Intensive cropping of maize in the Southeastern United States

The long growing season of the southeastern Coastal Plains allows planting of a second crop after spring-planted maize (Zea mays L.). Second crops have been shown to reduce erosion and prevent leaching of nutrients and pesticides. Maize grown with a second annual crop might also have a yield advantage over mono-cultured maize. Seven tillage/cropping systems were compared. They included disking for weed control, disking for seedbed preparation, or no disking. Double-cropped treatments included sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), soybean (Glycine max. L.), a cover crop [crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.)] or no double crop. Double-cropped soybean yields did not respond to irrigation. They averaged 0.63 Mg/ha over 4 years. This is less than half of the local non-double-cropped yields. Sunflower yields averaged 0.89 Mg/ha, also less than non-double-cropped yields (1.0–2.5 Mg/ha). The best continous maize yields (7–8 Mg/ha) were from treatments with disking in some phase of the operation. Treatments with lower maize yields generally had higher plant nutrient contents. Double-cropped maize yields significantly (P<0.10) outyielded mono-cropped maize yields in two of the three years. In 1984, a dry year, the minimum tillage treatment had lower tensiometer readings than the conventionally tilled treatment.     

西南“旱三熟”地区不同保护性耕作措施对农田土壤生态效应及生产效益的影响

针对我国西南地区旱作农田土层浅薄、水土流失严重、季节性干旱多发等问题,以常规平作(T)、垄作(R)、平作+秸秆覆盖(TS)、垄作+秸秆覆盖(RS)、平作+秸秆覆盖+腐熟剂(TSD)、垄作+秸秆覆盖+腐熟剂(RSD) 6种措施作为处理,连续2年进行大田对比试验,研究不同保护性耕作措施对西南“旱三熟”种植区农田土壤生态要素、产量和水分利用效率的影响。结果表明, 保护性耕作措施可以有效地改善土壤有机质和养分状况,且对酸性土壤有一定的改良作用,其中有秸秆覆盖的4个处理显著增加了土壤有机质、全氮、全钾、碱解氮含量;可改善土壤水分状况,增强作物的抗旱节水能力,各处理0~80 cm土层2年平均贮水量排序为：RSD (258.82 mm) > TSD (252.40 mm) > RS (250.19 mm) > TS (246.66 mm) > R (239.19 mm) > T (235.87 mm);可降低7月份表层土壤温度,缓解夏季高温对玉米后期生长发育造成的伤害,其中有秸秆覆盖的4个处理对5 cm和10 cm土层温度有显著降低效应;可抑制杂草生长,具有良好的控草效应,其中TS、RS、TSD、RSD处理的杂草高度、密度和生物量均比T和R有极显著下降;可促进蚯蚓的繁殖和生长,使农田生态环境得到明显改善。总体来看,秸秆覆盖措施可以改善土壤肥力,并具有增加土壤贮水、调节土壤温度、控制农田杂草和促进蚯蚓生长的作用,垄作和腐熟剂在增加土壤贮水方面有明显效果。保护性耕作模式显著提高了作物的产量和水分利用效率,增加了经济收益。2年系统平均产量和水分利用效率排序为：RSD>RS>TSD>TS>R>T(CK),总产值和纯收入排序为RS>RSD>TSD>R>TS>T(CK)。在各处理中以RSD、RS两种模式的综合效果最好,在西南“旱三熟”种植区具有很好的推广前景。     

华北高寒区多年保护性耕作对农田土壤容重的影响

为了在保护土壤、减抑风蚀的同时,兼顾作物的产量,探索适合华北高寒区的保护性耕作模式,给当地作物生产提供理论依据,在农业部张北野外观测站连续9年不同耕作方式定位研究的基础上,于2007—2009年探讨了免耕、松耕和翻耕对土壤耕层容重的影响。结果表明,3种耕作方式播种期不同耕层土壤容重均以免耕最高,翻耕最低,播前0~10 cm、10~20 cm土壤容重免耕分别为1.65、1.81 g/cm3,翻耕则分别为1.38、1.47 g/cm3,收获期土壤容重差异不明显。华北高寒区不同耕作方式对农田耕层土壤容重具有明显的影响,翻耕和松耕可以显著降低耕层土壤容重。受作物根系生长生物力的影响,收获期与播种期相比,免耕及松耕农田耕层土壤容重呈下降趋势,翻耕则无明显变化。     

