scholarly journals Regenerative Agriculture: An agronomic perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 003072702199806
Author(s):  
Ken E Giller ◽  
Renske Hijbeek ◽  
Jens A Andersson ◽  
James Sumberg
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Sixth Mass Extinction ◽  
Agricultural Futures ◽  
Regenerative Agriculture ◽  
Agriculture And Food

Agriculture is in crisis. Soil health is collapsing. Biodiversity faces the sixth mass extinction. Crop yields are plateauing. Against this crisis narrative swells a clarion call for Regenerative Agriculture. But what is Regenerative Agriculture, and why is it gaining such prominence? Which problems does it solve, and how? Here we address these questions from an agronomic perspective. The term Regenerative Agriculture has actually been in use for some time, but there has been a resurgence of interest over the past 5 years. It is supported from what are often considered opposite poles of the debate on agriculture and food. Regenerative Agriculture has been promoted strongly by civil society and NGOs as well as by many of the major multi-national food companies. Many practices promoted as regenerative, including crop residue retention, cover cropping and reduced tillage are central to the canon of ‘good agricultural practices’, while others are contested and at best niche (e.g. permaculture, holistic grazing). Worryingly, these practices are generally promoted with little regard to context. Practices most often encouraged (such as no tillage, no pesticides or no external nutrient inputs) are unlikely to lead to the benefits claimed in all places. We argue that the resurgence of interest in Regenerative Agriculture represents a re-framing of what have been considered to be two contrasting approaches to agricultural futures, namely agroecology and sustainable intensification, under the same banner. This is more likely to confuse than to clarify the public debate. More importantly, it draws attention away from more fundamental challenges. We conclude by providing guidance for research agronomists who want to engage with Regenerative Agriculture.

scholarly journals Managing Plant Microbiomes for Sustainable Biofuel Production

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Kateryna Zhalnina ◽  
Christine Hawkes ◽  
Ashley Shade ◽  
Mary K. Firestone ◽  
Jennifer Pett-Ridge
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Bioenergy Crops ◽  
Bioenergy Crop ◽  
Ecosystem Impacts

The development of environmentally sustainable, economical, and reliable sources of energy is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Large-scale cultivation of cellulosic feedstock crops (henceforth, bioenergy crops) is considered one of the most promising renewable sources for liquid transportation fuels. However, the mandate to develop a viable cellulosic bioenergy industry is accompanied by an equally urgent mandate to deliver not only cheap reliable biomass but also ecosystem benefits, including efficient use of water, nitrogen, and phosphorous; restored soil health; and net negative carbon emissions. Thus, sustainable bioenergy crop production may involve new agricultural practices or feedstocks and should be reliable, cost effective, and minimal input, without displacing crops currently grown for food production on fertile land. In this editorial perspective for the Phytobiomes Journal Focus Issue on Phytobiomes of Bioenergy Crops and Agroecosystems, we consider the microbiomes associated with bioenergy crops, the effects beneficial microbes have on their hosts, and potential ecosystem impacts of these interactions. We also address outstanding questions, major advances, and emerging biotechnological strategies to design and manipulate bioenergy crop microbiomes. This approach could simultaneously increase crop yields and provide important ecosystem services for a sustainable energy future.

A Farmer’s Experience of Conservation Agriculture in the UK

2018 ◽  
pp. 708-724
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yields ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Beneficial Impact ◽  
The Uk

Conservation agricultural practices have been widely adopted across the world in the past 30 years. Farmers recognized that their soils had been degraded by deep ploughing and by dependence on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Conservation agriculture, involving the agronomic and technological practices of no-till, cover cropping, and rotation, can be a sustainable alternative to conventional farming both economically and environmentally. While improving soil and crop health, it also has a dramatic and beneficial impact on the soil structure and on organic matter content that in turn can improve drainage and the availability of water. Costs are greatly reduced and crop yields—after an initial decline—return to former levels. Increasing interest and uptake by the global farming community shows that the system can be adapted in a variety of farming situations and significantly aid both the environment and sustainable food production.

Microbes in biogeochemical cycles: a perspective on climate resilient agriculture.

