Plant community responses to integrating livestock into a reduced‐till organic cropping system

Larson, Christian D.; Menalled, Fabián D.; Lehnhoff, Erik A.; Seipel, Tim

doi:10.1002/ecs2.3412

Cited by 9 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…For example, analyses of the use of specific inputs are associated with agronomic or economic benefits. Most organic grain farmers still rely heavily on moldboard plowing for tillage, and there is evidence that tillage can undermine the positive benefits of organic management on soil health [47][48][49]. There are significant challenges to managing weeds without synthetic chemicals; possibilities exist for combining cover cropping, mulching, and mechanical methods, but more research is needed in conjunction with farmers to work through unknowns and complications [15].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are significant challenges to managing weeds without synthetic chemicals; possibilities exist for combining cover cropping, mulching, and mechanical methods, but more research is needed in conjunction with farmers to work through unknowns and complications [15]. Future research on the use of conservation tillage in the context of organic farming could provide important insights for adapting current systems and improving the environmental footprint of organic corn production [47][48][49]. Likewise, producers use a wide range of purchased products on their organic corn fields, many of which have received little attention from the scientific community [50] and should be further explored in terms of their agronomic and economic benefits for farmers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Organic Corn Production Practices and Profitability in the Eastern U.S. Corn Belt

et al. 2021

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Efforts to assess and improve the sustainability performance of the growing organic farming sector depend on an accurate understanding of farm structure and management practices. To contribute to the dearth of literature in this area, we conducted a survey of over 850 certified organic corn growers in four states (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) in the spring of 2018. Findings show that most organic corn growers in this region had diversified livestock operations (mostly dairy) on relatively small farms (10–100 ha), which contrasts with trends of specialization and growth in farm size. More than half were dairy farmers, and nearly two-thirds farmed with horses (likely Amish). Soil fertility and health were managed by the use of manure, cover crops, forages, and a variety of other soil amendments. Organic corn growers relied heavily on moldboard plow tillage. All producers had positive net returns to labor and management in 2017, though net returns varied widely across operations. The results have implications for assessing the sustainability of organic farming systems, and for designing scientific research and extension/outreach programs to ensure they address the needs of the diverse organic farming population in this region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Corn Production Practices and Profitability in the Eastern U.S. Corn Belt

et al. 2021

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“…In contrast, organic production relies on diversified crop rotations, cover crops, and tillage to manage soil fertility and pests. Previous studies conducted in this region [10][11][12] determined that the different suites of management practices associated with these systems resulted in distinct weed communities, with an overall increased abundance, species richness, and species diversity, as well as more complex spatial distribution in organic farms than in conventionally managed ones.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One example is the integration of crop and livestock production where targeted grazing is used to terminate cover crops and manage weeds [21]. Previous research indicated that, in the Northern Great Plains, the integration of crop and livestock production in organic systems allows a reduction in tillage intensity [11] but can impact the structure of weed [11,22], invertebrate [23], and soil microbial [24][25][26] communities. Yet, to our knowledge, no study has specifically compared the impact of predicted increased temperature and reduced moisture conditions on weed communities among conventional and organic cropping systems with varying degrees of soil disturbance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weed Communities in Winter Wheat: Responses to Cropping Systems under Different Climatic Conditions