河南传统农业作物起源与耕作制度演变

河南传统农业有着悠久的历史和丰富的内涵。河南传统农业作物种植历史悠久,其耕作制度以精耕细作为主要特征,以多熟种植和间、混、套作为主要方式。从野生植物驯化为粮食作物到农作物育种;从传统农具的发明创造到精耕细作这种北方旱地典型耕作制度的建立和演变,河南传统农业长盛不衰,许多方面都处于当时全国乃至世界领先地位。河南传统农业作物起源以及耕作制度的演变过程,为当今保护性耕作技术的发展和农业资源环境高效利用,为新时期粮食安全和农业现代化建设提供了有益思考。     

高麦茬覆盖复播效应及技术研究

高麦茬覆盖复播技术,是在机械收获后在的高茬麦田,通过人工撒种、施耕机施耕等作业环节,达到灭茬、播种、覆盖的目的。这种复播方式既有蓄水保墒、调控地温、培肥改土、抑制杂草等土壤环境效应,又有促进夏作物生长发育、提高产量的生物学效应。与常规耕作复播相比,每公顷增产夏玉米１２７５ｋｇ、夏 大豆８２６．５ｋｇ,增产率分别为２９．１％和３３．１％。     

Factors of winter wheat yield robustness in France under unfavourable weather conditions

To face increasing uncertainties, future farming systems must be sustainable not only under average conditions but also in extreme climatic and economic situations. Various concepts such as stability, robustness, vulnerability or resilience have been proposed to analyze the ability of agricultural systems to adapt to changing production conditions. The operational effectiveness of these concepts remains nevertheless limited. In this paper, we developed an original analytical framework allowing characterizing and quantifying crop yield robustness, as well as identifying agricultural practices linked to cropping systems differentiated according to their robustness pattern. This framework was applied to 2300 bread wheat plots belonging to 145 cropping systems in various regions of France over the period 2011–2014. The analysis was performed at the scale of the cropping system. In a first step, we defined a regression statistical model allowing us to link wheat yield variability to an index of abiotic perturbations constructed using the STICS agronomic model; the cropping systems were taken into account through the use of dummy variables. In a second step, the different cropping systems were positioned within four quadrants using the regional average wheat yield in conditions of average abiotic perturbations and the regional average estimated robustness to abiotic perturbations as cut-offs for the quadrants. In a third step, the cropping systems of the different spaces defined by the four-quadrant approach were compared on the basis on three types of agronomic practices, i.e., management intensification, rotation and heterogeneity practices. Empirical results show that abiotic perturbations had an impact on wheat yield variability. This impact differed from one system to another which means that there is a ”cropping system effect” of abiotic perturbations on wheat yield robustness. Several agronomic practices allowed differentiating high versus low wheat yield cropping systems. High yield cropping systems relied more intensively on chemical inputs (fertilizers and pesticides) and used more diversified rotations, with more frequently legumes as preceding crops and a lower frequency of cereals. Fewer agronomic practices allowed differentiating robust versus sensitive wheat cropping systems. In addition to the sowing date (later for robust systems) and the sowing density (greater), these practices were essentially linked to spatial adjustments of the sowing date, total pesticide use, variety earliness at heading stage and variety disease resistance.     

