scholarly journals Soil management shapes ecosystem service provision and trade-offs in agricultural landscapes

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1837) ◽  
pp. 20161369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Tamburini ◽  
Serena De Simone ◽  
Maurizia Sigura ◽  
Francesco Boscutti ◽  
Lorenzo Marini
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Landscape Composition ◽  
Quality Regulation ◽  
Trade Offs

Agroecosystems are principally managed to maximize food provisioning even if they receive a large array of supporting and regulating ecosystem services (ESs). Hence, comprehensive studies investigating the effects of local management and landscape composition on the provision of and trade-offs between multiple ESs are urgently needed. We explored the effects of conservation tillage, nitrogen fertilization and landscape composition on six ESs (crop production, disease control, soil fertility, water quality regulation, weed and pest control) in winter cereals. Conservation tillage enhanced soil fertility and pest control, decreased water quality regulation and weed control, without affecting crop production and disease control. Fertilization only influenced crop production by increasing grain yield. Landscape intensification reduced the provision of disease and pest control. We also found tillage and landscape composition to interactively affect water quality regulation and weed control. Under N fertilization, conventional tillage resulted in more trade-offs between ESs than conservation tillage. Our results demonstrate that soil management and landscape composition affect the provision of several ESs and that soil management potentially shapes the trade-offs between them.

scholarly journals Agricultural diversification promotes multiple ecosystem services without compromising yield

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (45) ◽  
pp. eaba1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Tamburini ◽  
Riccardo Bommarco ◽  
Thomas Cherico Wanger ◽  
Claire Kremen ◽  
Marcel G. A. van der Heijden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Context Dependency ◽  
Water Regulation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Impact

Enhancing biodiversity in cropping systems is suggested to promote ecosystem services, thereby reducing dependency on agronomic inputs while maintaining high crop yields. We assess the impact of several diversification practices in cropping systems on above- and belowground biodiversity and ecosystem services by reviewing 98 meta-analyses and performing a second-order meta-analysis based on 5160 original studies comprising 41,946 comparisons between diversified and simplified practices. Overall, diversification enhances biodiversity, pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and water regulation without compromising crop yields. Practices targeting aboveground biodiversity boosted pest control and water regulation, while those targeting belowground biodiversity enhanced nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and water regulation. Most often, diversification practices resulted in win-win support of services and crop yields. Variability in responses and occurrence of trade-offs highlight the context dependency of outcomes. Widespread adoption of diversification practices shows promise to contribute to biodiversity conservation and food security from local to global scales.

scholarly journals Reduced Tillage Impacts on Pumpkin Yield, Weed Pressure, Soil Moisture, and Soil Erosion

HortScience ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 1524-1528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan E. O’Rourke ◽  
Jessica Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Fruit Weight ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
No Till ◽  
Trade Offs

Conservation tillage has the potential to decrease the environmental footprint of pumpkin production, but possible trade-offs with yield are not well understood. This study experimentally tested the effects of three cultivation techniques (conventional-till, strip-till, and no-till) on pumpkin production, weed pressure, soil moisture, and soil erosion. Randomized complete block field experiments were conducted on Cucurbita pepo L. ‘Gladiator’ pumpkins in 2014 and 2015. Overall yields were higher in 2015, averaging 45.2 t·ha−1, compared with 37.4 t·ha−1 in 2014. In 2014, pumpkin yields were similar across tillage treatments. In 2015, the average fruit weight of no-till pumpkins was significantly greater than strip-till and conventional-till pumpkins, which corresponded to a marginally significant 13% and 22% yield increase, respectively (P = 0.11). Weed control was variable between years, especially in the strip-till treatment. Soil moisture was consistently highest in the no-till treatment in both years of study. Conventional-till pumpkin plots lost ≈9 times more soil than the two conservation tilled treatments during simulated storm events. The 2015 yield advantage of no-till pumpkins seems related to both high soil moisture retention and weed control. Research results suggest that no-till and strip-till pumpkin production systems yield at least as well as conventional-till systems with the advantage of reducing soil erosion during extreme rains.