et al. 2022

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Understanding the impact of biological and environmental stressors on cropping systems is essential to secure the long-term sustainability of agricultural production in the face of unprecedented climatic conditions. This study evaluated the effect of increased soil temperature and reduced moisture across three contrasting cropping systems: a no-till chemically managed system, a tilled organic system, and an organic system that used grazing to reduce tillage intensity. Results showed that while cropping system characteristics represent a major driver in structuring weed communities, the short-term impact of changes in temperature and moisture conditions appear to be more subtle. Weed community responses to temperature and moisture manipulations differed across variables: while biomass, species richness, and Simpson’s diversity estimates were not affected by temperature and moisture conditions, we observed a minor but significant shift in weed community composition. Higher weed biomass was recorded in the grazed/reduced-till organic system compared with the tilled-organic and no-till chemically managed systems. Weed communities in the two organic systems were more diverse than in the no-till conventional system, but an increased abundance in perennial species such as Cirsium arvense and Taraxacum officinale in the grazed/reduced-till organic system could hinder the adoption of integrated crop-livestock production tactics. Species composition of the no-till conventional weed communities showed low species richness and diversity, and was encompassed in the grazed/reduced-till organic communities. The weed communities of the no-till conventional and grazed/reduced-till organic systems were distinct from the tilled organic community, underscoring the effect that tillage has on the assembly of weed communities. Results highlight the importance of understanding the ecological mechanisms structuring weed communities, and integrating multiple tactics to reduce off-farm inputs while managing weeds.

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“…In vineyards, plant cover (usually mown) has become widespread as a viable option to conventional management based on soil tillage, with positive effects such as the improvement of soil properties or the enhancement of biodiversity (Winter et al, 2018;Novara et al, 2019;Guerra et al, 2022), although exhibiting in some cases a reduction on vineyard vigor and yield (Monteiro and Lopes, 2007;Celette and Gary, 2013). The impact of weed management on weed communities has been extensively documented, revealing that management practices such as tillage, herbicide or mowing can exert selective pressure on these communities, altering their composition and/or taxonomic diversity (Doradoand Loṕez-Fando, 2006;Jose-Marıá et al, 2010;Grundy et al, 2011;Larson et al, 2021;Guerra et al, 2022). However, gaps remain on how these management practices might affect plant functional diversity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant functional diversity is affected by weed management through processes of trait convergence and divergence

Guerra

Cabello²,

Fernández‐Quintanilla

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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Weed management involving tillage and/or herbicides has generally led to a decline of plant diversity in agroecosystems, with negative impacts on ecosystem services provision. The use of plant covers has become the predominant alternative in vineyard management, with numerous studies focusing on analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of plant covers compared to the aforementioned management. Although the impacts of weed management on taxonomic diversity have been widely studied, many gaps remain on their effects on plant functional diversity. As plant functional diversity is linked to the delivery of key ecosystem services in agroecosystems, understanding these effects could enable the development of more sustainable practices. From 2008 to 2018, a long-term trial was carried out in a Mediterranean vineyard to assess different agricultural practices. In this article, we examined how weed management, as well as irrigation use, could affect plant functional diversity. Based on 10 functional traits, such as plant height, specific leaf area or seed mass, we measured different indices of functional diversity and used null models to detect processes of trait convergence and divergence. Our results revealed that weed management and irrigation use had a significant effect on plant functional diversity. Mown plots showed the highest functional richness but were functionally convergent, since mowing was a strong functional filter on most of the traits. Tillage also behaved as a functional filter on some vegetative traits, but favored the divergence of certain reproductive traits. Herbicide-treated and irrigated plots showed the highest values of functional divergence by promoting more competitive species with more divergent trait values. The effect of weed management on these community assembly processes was shaped by the use of irrigation in vineyard rows, leading to functional divergence in those vegetative traits related to resource acquisition and seed mass. These results suggest that greater functional diversity may be associated with the bias caused by higher occurrence of competitive species (e.g. Convolvulus arvensis, Sonchus asper) with contrasting values for certain traits. Therefore, since these species are considered harmful to crops, higher plant functional diversity might not be a desirable indicator in agroecosystems.

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Plant community responses to integrating livestock into a reduced‐till organic cropping system

Abstract: Plant community responses to integrating livestock into a reduced-till organic cropping system.

Cited by 9 publications

References 63 publications

Organic Corn Production Practices and Profitability in the Eastern U.S. Corn Belt

Organic Corn Production Practices and Profitability in the Eastern U.S. Corn Belt

Weed Communities in Winter Wheat: Responses to Cropping Systems under Different Climatic Conditions

Plant functional diversity is affected by weed management through processes of trait convergence and divergence

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