Evolution in crop–livestock integration systems that improve farm productivity and environmental performance in Australia

Australian farming systems have an enduring history of crop–livestock integration which emerged in the face of high climate variability, infertile soils and variable landscapes. Ley farming systems with phases of shorter annual legume pasture phases with cereal crops predominate but, emerging sustainability issues and the need to manage risk is driving ongoing innovation in crop–livestock integration. We discuss the recent evolution of selected innovations that integrate crop and livestock production and their impacts on farm productivity, sustainability and business risk. Dual-purpose use of cereals and canola (Brassica napus) for forage during the vegetative stage while still harvesting for grain is now practiced throughout southern Australia's cropping zone. This practice provides risk management benefits, diversifies crop rotations, reduces pressure on other feed resources and can significantly increase both livestock and crop productivity from farms by 25–75% with little increase in inputs. Sacrificially grazing crops when expected grain yield is low and/or livestock prices are attractive relative to grain provides further flexibility in crop–livestock management systems vital for business risk management in a variable climate. Replacing annual pastures with perennial pasture phases in rotation with crops can provide a range of benefits including improved hydrological balance to reduce dryland salinity, subsoil acidification and water-logging, provide a management tool for herbicide-resistant or problem weeds, improved soil nutrient and carbon stocks as well as increased livestock productivity by filling feed gaps. In some environments, integration of perennial forages in mixtures with cropping, such as alley cropping and inter-cropping, also provide options for improving environmental outcomes. These practices are all innovations that provide flexibility and enable tactical decisions about the mix of enterprises and allocation of land and forage resources to be adjusted in response to climate and price. We discuss these innovations in the context of the emerging constraints to crop–livestock integration in Australia including the continuing decline in labour availability on farms and increasing management skill required to optimise enterprise profitability.     

Production, nitrogen and carbon balance of maize-based forage systems

Nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) surplus can be used as indicators of an agroecosystems’ ability to maintain soil fertility. Maize is the key crop of intensive forage systems in northern Italy, and large amounts of manure are often supplied to this crop. Different maize-based cropping systems and manure managements were compared in this paper. The following were assessed, using the results of an 11-year experiment: crop production and N uptakes; C and N surpluses; soil C and N contents. The treatments were maize for silage (Ms), maize for grain (Mg), double annual crop rotation maize–Italian ryegrass (Mr), and rotation maize–grass ley (Ml). Five fertilization management systems were adopted: 0N control, and bovine slurry and farmyard manure supplied at two levels, ranging from 215 to 385 kg ha⁻¹ of total N.

The dry-matter production of Mr was significantly higher than those of the other systems. The response of maize to fertilization was similar in all the cropping systems, except for Mr, for which the crop showed a high reactivity to N input at both fertilizer levels. Soil reserves were rapidly consumed in the unfertilized treatment of Mr, whereas the high productivity potential of this cropping system was exerted in fertilized plots. The introduction of a ley in rotation with maize reduced the system's DM production, due to the low yield potential of grass compared to that of maize, reduced the system response to fertilization, and diminished the exploitation of organic N at high fertilization rates. Cumulated N surplus caused an enrichment of the soil N pool size: 43% of excess N was retained by the soil. The relationship between the cumulated C surplus and the soil C pool size indicated that 26–27% was retained by the soil. Crop residues of the Mg system were less effective in building up the soil C pool than other C sources. Both slurry and farmyard manure exerted a positive effect on the soil C and N retention. When farmyard manure was used, 18% of C and 45% of surplus N were incorporated into the soil organic matter (SOM). Slurry also built up the SOM content, resulting in 9% of C and 24% of N surplus.     

Intercropping and Poultry Manure Effects on Yields of Corn, Watermelon and Soybean Grown in a Calcareous Soil in the Jordan Valley

This study was conducted at the University of Jordan Research Station in the central Jordan Valley during 1988 and 1989 summer growing seasons, to determine the potential and response of summer crops to intercropping system and to poultry manure addition. Corn, soybean and watermelon were grown as sole crops and as intercrops in three paired combinations (corn: watermelon, corn: soybean, watermelon: soybean) with three levels of poultry manure (0, 20, 40 t/ha). The crop yields and land equivalent ratios (LERs) were determined for all treatments. The highest yields for the two cropping systems were obtained in response to the highest poultry manure addition. Corn gave the highest yield when intercropped with soybean, where increases in yield of 45 % and 66 % were obtained over those of corn sole crop at the same level of poultry manure (40 t/ha), in 1988 and 1989 seasons, respectively. Soybean gave the highest yield when grown with corn leading to an increase of 35 % and 34 % over soybean sole crop grown at the same level of poultry manure (40 t/ha) in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Watermelon gave the highest yield when grown with soybean, giving an increase which ranged from 390 to 920 kg ha⁻¹ over the yield of sole cropping system under the same level of poultry manure (40 t/ha). The LER values for all intercrop treatments were greater than 1.0 which gave clearly an indication for the superiority of the intercropping over the sole cropping system especially when 40 t ha⁻¹ poultry manure was added.     

