Combined agro-ecological strategies for adaptation of organic horticultural systems to climate change in Mediterranean environment

Abstract

Agricultural biodiversity and related agro-ecological measures could play a crucial role in the agro-ecosystems adaptation to climate changes, thus sustaining crop production. The objective of this study was to assess the suitability (and the best combination) of agro-ecological techniques as potential resilience strategies in organic horticultural systems in a Mediterranean environment. A long-term experimental device called MITIORG (Long-term climatic change adaptation in organic farming: synergistic combination of hydraulic arrangement, crop rotations, agro-ecological service crops and agronomic techniques) is set-up at Metaponto (MT), testing the following agro-ecological measures as well as organic and conservation farming best practices: i) hydraulic arrangement by a kind of ridge-furrow system; ii) cash crop rotations; iii) agro-ecological service crops (ASC) introduction; iv) ASC termination techniques (green manure vs roller crimper); and v) organic fertilisation. The research here reported was carried out during the 2014-2015 season in the MITIORG device, on a rotation of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) crops. A detailed description of the scientific cognitive process that led to setup of the device, its components explanation, as well as preliminary yield results are reported. The outcomes suggest that organic vegetable cropping systems, designed following agro-ecological principles, are able to sustain yield of cash crops in rotation, in spite of changes in temperature and rainfall of the study site. Experimental data available in the next years will allow a deeper integrated analysis of the manifold effects of agro-ecological measures on horticultural systems. IntroductionParis hosted the 21 st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21/CMP11), from 30 November to 11 December 2015. The conference is crucial because the expected outcome is a new international agreement on climate change, applicable to all, to keep global warming below 2°C. The last report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that the rise of carbon dioxide (CO2) and associated greenhouse gases could lead to a 1.4 to 5.8°C increase in global surface temperatures, with subsequent effects on precipitation frequency and amounts (IPCC, 2014). The predicted changes in temperature and increased frequency of extreme events (e.g., droughts and floods) will reasonably lead to reduced crop yields, depending on specific site conditions and cultivated crops, by influencing plant growth as well as weed, insect pest and pathogens pressure and invasiveness, thus affecting global food security (Altieri et al., 2015).To be sustainable, an agro-ecosystem requires production systems that are resilient to different stressors such as climatic variability as well as disease and pests. Adaptation can be considered a key factor that will shape the future severity of climate change impacts on food production. According to Heinemann e...

Organic Vegetable Crops Managed with Agro-Ecological Practices: Environmental Sustainability Assessment by DEXi-met Decision Support System

“…The first one consists in a long-term field trial in organic horticulture, which had been planned to adapt horticultural systems to unfavorable climatic conditions (in particular, extreme rainfall events during autumn and winter periods). In this experimental field, integrated strategies are combined, i.e., soil surface shaping, crop rotations, introduction of agro-ecological services crops (ASC), ASC termination techniques, and fertilization with organic products [4]. The base layer is the soil surface shaping in a "ridge system".…”

“…During the winter-rainy period, in the flat soil strips, mixtures of ASC species of different botanical families are cultivated between two consecutive spring-summer cash crops. The used ASC termination methods (before the subsequent cash crops transplant) are green manure (in which the cover crop is chopped and plowed at the end of flowering) vs. cover crop biomass flattening by an in-line roller-crimper, in which the mulch covers the soil surface until the vegetable crop harvest [4]. Finally, the last layer consists of organic fertilization, which is implemented into further horizontal strips, by using commercial and experimental amendments.…”

Impacts of Agro-Ecological Practices on Soil Losses and Cash Crop Yield

“…The field experiment was designed based on the experience learnt from previous studies on agro-ecological strategies [25]. The experimental device combines a suite of functionally integrated techniques (conceptually identified as "layers"), namely: (i) soil surface shaping; (ii) crop rotations; (iii) ASC introduction; (iv) ASC termination techniques; and (v) organic fertilization.…”

Organic Agriculture 3.0 is innovation with research

“…Agri-ecosystem adaptation is obtained through a number of combined strategies, such as the sustainable use of water resources, soil organic matter management and the diversification of farming systems (Mijatovic et al 2013a, b). Recently, Diacono et al (2016) discussed how a suite of strategies (i.e. hydraulic arrangement, crop rotations, cover crops and living mulches, use of organic soil conditioners) can be complementarily combined to design cropping systems for long-term climatic change adaptation in organic farming.…”