A threshold area ratio of organic to conventional agriculture causes recurrent pathogen outbreaks in organic agriculture

Adl, Sina M.; Iron, David; Kolokolnikov, Théodore

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.02.026

Cited by 33 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Additionally, increasing the organic farming area in the landscape (within the range explored in our study design) did not lead to greater pest infestations. Our results contradict previous results from two theoretical studies investigating the effects of the spatial arrangement of organic farming in the landscape (Adl, Iron, & Kolokolnikov, 2011;Bianchi, Ives, & Schellhorn, 2013).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 90%

Deployment of organic farming at a landscape scale maintains low pest infestation and high crop productivity levels in vineyards

Muneret

Thiéry

Joubard

et al. 2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Organic farming is a promising way to reduce pesticide use but increasing the area under organic farming at the landscape scale could increase pest infestations and reduce crop productivity. Examining the effects of organic farming at multiple spatial scales and in different landscape contexts on pest communities and crop productivity is a major step in the ecological intensification of agricultural systems. We quantified the infestation levels of two pathogens and five arthropod pests, the intensity of pesticide use and crop productivity in 42 vineyards. Using a multi‐scale hierarchical design, we unravelled the relative effects of organic farming at both field and landscape scales from the effects of semi‐natural habitats in the landscape. At the field scale, pest communities did not differ between organic and conventional farming systems. At the landscape scale, increasing the area under organic farming did not increase pest infestation levels. Three out of seven pest taxa were affected both by local farming systems and the proportion of semi‐natural habitats in the landscape. Our findings revealed that the proportion of semi‐natural habitats reduced pest infestation for two out of seven pest taxa. Organic vineyards had much lower treatment intensities, very similar levels of pest control and equal crop productivity levels. Synthesis and Applications. Our results clearly indicate that policies promoting the development of organic farming in conventional vineyard landscapes will not lead to greater pest and disease infestations but will reduce the pesticide treatment intensity and maintain crop productivity. Moreover, the interactions between semi‐natural habitats in landscape and local farming practices suggest that the deployment of organic farming should be adapted to landscape contexts.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 90%

Deployment of organic farming at a landscape scale maintains low pest infestation and high crop productivity levels in vineyards

Muneret

Thiéry

Joubard

et al. 2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…However, pest communities could also benefit from the greater area under organic farming owing to the lower efficiency levels of organic management options (Adl et al. , Bianchi et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic farming at local and landscape scales fosters biological pest control in vineyards

Muneret

Auriol

Thiéry

et al. 2018

Ecological Applications

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While organic farming practices, which are often promoted as models of ecological intensification, generally enhance biodiversity, their effects on the delivery of ecosystem services, such as biological pest control, are still unknown. Here, using a multi‐scale hierarchical design in southwestern France, we examined the effects of organic farming and seminatural habitats at the local and landscape scales on biological control services of three pests, including weeds and insects, in 42 vineyards. Organic farming at the local and landscape scales was beneficial to the mean and temporal stability of biological control services, while the proportion of seminatural habitats in the landscape reduced the level of biological pest control potential. The effects of organic farming and seminatural habitats across spatial scales varied with the type of prey considered and with time. Egg moth removal rates were higher in fields under organic management compared to conventional management while weed seed removal rates increased with the proportion of organic farming in the landscape. Larval removal rates as well as seed removal rates were always more stable within time in organic fields than in conventional fields. Moreover, independently of farming system type, local variables describing the agricultural management intensity, such as pesticide use or crop productivity, were also found to be important variables explaining levels of biological control services. Pesticide use tended to reduce biological control potential, while crop productivity was associated with contrasting biological control responses depending on the pest type. Our study demonstrates the need to target multiple spatial scales and to consider farming practices, as well as the proportion of seminatural habitats, to design functional landscapes that optimize biological pest control services.

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“…Interestingly, Adl et al (2011) concluded that the conventional agricultural practice of using pesticides can provide benefits to organic systems if they lower the threshold of disease locally. For example, if the ratio of the area of organic to adjacent conventional farmland is kept below a threshold level, the pest population can remain low.…”

Section: Delivery Of Ecosystem Services In Organic Farming Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Health and Related Ecosystem Services in Organic Agriculture

Abbott¹,

Manning²

2015

SAR

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Soil health is dependent upon complex bio-physical and bio-chemical processes which interact in space and time. Microrganisms and fauna in soil comprise highly diverse and dynamic communities that contribute, over either short or long time frames, to the transformation of geological minerals and release of essential nutrients for plant growth. Certified organic soil management practices generally restrict the use of chemically-processed highly soluble plant nutrients, leading to dependence on nutrient sources that require microbial transformation of poorly soluble geological minerals. Consequently, slow release of nutrients controls their rate of uptake by plants and associated plant physiological processes. Microbial and faunal interactions influence soil structure at various scales, within and between crystalline mineral grains, creating complex soil pore networks that further influence soil function, including the nutrient release and uptake by roots. The incorporation of organic matter into soil, as either manure or compost in organic farming systems is controlled to avoid excessive release of soluble nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, while simultaneously contributing an essential source of carbon for growth and activity of soil organisms. The interdependence of many soil physical and chemical processes contributing to soil health is strongly linked to activities of the organisms living in soil as well as to root structure and function. Capitalizing on these contributions to soil health cannot be achieved without holistic, multiscale approaches to nutrient management, an understanding of interactions between carbon pools, mineral complexes and soil mineralogy, and detailed examination of farm nutrient budgets.

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A threshold area ratio of organic to conventional agriculture causes recurrent pathogen outbreaks in organic agriculture

Cited by 33 publications

References 45 publications

Deployment of organic farming at a landscape scale maintains low pest infestation and high crop productivity levels in vineyards

Deployment of organic farming at a landscape scale maintains low pest infestation and high crop productivity levels in vineyards

Organic farming at local and landscape scales fosters biological pest control in vineyards

Soil Health and Related Ecosystem Services in Organic Agriculture

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