Weed Management in the Transition to Conservation Agriculture: Farmers’ Response

Derrouch, Damien; Chauvel, Bruno; Felten, Émeline; Dessaint, Fabrice

doi:10.3390/agronomy10060843

Cited by 20 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Compared with literature from the region conducted mostly on research stations, total organic C and N changes with adoption of NT and cover cropping on private farms were greater in magnitude. This discrepancy may have been a result of a combinations of factors, including (a) farmers mastering conservation approaches and optimizing responses over time, (b) different lengths of time of management (we were not able to ascertain exact histories on farms), (c) different soil types between research and private farms, and/or (d) an artifact of the survey approach that did not adequately match soil conditions among the different management styles (Derrouch et al., 2020).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cover cropping and conservation tillage improve soil health in the southeastern United States

2022

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Conservation agricultural systems have a long history of development and use in the southeastern United States, but they are still not the norm on the landscape. Literature from the region suggests that a diversity of soil properties can be improved with cover cropping and conservation tillage, but results are not always consistent. Our objectives were to (a) review recent research on conservation tillage and cover cropping in the region and (b) compile and synthesize recent data from a diversity of farms along a conventional to conservation gradient. As part of recent on‐farm trials focused on soil N availability, we analyzed soil organic C and N fractions and routine soil nutrient characteristics from a total of 196 fields in corn (Zea mays L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) production in three physiographic regions of the Coastal Plain (n = 71 fields), Piedmont (n = 77 fields), and Appalachians (n = 48 fields) in North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. These data allowed us to establish first estimates of threshold optima for soil organic C and N fractions and other inorganic nutrients. On‐farm data confirmed the literature review that conservation tillage resulted in greater stratification of soil organic C and N and nutrient concentrations. Soil health improvement could be inferred along the gradient from inversion tillage to no tillage without cover cropping to no tillage with cover cropping. This collection of recent literature and on‐farm data can be a useful starting point for establishing target limits and assessing soil health conditions on farms in the region.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cover cropping and conservation tillage improve soil health in the southeastern United States

2022

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“…In addition, these changes could have been facilitated by the third principle of CA, the crop diversification. This crop diversification, applied by half of farmers when adopting CA (Derrouch et al, 2020a), is generally optimised by farmers after the first 5 years of CA to achieve sustainable weed management (Derrouch et al, 2020a). The introduction of spring and summer crops during the post-adoption period could explain the observed increase in summer germination proportions in the age group >10.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fields of group ‘2–5’ had a time since CA adoption from 2–5 years (42 fields). Fields of group ‘6–10’ had a time since CA adoption from 6 to 10 years (32 fields) and represented a period during which French CA farmers generally adapt their weed management (summer crops added, shift to post‐emergence herbicide application; Derrouch et al, 2020a). Finally, the group ‘>10’ grouped fields with a time since CA adoption more than 10 years (14 fields) and represented the period during which weed communities become significantly more similar and homogeneous (Derrouch et al, 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fields were grouped into four groups of age since CA adoption. Age group boundaries were chosen according to known changes in weed community structure (Derrouch et al, 2021) and weed management practices (Derrouch et al, 2020a). Fields of group '1' with 1 year of time since CA adoption (12 fields) constituted the initial state.…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Crop rotation diversification and lack of soil disturbance during the intercropping period were expected to increase summer‐ and/or fall‐germinating or flowering species. Finally, we expected that most of the functional shifts would be observed in fields that have been in CA for more than 5 years, due to the buffering effect of the weed seedbank and to an adaptation of weed management by farmers after this period, such as the inclusion of summer crops (Derrouch et al, 2020a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional shifts in weed community composition following adoption of conservation agriculture

et al. 2021

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To better understand the changes in weed communities following the adoption of conservation agriculture (CA), we investigated the functional composition of weed communities in fields implementing CA continuously from 1 to 21 years. Weed surveys were conducted in 100 winter wheat fields of 53 farmers in the Bourgogne‐Franche‐Comté region, Eastern France. Ten response traits were selected to highlight changes in the functional composition of weed communities, using weighted mean value for quantitative traits and an approach based on composition analysis for qualitative traits. Out of the 10 traits, four were impacted by the time following the adoption of CA significantly, whereas two only showed trends. Specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, seed dispersal mode and soil seedbank longevity did not change over time following adoption of CA, whereas changes were observed for plant type, Raunkiær's life forms, Ellenberg's indicator value for light and, germination and flowering periods. Phanerophyte and geophyte life forms, summer‐germinating species and spring‐ and summer‐flowering species increased with time following adoption of CA. Shade‐tolerant species, not present in fields recently converted to CA, established later. Community‐weighted mean of seed mass and the percentage of graminoids tended to increase with time following adoption of CA. Some functional shifts in weed communities occurred quicker than others (i.e., summer‐germinating species increased after at least 10 years of continuous application of CA principles). These results can be used to inform farmers moving towards CA about expected changes.

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A method to account for diversity of practices in Conservation Agriculture

Ferdinand,

Baret

2024

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Conservation Agriculture (CA) is actively promoted as an alternative farming system that combines environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Three pillars define CA: (i) minimum mechanical soil disturbance, (ii) permanent soil organic cover, and (iii) species diversification. The local context, constraints, and needs of the farmers influence the translation of the pillars into practices. Currently, there is no method for categorizing this diversity of CA practices, which hampers impact assessment, understanding of farmer choices and pathways, stakeholder communication, and policymaking. This paper presents a systematic method to identify and categorize the diversity of CA practices at the regional level, anchored in the three pillars and based on practices implemented by CA farmers. The classification method is grounded on the intersection of an archetypal analysis and a hierarchical clustering analysis. This method was used to study CA practices in Wallonia, Belgium, based on a survey of practices in a sample of 48 farmers. Combining the two clustering methods increases the proportion of classified farmers while allowing for the distinction between three CA-types with extreme and salient practices, and two intermediate CA-types comprising farmers whose practices fall between these references. The study reveals that three explanatory factors influence the implementation of CA practices in Wallonia: (i) the proportion of tillage-intensive crops and (ii) temporary grasslands in the crop sequence, and (iii) the organic certification. These factors lead to trade-offs that hinder the three pillars of CA from being fully implemented simultaneously. This new classification method can be replicated in other regions where CA is practiced, by adapting input variables according to context and local knowledge.

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Weed Management in the Transition to Conservation Agriculture: Farmers’ Response

Cited by 20 publications

References 30 publications

Cover cropping and conservation tillage improve soil health in the southeastern United States

Cover cropping and conservation tillage improve soil health in the southeastern United States

Functional shifts in weed community composition following adoption of conservation agriculture

A method to account for diversity of practices in Conservation Agriculture

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