Research Priorities in Weed Science

1988 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chester G. Mcwhorter ◽  
William L. Barrentine
Keyword(s):  
Ground Water ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Science Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Technology ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Weed Science ◽  
Research Committee

Members from all four Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) regions in the United States ranked the research need to “develop new methods for controlling the movement of herbicides and their metabolites into ground water, surface water, and air” first of six major weed science research needs. Canadian members ranked the need to “devise more efficient and less costly weed control technology for conservation-tillage crop-production systems” first; but they also gave high ratings to “improve base knowledge of weed science, improve applicator training, and transfer of information to Extension Service personnel, farm producers, and administrators” and to “discover new ecological, biological, and non-chemical methods of weed control.” The needs to “develop improved methods of increasing the tolerance of crops to herbicides” and to “develop new technology for control of perennial weeds of crops and rangeland” were ranked low. The WSSA Research Committee, at the request of WSSA Presidents J. D. Riggleman (1985) and O. C. Burnside (1986), asked 977 members to rank weed science research needs. The members (ca 50% of the active membership in North America) were selected at random from every other state, federal, industry, and “other” member of each state or province from the up-to-date list of the WSSA business office. Within the highest ranked priority research need, the 422 U.S. and Canadian respondents consistently ranked the research areas (a) to “develop new application techniques that minimize or eliminate herbicides and their residues in air and water”, and (b) to “conduct research to regulate movement of herbicides through the soil profile to avoid contamination of ground water” high, regardless of the type of employment. They emphasized increasing research on the morningglory (Ipomoea spp. # IPOXX) complex, yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L. # CYPES), quackgrass [Agropyron repens (L.) Beauv. # AGREE], and several other weeds. More members, regardless of region or type of employment, ranked conservation tillage the most important crop or situation that needed new and improved weed control technology.

Conservation Tillage for Soil Management and Crop Production

2015 ◽  
pp. 61-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surjeet S. Manhas ◽  
Ajab S. Sidhu ◽  
Khuswinder S. Brar
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Soil Management

scholarly journals The role of soils in regulation of freshwater and coastal water quality

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1834) ◽  
pp. 20200176
Author(s):  
Kun Cheng ◽  
Xiangrui Xu ◽  
Liqiang Cui ◽  
Yunpeng Li ◽  
Jufeng Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Coastal Water ◽  
Emerging Contaminants ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Coastal Water Quality ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Quality Regulation ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Mangrove Wetlands

Water quality regulation is an important ecosystem service function of soil. In this study, the mechanism by which soil regulates water quality was reviewed, and the effects of soil management on water quality were explored. A scientometrics analysis was also conducted to explore the research fields and hotspots of water quality regulation of soil in the past 5 years. This review found that the pollutants entering the soil can be mitigated by precipitation, adsorption and desorption, ion exchange, redox and metabolic decomposition. As an optimal substrate, soil in constructed wetlands has perfect performance in the adsorption and passivation of pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy metals in water, and degradation of pesticides and emerging contaminants. Mangrove wetlands play an important role in coastal zone protection and coastal water quality restoration. However, the excessive application of agricultural chemicals causes soil overload, which leads to the occurrence of agricultural non-point source pollution. Under the dual pressures of climate change and food insecurity in the future, developing environmentally friendly and economically feasible sustainable soil management measures is crucial for maintaining the water purification function of soil by relying on the accurate quantification of soil function based on big data and modelling. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People’.

scholarly journals Trade-offs in provisioning and stability of multiple ecosystem services in agroecosystems

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Montoya ◽  
Bart Haegeman ◽  
Sabrina Gaba ◽  
Claire de Mazancourt ◽  
Vincent Bretagnolle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Landscape Composition ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Crop Pollination ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Intensively Managed ◽  
Crop Area ◽  
The Stability

