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Agronomy
Special Issues
Organic vs. Conventional Cropping Systems—Series II
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Organic vs. Conventional Cropping Systems—Series II

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Innovative Cropping Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 6855

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Enrico Francia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life Science, Centre BIOGEST-SITEIA, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Amendola, N. 2, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Interests: small grain cereals; tomato; genetics and genomics; agronomy; crop physiology; abiotic stress tolerance; CBF/DREB transcription factors; copy number variation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Domenico Ronga

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pharmacy Department, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, n.132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: sustainable agriculture; crop production; soil fertility; plant nutrition; organic agriculture; crop physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Considering the great impact of the Special Issue “Organic vs. Conventional Cropping Systems”, with 19 published papers in total, it is our pleasure to announce the re-opening of the Special Issue and work on Series II. The challenges that researchers and farmers are currently facing are how to increase the sustainability of agricultural production under the current scenario of climate change and increasing cost of the external inputs. At the same time, the agricultural sector is called to feed a growing population and minimize its global environmental impacts. Conventional cropping systems (CCSs) are often based on monoculture and make greater use of external inputs, which leads to a great loss of biodiversity with a growing decrease in environmental sustainability. The organic cropping system (OCS) is an interesting alternative and more sustainable method of crop management than the CCS. Unfortunately, the current yield gap between the OCS and the CCS is significant for most cash crops and, therefore, may need more hectares to produce the same amount of food as the CCS. Hence, this might undermine the environmental benefits of the OCS. In the OCS, the main factors affecting yield are the control of weeds, pests and diseases, and the availability of the nutrients, in particular nitrogen.

In this regard, the continuation of the Special Issue will deal with several aspects of herbaceous/tree crop cultivation under “Organic vs. Conventional Cropping Systems” in both the open field and greenhouse. Several agronomy-related topics will be taken into consideration that encompass crop physiology, genomics and breeding, crop modeling under climate change, digital and precision farming applications, product quality, ecological footprint, etc. The main goal of this Special Issue is to report the current state of the art, giving useful information to improve the sustainability of production in the two cropping systems.

We invite experts and researchers to contribute with original studies, reviews, and opinion papers covering all topics related to the OCS vs. the CCS. Authors are welcome to submit articles and reviews on the most important aspects of this comparison, such as performances of genotypes or products and agroecological strategies aiming to increase sustainable crop production.

Dr. Enrico Francia
Dr. Domenico Ronga
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cropping systems
  • organic agriculture
  • conventional agriculture
  • yield gap
  • yield-limiting factors
  • genomics and breeding
  • digital and precision agriculture
  • crop modeling
  • sustainability
  • product quality

