The concurrent assessment of agronomic, ecological and environmental variables enables better choice of agroecological service crop termination management

David  Navarro-Miró; José M. Blanco-Moreno; Corrado Ciaccia; Elena Testani; Ileana  Iocola; Laura Depalo; Giovanni Burgio; Hanne Lakkenborg Kristensen; Margita Hefner; Kalvi  Tamm; Ingrid  Bender; Alessandro  Persiani; Mariangela Diacono; Francesco  Montemurro; Koen Willekens; Héléne  Védie; Martina  Bavec; Martina Robacer; Donatienne Arlotti; Pauline Deltour; Stefaan   De Neve; Mesfin Tsegaye Gebremikael; Lourdes Chamorro; Berta  Caballero-López; Alejandro  Pérez-Ferrer; Stefano Canali; Francesc Xavier Sans

doi:10.1111/1365-2664.14112

The concurrent assessment of agronomic, ecological and environmental variables enables better choice of agroecological service crop termination management

David Navarro-Miró^*, José M. Blanco-Moreno, Corrado Ciaccia, Elena Testani, Ileana Iocola , Laura Depalo, Giovanni Burgio, Hanne Lakkenborg Kristensen, Margita Hefner, Kalvi Tamm, Ingrid Bender, Alessandro Persiani , Mariangela Diacono, Francesco Montemurro, Koen Willekens , Héléne Védie, Martina Bavec, Martina Robacer, Donatienne Arlotti, Pauline DeltourStefaan De Neve, Mesfin Tsegaye Gebremikael, Lourdes Chamorro, Berta Caballero-López, Alejandro Pérez-Ferrer, Stefano Canali, Francesc Xavier Sans

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Food Science - Plant, Food & Sustainability

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Although organic farming was originally promoted as an alternative farming system to address agronomic, environmental and ecological issues, its conventionalisation has led to an intensification and specialisation of production. In the light of this, several studies have questioned the environmental benefits of organic farming as well as its agronomic viability. Thus, there is a need to improve organic vegetable systems to reduce their environmental impact without affecting their productivity. To tackle this challenge, European farmers and researchers have recently started to focus on agroecological service crops (ASCs). However, few studies have simultaneously evaluated the agronomic, environmental and ecological aspects of ASC management under different European pedo-climatic conditions. We evaluated effects of the ASC management strategies—no-till roller crimping (NT-RC) and green manuring (T-GM) on cropping system performance using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators—to exemplify the need for multidimensional analysis to understand management implications for addressing environmental and agronomic challenges. We combined the results from 11 organic vegetable field trials conducted in seven European countries over a period of 2 years to test for general trends. Our results provide solid evidence that NT-RC management across different pedo-climatic conditions in Europe enhances the activity density of ground and rove beetles and improves both the potential energy recycling within the system and weed control. However, in NT-RC plots, lower cash crop yield and quality, energetic efficiency of production and activity density of spiders were observed compared to T-GM. Synthesis and applications. Multidimensional analyses using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators are required to understand the implications of agricultural management in agroecosystem functioning. Introducing agroecological service crops combined with the use of no-till roller crimping is a promising strategy for improving agronomic performance (e.g. fewer weeds) and reducing environmental (e.g. increasing the potentially recyclable energy) and ecological (e.g. enhancing the activity density of beneficial taxa such as ground and rove beetles) impacts. However, our study also indicates a need for agronomic and environmental improvements while promoting a wider acceptance of this strategy.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Applied Ecology
Volume	59
Issue	4
Pages (from-to)	1026-1037
Number of pages	12
ISSN	0021-8901
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14112
Publication status	Published - Apr 2022

Keywords

energetic efficiency
ground beetles
potentially recyclable energy
rove beetles
spiders
weed control
yield
SPIDERS
ROLLER-CRIMPER TECHNOLOGY
YIELD
PERFORMANCE
NORTHERN
TILLAGE SYSTEMS
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
WEED MANAGEMENT
MINERAL NITROGEN
ENERGY USE

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Navarro-Miró, D., M. Blanco-Moreno, J., Ciaccia, C., Testani, E., Iocola , I., Depalo, L., Burgio, G., Kristensen, H. L., Hefner, M., Tamm, K., Bender, I., Persiani , A., Diacono, M., Montemurro, F., Willekens , K., Védie, H., Bavec, M., Robacer, M., Arlotti, D., ... Sans, F. X. (2022). The concurrent assessment of agronomic, ecological and environmental variables enables better choice of agroecological service crop termination management. Journal of Applied Ecology, 59(4), 1026-1037. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14112

