture based on innovations, enhanced...

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Section: Cropping System Studies In the Usasupporting

confidence: 69%

Can Organic Crop Production Feed the World?

Kirchmann

Bergström²,

Kätterer³

et al.

Organic Crop Production – Ambitions and Limitations

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, there are successful examples of annual or biennial living mulches established after emergence of the main crop, which gives the main crop a competitive advantage (Scott et al 1987;Wall et al 1991). If living mulches are established before or after the main crop is planted, competition of the living mulch for water may reduce crop yields (Echtenkamp and Moomaw 1989;Eberlein et al 1992;Masiunas et al 1997;Teasdale et al 2000). Thus, it can be concluded that living mulches can severely compete with the main crop for water which is particularly problematic during a dry period.…”

Section: Competition Between Living Mulch and Main Cropmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living Mulch as a Tool to Control Weeds in Agroecosystems: A Review

Mohammadi¹

2012

Weed Control

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“…A number of studies have shown that, under drought conditions, crops in organically managed systems produce higher yields than comparable crops managed conventionally. This advantage can result in organic crops out-yielding conventional crops by 70%-90% under severe drought conditions [122,124,[137][138][139]. The primary reason for higher yield in organic crops is thought to be due to the higher water-holding capacity of the soils under organic management, up to 100% higher in the crop root zone [13,116,122].…”

Section: Organic Farmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternative Land Management Strategies and Their Impact on Soil Conservation

Gomiero

2013

Agriculture

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Soil conservation is threatened by a number of factors, namely the effects of intensive agricultural practices, the increasing pressure for food production linked to the increasing human population, the consumption patterns in developed and emerging economies, and the conversion of agriculture from the production of commodities (which is itself a goal in need of discussion) to the production of biofuels. The extent of human pressure and the effects of conflicting land use systems need to be addressed. Alternative and conservative agricultural practices need to be explored and widely adopted in order to preserve the soil fertility, assessing their pros and cons. In this paper, the main potential alternative practices are reviewed, focusing in particular on organic farming. It is also argued that in order to better plan to preserve soil health a strategy considering the whole food system is required.

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Performance of reduced-tillage cropping systems for sustainable grain production in Maryland

Cited by 11 publications

References 25 publications

Can Organic Crop Production Feed the World?

Can Organic Crop Production Feed the World?

Living Mulch as a Tool to Control Weeds in Agroecosystems: A Review

Alternative Land Management Strategies and Their Impact on Soil Conservation

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