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1962 KiB  
Article
Organic vs. Conventional Farming of Lavender: Effect on Yield, Phytochemicals and Essential Oil Composition
by Ana Dobreva, Nadezhda Petkova, Mima Todorova, Mariya Gerdzhikova, Zornitza Zherkova and Neli Grozeva
Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010032 - 21 Dec 2023
Viewed by 828
Abstract
Increasing prices and market demand for organic products are stimulants of organic farming. However, this sector is a challenge for producers and further improvements are still necessary. The present study case was conducted to compare the effects of organic (OF) and conventional (CF) [...] Read more.
Increasing prices and market demand for organic products are stimulants of organic farming. However, this sector is a challenge for producers and further improvements are still necessary. The present study case was conducted to compare the effects of organic (OF) and conventional (CF) farming on lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) oil yield, plant pigments and essential oil composition. The study was conducted for two years in the period 2019–2020. Six private farms were included in the experiment with conventional and organic agriculture systems. They are located in Kazanlak Valley, Southern Bulgaria. Organic lavender inflorescences were determined to have chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll within a narrow range between 251.3 and 275.7 μg·g−1 and between 375.5 and 487.0 μg·g−1 compared to conventional ones—between 245.9 and 377.5 μg·g−1 and 385.3 and 595.4 μg·g−1 respectively. However, carotenoids and anthocyanins were in a wide range in organic lavender between 36.9 and 72.2 μg·g−1 and 410 and 1240 µg cyn-3-gly.g−1 compared to conventional ones—between 55.5 and 77.3 μg·g−1 and 200 and 780 µg cyn-3-gly.g−1, respectively, for both studied years. The key constituents in essential oil were linalyl acetate (28.42–38.23%), linalool (20.01–31.04%) and β-caryophyllene (7.95–14.97%). The composition was compared with the parameters set out in the international standard for lavender oil. The influence of the type of agricultural system on essential oil yield and its composition was not found. According to the obtained results, levels of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were higher in conventional farming than in organic farming for the second year of the study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic vs. Conventional Cropping Systems—Series II)
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28 pages, 3947 KiB  
Article
Bioponics—An Organic Closed-Loop Soilless Cultivation System: Yields and Characteristics Compared to Hydroponics and Soil Cultivation
by Florentina Gartmann, Julian Hügly, Nikita Krähenbühl, Nadine Brinkmann, Zala Schmautz, Theo H. M. Smits and Ranka Junge
Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1436; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061436 - 23 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3301
Abstract
Sustainable food production has become increasingly important. Soilless cultivation systems offer several advantages, such as water and nutrient use efficiency, and can be implemented where traditional agriculture is impossible. Bioponic systems use locally or regionally available nutrient sources from organic waste streams (either [...] Read more.
Sustainable food production has become increasingly important. Soilless cultivation systems offer several advantages, such as water and nutrient use efficiency, and can be implemented where traditional agriculture is impossible. Bioponic systems use locally or regionally available nutrient sources from organic waste streams (either fluid or solid) and can thus contribute to closing nutrient cycles locally. Bioponics harnesses the metabolic processes of microorganisms which release nutrients from organic matter. This study aimed to set up a bioponic system, by using biogas digestate concentrate and biochar as nutrient sources, and promoting nutrient release from the organic sources by including a biofilter in the system. The development of water quality, plant growth, and quality was monitored extensively. In addition, the influence of either the fungal biocontrol agent Trichoderma atrobrunneum or UV-C treatment of the nutrient solution on plant health and growth was investigated. Three cultivation cycles with Lactuca sativa (“HAWKING” Salanova®) in bioponic (BP), hydroponic (HP), and soil (SO) cultivation were performed. The study showed that healthy lettuces could be produced in BP systems, using a biogas digestate concentrate and biochar as nutrient sources, despite salt accumulation in the nutrient solution. In plant sap analyses, lettuces cultivated in BP systems contained less nitrate but more ammonium and chloride. The yield of the lettuces grown in the BP systems was intermediate, compared to the HP and the SO. The fungus, T. atrobrunneum, strain, T720, survived in soil and soilless cultivation systems. Compared to the HP and the SO systems, the shoot height of lettuces grown in the BP system, with the application of Trichoderma, was significantly increased. In SO systems with Trichoderma application, a significantly higher chlorophyll and flavonoid content, but significantly lower shoot height was observed. The fresh weight of lettuce roots was significantly higher in HP systems with Trichoderma treatment. Cultivating plants by using organic waste streams requires commitment and experience from producers. In BP systems, a biofilter (either within the system or externally, to increase nutrient levels) can help to rapidly convert the ammonium-rich fertilizer to plant-available nutrients. Unlike conventional HP systems, in BP systems, nutrients are released slowly over time, requiring close monitoring and adjustments. In conclusion, healthy lettuces for human consumption can be produced in BP systems, and the application of the biocontrol agent used has some beneficial influence on plant growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic vs. Conventional Cropping Systems—Series II)
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Review

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19 pages, 1391 KiB  
Review
Feasibility of Tea/Tree Intercropping Plantations on Soil Ecological Service Function in China
by Yutong Feng and Terry Sunderland
Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1548; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061548 - 02 Jun 2023
Viewed by 2156
Abstract
In order to explore whether tea/tree intercropping plantations have positive effects on soil ecosystem services functions, the possible effects of intercropping cultivation of 151 different tea and other species’ intercropping setups were summarized and analyzed in terms of three aspects of soil ecological [...] Read more.
In order to explore whether tea/tree intercropping plantations have positive effects on soil ecosystem services functions, the possible effects of intercropping cultivation of 151 different tea and other species’ intercropping setups were summarized and analyzed in terms of three aspects of soil ecological service functions (supply services, support services, and regulating services). An ArcGIS map was plotted to show the distribution of existing intercropping plantations in China up to June 2021. Furthermore, it was concluded that the benefits of intercropping tea plantations exceeded those of monocropping tea plantations in terms of soil ecosystem service functions, such as water retention capacity, mineral contents, effects on energy transformation, and regulating environmental conditions. Intercropping tea plantations were more sustainable than regular tea plantations because of the different degrees of variability and benefits in all three aspects mentioned above. However, tea and tree intercropping plantations often require careful planning and preliminary experimentation to determine the type of intercropping that will have positive impacts, especially in the long term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic vs. Conventional Cropping Systems—Series II)
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