Intercropping maize and wheat with conservation agriculture principles improves water harvesting and reduces carbon emissions in dry areas

In arid and populated areas or countries, water shortage and heavy carbon emissions are threatening agricultural sustainability with food security severely, and becoming a major issue. It is unclear whether improved farming systems can be developed to tackle those issues through a sustainable agriculture. Here three farming practices that have proven to be essential and successful, which were: (a) crop intensification through strip intercropping, (b) water harvesting through conservation tillage; and (c) carbon sequestration through improved crop residue management options, were integrated in one cropping system. We hypothesize that the integrated system allows the increase of crop yields with improved water use efficiency, while reducing carbon emissions from farming. The hypothesis was tested in field experiments at Hexi Corridor (37°96′N, 102°64′E) in northwest China. We found that the integrated system increased soil moisture (mm) by 7.4% before sowing, 10.3% during the wheat–maize co-growth period, 8.3% after wheat harvest, and 9.2% after maize harvest, compared to the conventional sole cropping systems. The wheat/maize intercrops increased net primary production by 68% and net ecosystem production by 72%; and when combined with straw mulching on the soil surface, it decreased carbon emissions by 16%, compared to the monoculture maize without mulch. The wheat/maize intercrops used more water but increased grain yields by 142% over the monoculture wheat and by 23% over the monoculture maize, thus, enhancing water use efficiency by an average of 26%. We conclude that integrating strip intercropping, conservation tillage as well as straw mulching in one cropping system can significantly boost crop yields, improve the use efficiency of the limited water resources in arid areas, while, lowering the carbon emissions from farming. The integrated system may be considered in the development of strategies for alleviating food security issues currently experienced in the environment-damaged and water-shortage areas.     

Integrated Nitrogen Management with Green Manures in Rice-Chickpea Cropping System

A field experiment was conducted during wet and dry seasons of 1987–88 and 1988–89 to evaluate the performance of green manures with and without fertilizer nitrogen in lowland rice and their residual effect on succeeding crop of chickpea grown under rice-chickpea cropping system. Incorporation of Ipomea carnea (green leaves), Cassia tora and Parthenium hysterophorus (green young plants) ca. 5 t/ha fresh weight significantly improved yield and yield components namely panicles per hill, panicle length, grains per panicle and test weight of transplanted rice. The results showed that at least 20 kg/ha fertilizer nitrogen applied to rice could be replaced by incorporation of 5 t/ha fresh weight green manure. Supplementation of 60 kg N/ha through urea to the green manures treated plots proved to be the best in respect of grain yield and was comparable to the yield obtained under 80 kg N/ha as urea alone. Plant N-uptake followed the similar pattern of rice grain yield. Residual fertility in terms of available nitrogen increased under the green manure treatments, whereas urea nitrogen alone made no impact on fertility build-up. Green manures showed significantly higher residual response than fertilizer N alone to seed yield and N uptake of chickpea.     

Mitigating heat and chilling stress by adjusting the sowing date of maize in the North China Plain

The North China Plain (NCP) is one of the major areas of cereal production, and in recent years its maize (Zea mays L.) production has been influenced by both heat and chilling stresses. Adjusting the sowing date is an effective measure for mitigating these stresses. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We performed a 5‐year field experiment to determine how the sowing date mitigated heat and chilling stresses at Wuqiao Experimental Station in the NCP with three treatments: early sowing (ES), middle sowing (MS), and late sowing (LS). In all 5 years, higher grain yields were observed in the MS (averaged 11.7 Mg/ha) and LS (averaged 11.4Mg/ha) treatments compared with the ES (averaged 10.9Mg/ha) treatment. The lower yield in ES treatment mainly resulted from high temperature 5 days pre‐silking and 5 days post‐silking (>31.8°C). In 2015 and 2016, the lower grain yield in LS (11.4Mg/ha in 2015 and 11.2Mg/ha in 2016) treatment compared with MS (12.1Mg/ha in 2015 and 11.9Mg/ha in 2016) was mainly because the minimum temperature was <13.0°C 5 days before maturity or <13.6°C 10 days before maturity. Long‐term weather data further verified middle sowing would be appropriate in a changing climate. Therefore, we can conclude that sowing date manipulation constitutes a useful method for mitigating heat and chilling stresses for maize production.     