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title = "The concurrent assessment of agronomic, ecological and environmental variables enables better choice of agroecological service crop termination management",

abstract = "Although organic farming was originally promoted as an alternative farming system to address agronomic, environmental and ecological issues, its conventionalisation has led to an intensification and specialisation of production. In the light of this, several studies have questioned the environmental benefits of organic farming as well as its agronomic viability. Thus, there is a need to improve organic vegetable systems to reduce their environmental impact without affecting their productivity. To tackle this challenge, European farmers and researchers have recently started to focus on agroecological service crops (ASCs). However, few studies have simultaneously evaluated the agronomic, environmental and ecological aspects of ASC management under different European pedo-climatic conditions. We evaluated effects of the ASC management strategies—no-till roller crimping (NT-RC) and green manuring (T-GM) on cropping system performance using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators—to exemplify the need for multidimensional analysis to understand management implications for addressing environmental and agronomic challenges. We combined the results from 11 organic vegetable field trials conducted in seven European countries over a period of 2 years to test for general trends. Our results provide solid evidence that NT-RC management across different pedo-climatic conditions in Europe enhances the activity density of ground and rove beetles and improves both the potential energy recycling within the system and weed control. However, in NT-RC plots, lower cash crop yield and quality, energetic efficiency of production and activity density of spiders were observed compared to T-GM. Synthesis and applications. Multidimensional analyses using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators are required to understand the implications of agricultural management in agroecosystem functioning. Introducing agroecological service crops combined with the use of no-till roller crimping is a promising strategy for improving agronomic performance (e.g. fewer weeds) and reducing environmental (e.g. increasing the potentially recyclable energy) and ecological (e.g. enhancing the activity density of beneficial taxa such as ground and rove beetles) impacts. However, our study also indicates a need for agronomic and environmental improvements while promoting a wider acceptance of this strategy.",

keywords = "energetic efficiency, ground beetles, potentially recyclable energy, rove beetles, spiders, weed control, yield, SPIDERS, ROLLER-CRIMPER TECHNOLOGY, YIELD, PERFORMANCE, NORTHERN, TILLAGE SYSTEMS, ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, WEED MANAGEMENT, MINERAL NITROGEN, ENERGY USE",

author = "David Navarro-Mir{\'o} and \{M. Blanco-Moreno\}, Jos{\'e} and Corrado Ciaccia and Elena Testani and Ileana Iocola and Laura Depalo and Giovanni Burgio and Kristensen, \{Hanne Lakkenborg\} and Margita Hefner and Kalvi Tamm and Ingrid Bender and Alessandro Persiani and Mariangela Diacono and Francesco Montemurro and Koen Willekens and H{\'e}l{\'e}ne V{\'e}die and Martina Bavec and Martina Robacer and Donatienne Arlotti and Pauline Deltour and \{De Neve\}, Stefaan and Gebremikael, \{Mesfin Tsegaye\} and Lourdes Chamorro and Berta Caballero-L{\'o}pez and Alejandro P{\'e}rez-Ferrer and Stefano Canali and Sans, \{Francesc Xavier\}",

year = "2022",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1111/1365-2664.14112",

language = "English",

volume = "59",

pages = "1026--1037",

journal = "Journal of Applied Ecology",

issn = "0021-8901",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

number = "4",

}

Navarro-Miró, D, M. Blanco-Moreno, J, Ciaccia, C, Testani, E, Iocola , I, Depalo, L, Burgio, G, Kristensen, HL, Hefner, M, Tamm, K, Bender, I, Persiani , A, Diacono, M, Montemurro, F, Willekens , K, Védie, H, Bavec, M, Robacer, M, Arlotti, D, Deltour, P, De Neve, S, Gebremikael, MT, Chamorro, L, Caballero-López, B, Pérez-Ferrer, A, Canali, S & Sans, FX 2022, 'The concurrent assessment of agronomic, ecological and environmental variables enables better choice of agroecological service crop termination management', Journal of Applied Ecology, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 1026-1037. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14112

The concurrent assessment of agronomic, ecological and environmental variables enables better choice of agroecological service crop termination management. / Navarro-Miró, David ; M. Blanco-Moreno, José; Ciaccia, Corrado et al.
In: Journal of Applied Ecology, Vol. 59, No. 4, 04.2022, p. 1026-1037.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - The concurrent assessment of agronomic, ecological and environmental variables enables better choice of agroecological service crop termination management