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (006) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Gurung
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Abstract Microorganisms, which are ubiquitous players in all major agro-ecosystems, play important roles in biogeochemical cycles. Due to anthropogenic activities and current practices of agriculture, there has been interference in the natural cycling of essential elements and nutrients. A harmony in the functioning of natural biogeochemical cycles in the soil is essential for maintaining all life on Earth. Therefore, usage of beneficial soil microorganisms is important for sustaining agriculture due to poor soil health conditions that prevail because of excessive chemical inputs both in the past and present to increase crop yields. In this review, we focus on how the terrestrial soil microbes are involved in the interplay between biogeochemical cycles, sustainable agricultural practices, and climate change. We have highlighted the mechanisms by which microbes, through aiding the mineralization processes, support plant growth in cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Microorganisms further support plant growth to adapt to climate change although few specific mechanisms are known, but many others by which they aid plants remain enigmatic. Despite the various gaps that remain, we advocate that coupling biogeochemical cycles research with sustainable agricultural practices using plant-microbe interchange is highly warranted. Therefore, to feed a growing global population and to preserve ecosystem functions, we propose that the agricultural practices should be conducted in a manner to regulate greenhouse gases release and safeguard our environmental resources due to climate change.

scholarly journals Application of Nematode Community Analyses-Based Models towards Identifying Sustainable Soil Health Management Outcomes: A Review of the Concepts

Soil Systems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Haddish Melakeberhan ◽  
Gregory Bonito ◽  
Alexandra N. Kravchenko
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Nematode Community ◽  
Parasitic Nematodes ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Water Holding

Soil health connotes the balance of biological, physicochemical, nutritional, structural, and water-holding components necessary to sustain plant productivity. Despite a substantial knowledge base, achieving sustainable soil health remains a goal because it is difficult to simultaneously: (i) improve soil structure, physicochemistry, water-holding capacity, and nutrient cycling; (ii) suppress pests and diseases while increasing beneficial organisms; and (iii) improve biological functioning leading to improved biomass/crop yield. The objectives of this review are (a) to identify agricultural practices (APs) driving soil health degradations and barriers to developing sustainable soil health, and (b) to describe how the nematode community analyses-based soil food web (SFW) and fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) data visualization models can be used towards developing sustainable soil health. The SFW model considers changes in beneficial nematode population dynamics relative to food and reproduction (enrichment index, EI; y-axis) and resistance to disturbance (structure index, SI; x-axis) in order to identify best-to-worst case scenarios for nutrient cycling and agroecosystem suitability of AP-driven outcomes. The FUE model visualizes associations between beneficial and plant-parasitic nematodes (x-axis) and ecosystem services (e.g., yield or nutrients, y-axis). The x-y relationship identifies best-to-worst case scenarios of the outcomes for sustainability. Both models can serve as platforms towards developing integrated and sustainable soil health management strategies on a location-specific or a one-size-fits-all basis. Future improvements for increased implementation of these models are discussed.

Effects of temperature rise (+5°C) on millet growth and mycorrhization and soil microbial community of culture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Diatta ◽  
Hassna Mboup-Founoune ◽  
Sidy Diakhaté ◽  
Diégane Diouf
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Pennisetum Glaucum ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Soil Fertility Management ◽  
Vegetation Growth

<p>Our planet is marked by significant climatic variations, particularly with the warming of temperatures and the variation in rainfall. In sub-Saharan Africa, the impacts of climate change are more pronounced because agriculture is highly dependent on climate, hence its vulnerability to climate variability (Vanluwe et al., 2011). In the context of changing environmental conditions, the use of innovative agricultural practices to contribute to plant adaptation is necessary to support food security challenges. Agroecological practices to improve crop yields and sustainable soil fertility management. Soil is the main reservoir of biodiversity as it hosts a very high diversity of interacting living species, which can be distinguished according to their size, macrofauna, mesofauna and microorganisms that constitute a particularly important component of soil (Brady and Weil, 2002), particularly for the provision of ecosystem services to humans. This work is therefore interested in studying the contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to the growth of millet (<em>Pennisetum glaucum</em>) under warmer temperature conditions and the behaviour of microbial community in soil of millet growing.</p><p>Millet is grown in a plant climate chamber and inoculated with a selected mycorrhizal strain.  These millet growing conditions were carried out in two different temperatures: 32°C (normal temperature) and 37°C (warmer temperature).</p><p>The results showed that in conditions of warmer temperature the inoculation induced a significant vegetative growth of millet even with a low intensity of mycorrhization and so it improves microbial nutrient mineralization mediate vegetation growth.</p><p>In soil of millet growing, a significant increase in microbial biomass with 42.7 in warmer temperature condition compared to control temperature 16.7. Results of DGGE shows also a soil abundance and SMB diversity of the total fungal community was noted under warmer temperature condition.</p><p>This study showed that climate variation may affect soil symbiosis but not the potential for promoting plant growth of fungi. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the one hand as a biofertilizer can be an alternative in the context of reducing chemical inputs in agriculture and developing ecologically intensive agriculture (EIA) and on the other hand an adaptive practice  to apprehend the predicted climate changes.</p>