Management of soil organic matter in the farming systems of the low land humid tropics of West Africa: a review

Soil organic matter is the key to successful and sustained productivity of soils of the tropics. This is because soil organic matter positively affects structure, aggregation, porosity, microbial activity, pore size distribution and water retention capacity of the soil.Furthermore, soil organic matter is the major nutrient storage site for the low-activity-clay soils of the tropics and so affect nutrient retention capacity, availability and mobility of macro- and micro-nutrients. It increases the water use efficiency, and therefore attenuate runoff and erosion and consequently the productivity of the soil.The low land humid tropics is characterised by high temperature, high relative humidity, high rainfall intensity and high microbial activity which all encourage rapid mineralisation, depletion and erosion of organic matter leading to soil deterioration.Many cultural practices and operations encourage rapid depletion of soil organic matter while others are associated with soil organic matter build up. Practices like crop rotation, multiple cropping, mulching, alley cropping, following and farm yard manuring, encourage soil organic matter accretion. However, the effectiveness of these practices in increasing soil organic matter depends on:

• 1.(a) amount and frequency of residue application;
• 2.(b) the nature and C:N ratio of the mulching material, or manure;
• 3.(c) rainfall amounts, intensity and distribution, soil moisture and clay contents.

Land clearing with heavy machinery is associated with removal of biomass from the field, while conventional ploughing and harrowing lead to soil organic matter depletion. These practices should be discouraged or modified to reduce their negative effects on soil organic matter.Effects of green manuring and burning, on soil organic matter are questionable.Research is needed on processes and pathways of crop residue decomposition to provide clues to possible interventions aimed at management of soil organic matter. Work is also needed to improve the efficiency of agro forestry systems in accreting soil organic matter in soils of the low land humid tropics.     

Effect of Rainfall Collecting with Ridge and Furrow on Soil Moisture and Root Growth of Corn in Semiarid Northwest China

A plastic‐covered ridge and furrow farming of rainfall collecting (RC) system were designed to increase water availability to corn for improving and stabilizing agricultural production in the semiarid Loess region of northwest China. This system comprised two elements: the ridge mulched by plastic film that acts as a rainfall harvesting zone and the furrow as a planting zone. To adopt this system for large‐scale use in the semiarid region and bring it into full play, it is necessary to test the appropriate rainfall range for RC farming. A field study (using corn as an indicator crop) combined with rainfall simulation was conducted to determine the effect of RC on soil moisture, root characteristic parameters and the yield of corn under three different rainfall levels (230, 340 and 440 mm) during the growing seasons of 2006 and 2007. The results indicated that with the rainfalls ranging within 230–440 mm, the soil moisture at 0–100 cm depth for RC system in furrows was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of conventional flat (CF for control) practice. At 100–200 cm soil depth, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between soil moisture in the RC₂₃₀ plots and in the CF₂₃₀ plots during the corn growing seasons, while the soil moisture both in the RC₃₄₀ and RC₄₄₀ plots were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those in the CF₃₄₀ and CF₄₄₀ plots. The root length, root surface area, root volume and root dry weight for RC₂₃₀ and RC₃₄₀ plots all significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared with CF₂₃₀ and CF₃₄₀ plots, but these root characteristic parameters at 440 mm rainfall slightly decreased compared with those of CF practice. Compared with the CF_230–440 pattern, the increasing amplitude of grain yield under the RC_230–440 pattern diminished with the rainfall increase and there was no obvious yield‐incrementing effect (P > 0.05) between two patterns at 440 mm rainfall in 2006. In comparison with these two farming practices, the RC system not only improved soil moisture of dry farmland, but also promoted the development of corn root systems when the rainfall ranged between 230 and 440 mm. Thus, it could be concluded that the optimal upper rainfall limit for the RC system is below 440 mm in the experiment. For corn, the adoption of the RC practice in the 230–440 mm rainfall area will make the system more effective during the whole growth period and offer a sound opportunity for sustainable farming in semiarid areas.     

