Long-Term Productive, Competitive, and Economic Aspects of Spring Cereal Mixtures in Integrated and Organic Crop Rotations

Abstract

Cultivation of spring cereal mixtures (SCMs) is one of the ways to increase the yield of crops in mountainous areas of Poland. There are only a few current long-term studies on this topic. Our study aimed at analyzing yield and competitiveness as well as the economic indicators of spring cereals in pure or mixed sowings in integrated or organic crop rotations over nine years. A field experiment including pure sowings of oats, spring barley, or spring triticale and their two-component SCMs, each in two systems, organic and integrated crop rotation, was carried out in the Mountainous Experimental Station in Czyrna, Poland, in the years 2011–2019. On average, cereals in the pure sowings and mixtures yielded 18% lower in the organic rotations compared with the integrated ones. However, SCMs yielded higher than the pure sowings, and displayed a higher leaf area index and land equivalent ratio. The average gross margin without subsidies was almost two times higher in the organic crop rotations than in the integrated ones, which was influenced mainly by the cultivation of barley in pure sowing. Summing up, the cultivation of SCMs in the mountainous areas of southern Poland is advised because of both productive and economic factors.

Productive and Ecological Aspects of Mixed Cropping System

“…The recent findings confirmed the benefits of intercropping, such as increased nitrogen uptake by cereals cultivated in a mixture with legumes [1][2][3], and more efficient use of water and nutrients in soil profile [4]. Different species in the mixtures also use field space more effectively [5], i.e., in weather conditions unfavorable for the growth of one species, the companion crop usually grows better [6,7]. Mixed systems are characterized by higher yields than pure stands [3,5,7,8].…”

“…Different species in the mixtures also use field space more effectively [5], i.e., in weather conditions unfavorable for the growth of one species, the companion crop usually grows better [6,7]. Mixed systems are characterized by higher yields than pure stands [3,5,7,8]. Crop mixtures provide several agroecosystem services, e.g., increase biodiversity and support the diversity of beneficial insects, as well as reduce the outbreak of pests, which, among other things, is linked to decreased availability of food sources [9].…”

“…Mixed cropping plays an important role in sustainable and organic agriculture by increasing biodiversity in the crop rotation and agroecosystem, particularly in organic farming in mountainous areas. Spring cereals' intercropping increases the land equivalent ratio (LER) compared to the integrated farming [5]. The profits of grain yield in spring cereal mixtures with barley exceeded the other spring cereal species, such as oats and triticale, in their mixed and mono-crop cultures [5].…”

“…Spring cereals' intercropping increases the land equivalent ratio (LER) compared to the integrated farming [5]. The profits of grain yield in spring cereal mixtures with barley exceeded the other spring cereal species, such as oats and triticale, in their mixed and mono-crop cultures [5].…”

Diversity of Species and the Occurrence and Development of a Specialized Pest Population—A Review Article

“…Many years of research conducted in Poland have shown that cereal mixtures (especially barley with oats) produced higher yields than pure crops of the same varieties, mainly due to an increase in the leaf area index LAI and lend equivalent ratio LER [29]. Comparing the organic management system with the integrated management system revealed that the average gross margin (less profit) was twice as high in the mixtures grown in the organic system [30]. However, when deciding to make changes in crop selection, one should take into account the consequences of decreasing the use of mixed crops, as this may hinder the implementation of self-sufficiency and land-use efficiency programs [31].…”