In Central Italy corn (Zea mays L.) is often cultivated in continuous cropping, i.e., the same crop is cultivated over the years on the same fields. In these simplified cropping systems, high inputs are generally required to maintain adequate yields, but environmental and economic concerns have spurred researchers to explore different solutions. Alternative cropping systems requires a systemic dimension to boost helpful interactions among all the parts of farming systems. However, differing managements trigger cropping systems to change gradually over time so that short-term experiments cannot lead to accurate conclusions on how to design and manage sustainable cropping systems that can sustain themselves over the long period, in an economically environmentally and socially fair way. To fill this gap, corn grain yield has been studied for ten years (2011-2020) in a Mediterranean area in a long-term field experiment comparing three cropping systems in a randomized block design with three replicates, on plots of real size allowing usual farm machinery. The suite of agronomically coherent practices imposed in each treatment denoted different agronomic rationales: high-input (HI referring to local standard techniques to maximize yield and economic profitability by conventional tillage, and great use of mineral fertilization and herbicides; low-input (LI) following a low input strategy with minimum tillage, and reduced application of pesticides and fertilizers; conservative (CT) adopting conservation practices to reduce costs and energy consumption with tillage, sowing, mineral fertilization, and chemical weed control executed in cultivated strips. The agronomical, economic, and environmental performances of the cropping systems were assessed. Main results on yield and yield stability across 10 years of field experiments indicated that that yields were positively correlated to the level of adopted inputs, but environmental conditions may affect the cropping system performances. Our analysis seemed suitable to identify production trends and provide information about temporal yield stability.
Yields and Yield Stability of Continuous Corn Under Different Agronomic Management Systems.
Pampana S.
Primo
Writing – Original Draft Preparation
;Silvestri N.Supervision
2023-01-01
Abstract
In Central Italy corn (Zea mays L.) is often cultivated in continuous cropping, i.e., the same crop is cultivated over the years on the same fields. In these simplified cropping systems, high inputs are generally required to maintain adequate yields, but environmental and economic concerns have spurred researchers to explore different solutions. Alternative cropping systems requires a systemic dimension to boost helpful interactions among all the parts of farming systems. However, differing managements trigger cropping systems to change gradually over time so that short-term experiments cannot lead to accurate conclusions on how to design and manage sustainable cropping systems that can sustain themselves over the long period, in an economically environmentally and socially fair way. To fill this gap, corn grain yield has been studied for ten years (2011-2020) in a Mediterranean area in a long-term field experiment comparing three cropping systems in a randomized block design with three replicates, on plots of real size allowing usual farm machinery. The suite of agronomically coherent practices imposed in each treatment denoted different agronomic rationales: high-input (HI referring to local standard techniques to maximize yield and economic profitability by conventional tillage, and great use of mineral fertilization and herbicides; low-input (LI) following a low input strategy with minimum tillage, and reduced application of pesticides and fertilizers; conservative (CT) adopting conservation practices to reduce costs and energy consumption with tillage, sowing, mineral fertilization, and chemical weed control executed in cultivated strips. The agronomical, economic, and environmental performances of the cropping systems were assessed. Main results on yield and yield stability across 10 years of field experiments indicated that that yields were positively correlated to the level of adopted inputs, but environmental conditions may affect the cropping system performances. Our analysis seemed suitable to identify production trends and provide information about temporal yield stability.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