Effects of biogas digestion of clover/grass-leys, cover crops and crop residues on nitrogen cycle and crop yield in organic stockless farming systems

The trend towards specialization in conventional farming led to large agricultural areas in Germany and in Europe lacking livestock. Also stockless organic farming has increased during recent years. In organic farming clover/grass-ley (CG) provides nitrogen (N) to the whole cropping system via symbiotic N₂ fixation and also controls certain weeds. A common practice in organic farming, when ruminants are not present, is to leave the biomass from CG in the field for their residual fertility effect. CG biomass, crop residues (CR) and cover crops (CC) represent a large unexploited energy potential. It could be used by anaerobic digestion to produce biogas. A field experiment was carried out by implementing a whole cropping system with a typical crop rotation for such farming systems on the research station Gladbacherhof from 2002 to 2005. The crop rotation consisted of six crops (two legumes and four non-legume crops). The aim was to evaluate whether the use of N could be improved by processing biomass from CG, CR and CC in a biogas digester and using the effluents as a fertilizer, compared to common practice. In the control treatment, represented by the usual stockless system, the CG, CR and CC biomass were left on the ground for green manure purposes. In the biogas systems these substrates were harvested for digestion in a biogas plant. The effluents of digestion were used to manure the non-legumes in the same crop rotation. Results indicate that digestion of CG, CR and CC can increase the crop dry matter and N yields and the N content of wheat grains in organic stockless systems. Harvesting and digestion of residues and their reallocation after digestion resulted in a better and more even allocation of N within the whole crop rotation, in a higher N input via N₂ fixation and lower N losses due to emissions and probably in a higher N availability of digested manures in comparison to the same amounts of undigested biomass.     

Effect of Alley Cropping on Crops and Arthropod Diversity in Duzce, Turkey

The influence of alley cropping practices on trees, agricultural crops and arthropod diversity was studied in Duzce, Turkey. Six replications of three crops, maize (Zea mays L. var. rugosa), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.), were planted in the alleyways between rows of hybrid poplar [Populus euramericana (Dode) Guinier] in a plantation setting. Control plots included a poplar plot without crops and the three crops planted in plots without trees near the plantation. Sweep netting, sticky traps, pitfall traps, and cloth shaking were used four times throughout a growing season to sample arthropods in the research area. Alley cropping practices had both negative and positive effects on crop yield and a significant negative effect on poplar growth. A total of 10 284 arthropod specimens (15 orders and 122 families) were collected, 118 families in the agroforestry plots, 57 families in the treeless plots and 44 families in the poplar control plot. Diversity indices did not differ among plots, except for the Shannon index, for all dates and sampling methods combined. Evenness indices and family richness measures did not differ significantly among plots, but significant differences were found among collection dates and sampling methods. The tree canopy had a greater arthropod diversity than the ground vegetation. Beneficial arthropods were found in significantly greater numbers in the agroforestry plots compared to the monocrop plots. This suggests that trees provided a more favourable habitat for beneficial arthropods than herbaceous plants. We conclude that agroforestry may contribute to increasing arthropod diversity compared with monocrops.     