Impact of Agricultural Practices on Soil Health

2020 ◽  
pp. 89-98
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Temitope Alori ◽  
Aruna Olasekan Adekiya ◽  
Kehinde Abodunde Adegbite
Keyword(s):  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices

scholarly journals Stream Restoration for Legacy Sediments at Gramies Run, Maryland: Early Lessons from Implementation, Water Quality Monitoring, and Soil Health

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2164
Author(s):  
Katie Mattern ◽  
Alyssa Lutgen ◽  
Nathan Sienkiewicz ◽  
Grant Jiang ◽  
Jinjun Kan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Stream Restoration ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Partial Removal ◽  
Riparian Trees

While stream restorations are increasingly being adopted to mitigate sediment and nutrient inputs and to meet water quality regulatory targets, less information is available on the drivers behind the design, implementation, effectiveness, and cost of restorations. We address these issues for a $4.2 million stream restoration for legacy sediments implemented for a rural Piedmont stream in Maryland, USA. A total of 1668 m of stream was restored in three phases, which included the partial removal of legacy sediments, the grading of streambanks, floodplain creation, channel reshaping with meanders and pool-riffle forms, the raising of the stream bed, and the planting of riparian vegetation. The sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations and fluxes were monitored before- and during the restoration phases. The sites selected for restoration had legacy sediments vulnerable to erosion and were on state-owned land. The restoration design was based on the need to maintain mature riparian trees and preserve existing sensitive wetland habitats. Water quality monitoring indicated that the sediment and nutrient fluxes increased during the restoration phase and were attributed to disturbance associated with construction activities and increased runoff. We also recommend that soil health needs to be included as an integral component to enhance the effectiveness and resilience of stream restorations.

scholarly journals Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture for Restoring the Soil Health and Increasing Rice Productivity as Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 748 (1) ◽  
pp. 012039
Author(s):  
Tualar Simarmata ◽  
M Khais Proyoga ◽  
Diyan Herdiyantoro ◽  
Mieke R Setiawati ◽  
Kustiwa Adinata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Water Efficiency ◽  
Rice Productivity ◽  
Rice Intensification ◽  
Significant Yield

Abstract Climate change (CC) is real and threatens the livelihood of most smallholder farmers who reside along the coastal area. The CC causes the rise of temperature (0.2-0.3°C/decade) and sea level (SRL = 5 mm/year), drought and floods to occur more frequently, the change of rainfall intensity and pattern and shifting of planting season and leads to the decreasing of crop yield or yield loss. Most of the paddy soil has been exhausted and degraded. About 50% of the rice field along the coastline is effected by high salinity and causes significant yield losses. The research was aimed to summarize the results of the system of organic based aerobic rice intensification (known as IPATBO) and of two climate filed school (CFS) in Cinganjeng and Rawapu that situated along the coastline of Pangandaran and Cilacap. Both IPATBO and CFS have adopted the strategy of climate-resilient sustainable agriculture (CRSA) for restoring the soil health and increasing rice productivity, and as well as to empower the farmer community. The implementation of IPATBO (2010-2020) in the different areas has increased the soil health, fertilizers, and water efficiency (reduce inorganic by 25-50%, and water by 30-40%) and increased rice productivity by at least 25-50%. Both CFS in Ciganjeng and Rawaapu were able to improve soil fertility, increase rice productivity, and farmer capacity. This result concludes the agro-ecological based CRSA and CFS can be adopted for the increasing the resilient of agricultural practices and farmers in adapting to climate change

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document