AU - Navarro-Miró, David

AU - M. Blanco-Moreno, José

AU - Ciaccia, Corrado

AU - Testani, Elena

AU - Iocola , Ileana

AU - Depalo, Laura

AU - Burgio, Giovanni

AU - Kristensen, Hanne Lakkenborg

AU - Hefner, Margita

AU - Tamm, Kalvi

AU - Bender, Ingrid

AU - Persiani , Alessandro

AU - Diacono, Mariangela

AU - Montemurro, Francesco

AU - Willekens , Koen

AU - Védie, Héléne

AU - Bavec, Martina

AU - Robacer, Martina

AU - Arlotti, Donatienne

AU - Deltour, Pauline

AU - De Neve, Stefaan

AU - Gebremikael, Mesfin Tsegaye

AU - Chamorro, Lourdes

AU - Caballero-López, Berta

AU - Pérez-Ferrer, Alejandro

AU - Canali, Stefano

AU - Sans, Francesc Xavier

PY - 2022/4

Y1 - 2022/4

N2 - Although organic farming was originally promoted as an alternative farming system to address agronomic, environmental and ecological issues, its conventionalisation has led to an intensification and specialisation of production. In the light of this, several studies have questioned the environmental benefits of organic farming as well as its agronomic viability. Thus, there is a need to improve organic vegetable systems to reduce their environmental impact without affecting their productivity. To tackle this challenge, European farmers and researchers have recently started to focus on agroecological service crops (ASCs). However, few studies have simultaneously evaluated the agronomic, environmental and ecological aspects of ASC management under different European pedo-climatic conditions. We evaluated effects of the ASC management strategies—no-till roller crimping (NT-RC) and green manuring (T-GM) on cropping system performance using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators—to exemplify the need for multidimensional analysis to understand management implications for addressing environmental and agronomic challenges. We combined the results from 11 organic vegetable field trials conducted in seven European countries over a period of 2 years to test for general trends. Our results provide solid evidence that NT-RC management across different pedo-climatic conditions in Europe enhances the activity density of ground and rove beetles and improves both the potential energy recycling within the system and weed control. However, in NT-RC plots, lower cash crop yield and quality, energetic efficiency of production and activity density of spiders were observed compared to T-GM. Synthesis and applications. Multidimensional analyses using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators are required to understand the implications of agricultural management in agroecosystem functioning. Introducing agroecological service crops combined with the use of no-till roller crimping is a promising strategy for improving agronomic performance (e.g. fewer weeds) and reducing environmental (e.g. increasing the potentially recyclable energy) and ecological (e.g. enhancing the activity density of beneficial taxa such as ground and rove beetles) impacts. However, our study also indicates a need for agronomic and environmental improvements while promoting a wider acceptance of this strategy.

AB - Although organic farming was originally promoted as an alternative farming system to address agronomic, environmental and ecological issues, its conventionalisation has led to an intensification and specialisation of production. In the light of this, several studies have questioned the environmental benefits of organic farming as well as its agronomic viability. Thus, there is a need to improve organic vegetable systems to reduce their environmental impact without affecting their productivity. To tackle this challenge, European farmers and researchers have recently started to focus on agroecological service crops (ASCs). However, few studies have simultaneously evaluated the agronomic, environmental and ecological aspects of ASC management under different European pedo-climatic conditions. We evaluated effects of the ASC management strategies—no-till roller crimping (NT-RC) and green manuring (T-GM) on cropping system performance using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators—to exemplify the need for multidimensional analysis to understand management implications for addressing environmental and agronomic challenges. We combined the results from 11 organic vegetable field trials conducted in seven European countries over a period of 2 years to test for general trends. Our results provide solid evidence that NT-RC management across different pedo-climatic conditions in Europe enhances the activity density of ground and rove beetles and improves both the potential energy recycling within the system and weed control. However, in NT-RC plots, lower cash crop yield and quality, energetic efficiency of production and activity density of spiders were observed compared to T-GM. Synthesis and applications. Multidimensional analyses using agronomic, environmental and ecological indicators are required to understand the implications of agricultural management in agroecosystem functioning. Introducing agroecological service crops combined with the use of no-till roller crimping is a promising strategy for improving agronomic performance (e.g. fewer weeds) and reducing environmental (e.g. increasing the potentially recyclable energy) and ecological (e.g. enhancing the activity density of beneficial taxa such as ground and rove beetles) impacts. However, our study also indicates a need for agronomic and environmental improvements while promoting a wider acceptance of this strategy.

KW - energetic efficiency

KW - ground beetles

KW - potentially recyclable energy

KW - rove beetles

KW - spiders

KW - weed control

KW - yield

KW - SPIDERS

KW - ROLLER-CRIMPER TECHNOLOGY

KW - YIELD

KW - PERFORMANCE

KW - NORTHERN

KW - TILLAGE SYSTEMS

KW - ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

KW - WEED MANAGEMENT

KW - MINERAL NITROGEN

KW - ENERGY USE

U2 - 10.1111/1365-2664.14112

DO - 10.1111/1365-2664.14112

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0021-8901

VL - 59

SP - 1026

EP - 1037

JO - Journal of Applied Ecology

JF - Journal of Applied Ecology

IS - 4

ER -

The concurrent assessment of agronomic, ecological and environmental variables enables better choice of agroecological service crop termination management

Abstract

Keywords

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