Soil erosion in catchments and experimental plots on Java (Indonesia) and Luzon (the Philippines)

Soil erosion was studied in the Serayu (Indonesia) and Bicol (The Philippines) catchment areas as there was a need to reduce sediment discharge. Water is diverted at Gambarsari (Indonesia) for rice irrigation; deposition in the feeder canal requires costly dredging maintenance. Erratic deposition in the Bicol plain impedes rice cultivation.Monitoring sediment discharge at gauging stations showed that in both cases a limited heavily eroded (450 t/ha/year) area supplied most of the material. Monitoring erosion rates on experimental plots showed that, as a general rule, soil loss was minimal (5–25 t t/ha/year) and of the same order of magnitude as pyroclastic deposition (5 t/ha/year).Soil conservation methods are ineffective when soil losses are either very high or very low. In both cases preliminary standard watershed management attempts failed as they were the result of technical inadequacy based on the incorrect assumption that there was generalized sheet and rill erosion.Sediment deposition at the Gambarsari intake would be strongly reduced by proper dam design and sediment flushing. Sediment deposition in the Bicol plain should be directed to warping enclosures.     

Is low-input management system a good selection environment to screen winter wheat genotypes adapted to organic farming?

The move toward resilient and productive agriculture requires, among other innovations, the design of new sustainable farming systems in which the variety plays a main role. Plant breeding strategies adapted to organic farming conditions have to deal with limiting factors. Whereas in north-west France, it is known that trials carried out under high-input management do not give a good prediction of genotype performance in organic conditions, less is known about the relative stability of wheat genotypes between low-input (LI) and organic cropping systems. A retrospective analysis of 34 winter wheat trials conducted from 2004 to 2011 was performed to determine whether data obtained on genotypes grown under LI conditions can be used to predict genotype performance in organic (ORG) target conditions. Every year, ORG and LI (no fungicide or growth regulators, N balance sheet-60 kgN/ha, weed control with herbicides) trials including 25–30 genotypes describing a large range of genetic diversity were sown in three different agro-climatic regions across north-west France. Genotype performance in ORG management system was reduced from 25 to 40 % for yield and from 10 to 22 % for grain protein content. Estimates of genotypic values appeared to be more precise under LI than ORG conditions. Because of high genetic correlations between LI and ORG conditions, the relative efficiency of indirect selection from LI to ORG conditions was approximately 1. Spearman’s rank correlations were high (Rs = 0.54–0.92) and genotype rank inversions generally had a minor extent. However, in 2005 and 2010, almost 50 % of the lines had to be retained in LI to keep 80 % of the top 20 % of genotypes in organic conditions. Compared with previous results from high-input conditions, LI management provided a better prediction of genotype performance under ORG conditions but crossover genotype × management interactions could be observed between both systems. Overall, combining information provided from both LI and ORG crop management systems appears to be a good process for building efficient and adapted breeding schemes for ORG farming conditions.     

Nitrogen Balance of Legume-Wheat Cropping Sequences

In a lysimeter trial the legumes faba bean ( Vicia faba ), red clover ( Trifolium repens ), and alfalfa ( Medicago sativa ) were grown for two years, followed by winter wheat on all plots in the third year. Plots fertilized with mineral nitrogen and a rye/maize – wheat cropping sequence were included for comparisons. These four cropping sequences were replicated twice in 1982–1984 and 1985–1987, respectively. Two soils, a loamy sand and a sandy loam were used.
On average of both soils:
– N fixation during two years was 461 kg N/ha, 803 kg N/ha, and 790 kg N/ha for faba bean, red clover, and alfalfa, respectively.
– Leaching of nitrogen occurred mainly during the periods of winter fallow or, in case of the perennial legumes, after incorporation of residues into the soil and planting of wheat. Average leaching for all 6 years was 49, 28, and 29 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ for faba bean, red clover, and alfalfa, respectively.
– In the period of wheat growth and before planting the new crop (1.5 years) in 1984/85 51–64 kg N/ha and 1986/87 68–94 kg N/ha were leached after growing legumes. Leaching was less for rye/maize fertilized with mineral N, 41 kg N/ha in 1984/85, and 51 kg N/ha in 1986/87, respectively.
– Winter wheat grown after legumes took up 18 kg N/ha < 47 kg N/ha < 65 kg N/ha on average of both soils and 2 years (1984, 1987) after faba bean, red clover, and alfalfa, respectively. This indicates a nitrogen recovery of 24–44% of the legume N potentially available, and consequently a loss by leaching from 56 to 76 %.
On the sandy loam amount of drainage water and N leaching were lower, and faba bean and wheat yields higher than on the loamy sandy soil.