Weed management in organic agriculture: are we addressing the right issues?

Bàrberi, Paolo

doi:10.1046/j.1365-3180.2002.00277.x

Cited by 353 publications

(304 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…ASC may have impact on soil fertility (Thorup Montemurro et al, 2013), occurrence of weeds (Bàrberi, 2002;Hayden et al, 2012), diseases and pests (Masiunas, 1998;Patkowska et al, 2013). They increase soil carbon (C) sink potential (Mazzoncini et al, 2011), influence greenhouse gasemission (Sanz-Cobena et al, 2014) and improve system energy use efficiency (Gomiero et al, 2008;Canali et al, 2013).…”

Section: Background Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic No-Till with Roller Crimpers: Agro-ecosystem Services and Applications in Organic Mediterranean Vegetable Productions

Canali¹,

Diacono²,

Campanelli³

et al. 2015

SAR

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In sustainable/organic farming systems, Agro-ecological Service Crops (ASC) may provide many beneficial ecosystem services, when they are introduced as buffer zones, living mulches or break crops. This outlook paper focuses on: i) the role of ASC genotype and mixtures as catch crops for soil mineral nitrogen (NO 3 -) surplus, which is returned to the system after their termination; ii) living mulches and break crops management strategies, particularly comparing ploughing under (green manure) with termination by roller crimper; iii) summary of three recent case studies that have assessed the effectiveness of ASC management by no-till with roller crimper for tomato, zucchini and melon crops, under Mediterranean conditions. Recently, in central Italy yield and quality results on organic tomato indicated that this crop was suitable following termination of leguminous ASC by roller crimping. Similarly, this ASC management increased yield by about 70% compared to green manure in zucchini crop. In southern Italy, no substantial differences were found in the ASC management and organic fertilizer interactions in organic melon, confirming the suitability of matching these strategies to sustain crop production. More studies should be encouraged to further empower the use of ASC in a wide range of agro-climatic conditions. Furthermore, additional studies on the roller crimper should be performed, mainly to understand the dynamic of N mineralisation in the soil-mulch interface and synchronisation of N release with cash crop N requirements. Finally, Decision Supporting Systems (DSS) for ASC introduction into vegetable cropping systems should be developed.

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Section: Background Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic No-Till with Roller Crimpers: Agro-ecosystem Services and Applications in Organic Mediterranean Vegetable Productions

Canali¹,

Diacono²,

Campanelli³

et al. 2015

SAR

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“…Other non-chemical options for integrated weed management in small holder cropping systems rely on a holistic understanding of crop and weed ecology. They include using crop rotations unfavourable to major weed species, use of cover crops, adjusting sowing time and procedure, use of competitive crop genotypes, arranging planting pattern, minimizing contamination of crop seed with weed seeds, and adjusting fertilizer strategy to minimize weed competition (Vogel, 1995 andBàrberi, 2002).…”

Section: Weed Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems

Johansen¹,

Haque²,

Bell

et al. 2012

Field Crops Research

171

138

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Small holder farmers in rainfed agriculture believe that soil tillage is needed to maximize crop yields.However, as cropping intensity, and hence tillage intensity, increases there may be a decline in particular physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil which limit crop yield. This is primarily caused by declining soil organic matter, its oxidation being accelerated by tillage, particularly in warmer climates, and exacerbated by the limited return of above-ground biomass to the soil due to its competing use for other purposes. In large-scale commercial agriculture declining soil quality has been effectively addressed by conservation agriculture-cropping systems based on minimum tillage, crop residue retention and appropriate crop rotations and associations, preferably including legumes. This has required development of minimum tillage planting equipment along with herbicide technology to achieve weed control that is traditionally achieved through tillage. However, a shortage of mechanized options suitable for small holder farmers is creating an impediment to the adoption of conservation agriculture practices that would arrest the decline in soil quality in their fields. In South Asia, two-wheel tractors are replacing animal-drawn ploughing in small holder plots.This speeds the tillage operation and hence the turnaround time between crops, which may increase opportunities for crop intensification, but the problems associated with full tillage remain. Over the previous decade planter attachments to two-wheel tractors have been developed which permit seed and fertilizer placement with minimum to zero tillage in a single-pass. Recent tests have demonstrated that use of these implements can produce crop yields equal to or better than conventional tillage involving hand broadcasting of seed and fertilizer. Further, fuel and labour costs, seed and fertilizer inputs and turnaround time between crops can be reduced. In Africa, the introduction of animal-drawn rippers and direct seeders, originally developed for small-scale farmers in Brazil, is considered as a major breakthrough to small-scale farmer mechanization. It significantly reduces labour required for planting and benefits may be even greater if herbicides can be effectively used for weed control.Nevertheless, movement towards minimum tillage with two-wheel tractor mounted planters and animal-drawn direct seeding equipment is constrained by weed management issues. There are problems of availability and of safe and effective use of herbicides by resource-poor farmers and there is a need to develop more integrated weed management strategies that can be combined with smallscale planters. There is also a need to optimize the performance of small-scale planters to suit farmers' needs in different agro-ecological environments. Tools and concepts are now available to implement conservation agriculture for small holders and thereby increase profitability of their cropping practices and at the same time improve soil quality and sustainability of the...

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“…This requires a greater emphasis on researcher/farmer partnerships to conduct fieldbased adaptive research and a greater investment in monitoring system performance as adaptations are made. Others have also recognized their need for innovative interdisciplinary partnerships and a shift from a research-extension-diffusion model to an interactive social learning process that incorporates both farmer and researcher knowledge (Barberi 2002;Roling et al 2004;Anderson 2005;Cherr et al 2006;Hobbs & Hilborn 2006;Warner 2006). Participatory research integrated with farmer education has more than 20 years of history in agricultural development, with some notable success such as IPM use in Asian rice systems (Matteson 2000).…”

Section: Managing Complexity and Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotic interactions, ecological knowledge and agriculture

Shennan

2007

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

180

126

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This paper discusses biotic interactions in agroecosystems and how they may be manipulated to support crop productivity and environmental health by provision of ecosystem services such as weed, pest and disease management, nutrient cycling and biodiversity conservation. Important elements for understanding biotic interactions include consideration of the effects of diversity, species composition and food web structure on ecosystem processes; the impacts of timing, frequency and intensity of disturbance; and the importance of multitrophic interactions. All of these elements need to be considered at multiple scales that depend in part on the range of the movement of the organisms involved. These issues are first discussed in general, followed by an examination of the application of these concepts in agricultural management. The potential for a greater use of ecological management approaches is high; however, owing to the nature of complex interactions in ecosystems, there is some inherent unpredictability about responses to management interventions under different conditions. Such uncertainty needs to be accommodated in the development of recommendations for farm management. This requires an increased emphasis on the effective synthesis of complex and often apparently contradictory information and on field-based adaptive research, monitoring and social learning by farmer/researcher collaborations.

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Weed management in organic agriculture: are we addressing the right issues?

Cited by 353 publications

References 84 publications

Organic No-Till with Roller Crimpers: Agro-ecosystem Services and Applications in Organic Mediterranean Vegetable Productions

Organic No-Till with Roller Crimpers: Agro-ecosystem Services and Applications in Organic Mediterranean Vegetable Productions

Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems

Biotic interactions, ecological knowledge and agriculture

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