AbstractChanges in land use generate trade-offs in the delivery of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. However, we know little about how the stability of ecosystem services responds to landscape composition, and what ecological mechanisms underlie these trade-offs. Here, we develop a model to investigate the dynamics of three ecosystem services in intensively-managed agroecosystems, i.e. pollination-independent crop yield, crop pollination, and biodiversity. Our model reveals trade-offs and synergies imposed by landscape composition that affect not only the magnitude but also the stability of ecosystem service delivery. Trade-offs involving crop pollination are strongly affected by the degree to which crops depend on pollination and by their relative requirement for pollinator densities. We show conditions for crop production to increase with biodiversity and decreasing crop area, reconciling farmers’ profitability and biodiversity conservation. Our results further suggest that, for pollination-dependent crops, management strategies that focus on maximising yield will often overlook its stability. Given that agriculture has become more pollination-dependent over time, it is essential to understand the mechanisms driving these trade-offs to ensure food security.

Methods for saving the productivity of slope lands

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.A. Batyakhina N.A. ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Soil ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Phosphorus Content ◽  
Gray Forest Soil ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Multicomponent Mixtures

The influence of various annual multicomponent mixtures in the crop rotation link on its productivity and fertility of gray forest soil is shown. The complexity of the structure of plant communities has reduced the share of weeds in crop production annual mix, 2.6-3.7% and conservation tillage for wheat has increased by 2.5 times the phosphorus content is 1.9 times the potassium, 12% increased productivity.

Weed Control in a Conservation Tillage Rotation in the Texas Blacklands

Weed Science ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 695-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Brown ◽  
James M. Chandler ◽  
John E. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Control Systems ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Grain Sorghum ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Sorghum Halepense ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
No Till ◽  
Primary Tillage ◽  
And Control

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate weed control systems in a conservation tillage rotation of grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor(L.) Moench.] – cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) – wheat (Triticum aestivumL.). Herbicide systems included fall and spring/summer inputs of high and low intensity. Tillage regimes were no-till (NT) and reduced-till (RT) systems; the latter included fall primary tillage followed by spring stale seedbed planting. Both tillage systems utilized controlled traffic lanes and wide, raised beds. Effective johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense(L.) Pers. # SORHA] control required intense herbicide inputs at one or both application periods, i.e., in the fall and/or spring/summer. Grain sorghum and cotton yields for the most intense weed control system, which included high inputs in both the fall and spring/summer, were not superior to systems that included high inputs in only one of the two application periods. Seedling johnsongrass emergence occurred before spring planting in RT (but not in NT) in 2 of 3 yr, and control measures were ineffective. After 3 yr, the predominant weeds were johnsongrass and browntop panicum (Panicum fasciculatumSw. # PANFA).

scholarly journals Risk-based principles for defining and managing water security

2013 ◽  
Vol 371 (2002) ◽  
pp. 20120407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Hall ◽  
Edoardo Borgomeo
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Economic Systems ◽  
Water Resources Planning ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Resources Planning

The concept of water security implies concern about potentially harmful states of coupled human and natural water systems. Those harmful states may be associated with water scarcity (for humans and/or the environment), floods or harmful water quality. The theories and practices of risk analysis and risk management have been developed and elaborated to deal with the uncertain occurrence of harmful events. Yet despite their widespread application in public policy, theories and practices of risk management have well-known limitations, particularly in the context of severe uncertainties and contested values. Here, we seek to explore the boundaries of applicability of risk-based principles as a means of formalizing discussion of water security. Not only do risk concepts have normative appeal, but they also provide an explicit means of addressing the variability that is intrinsic to hydrological, ecological and socio-economic systems. We illustrate the nature of these interconnections with a simulation study, which demonstrates how water resources planning could take more explicit account of epistemic uncertainties, tolerability of risk and the trade-offs in risk among different actors.

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