scholarly journals 641 Preliminary Evaluation of Organic Desert Vegetable Production Systems

HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 508A-508
Author(s):  
A. Galadima ◽  
C.A. Sanchez ◽  
J. Palumbo ◽  
B. Tickes ◽  
M. Matheron ◽  
...  

Experiments were conducted during 1998–99 seasons to evaluate the potential for organic vegetable production in the low desert of the southwestern United States. The experimental design included three summer management options [fallow, cowpea (Vigna sinensis), and sudangrass (Sorghum vulgare)] in factorial combination with alternative production systems, which included organic and conventional systems. The crops cultivated were iceberg lettuce (Lactuca sativa L) during the fall–winter period and melons (Cucumis melo Reticulatus Group) during the spring. The organic plots were managed with strict adherence to California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) guidelines. Summer cover crop management seemed to influence the early growth and N uptake of lettuce, but had no final effect on yield and quality. The organic production system resulted in lower yields and inferior product quality compared to the conventional system. Generally, disease and weeds were not limiting factors, although labor costs for weed control would be slightly higher in organic plots. Insects, primarily aphids (various types) and thrips (Frankliniella Occidentalis Perancle), and fertility, primarily N, were factors limiting yield and quality in organic systems. Control of whiteflies (Bemisia argentifoli) was the limiting factor for melons. Studies during 1999–2000 are focused on overcoming the challenges of the insect and fertility management in organic systems.

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ileana Iocola ◽  
Gabriele Campanelli ◽  
Mariangela Diacono ◽  
Fabrizio Leteo ◽  
Francesco Montemurro ◽  
...  

Organic agriculture is perceived as environmentally sustainable, but, under its umbrella, different production systems exist ranging from simplified organic productions to well diversified systems with a full implementation of agro-ecological approaches. Among several developed tools for agriculture sustainability assessment, multi-criteria models are increasingly gaining importance. In this study, we evaluated the use of the multi-criteria DEXi-BIOrt tool, coupled with data from long-term experiments, for the sustainability assessment of different organic vegetable production scenarios. These scenarios were applied in two Italian areas: the Adriatic coast of Marche Region and the Metaponto plan of Basilicata Region. Despite the presence of some critical issues, DEXI-BIOrt proved to be a valid tool for the sustainability evaluation of organic vegetable productions. In both areas, the most sustainable scenarios resulted the well diversified organic systems characterized by proper rotations, inclusion of agro-ecological service crops, cultivation of local and different cultivars, and presence of short supply chain mechanisms. Conversely, the implementation of the simplified organic substitution scenarios does not guarantee a suitable level of sustainability. The findings of this study could support decision makers in the implementation of appropriate measures for enhancing organic production sustainability in the framework of post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy.


2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (13) ◽  
pp. 2275-2282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anissa Riahi ◽  
Chafik Hdider ◽  
Mustapha Sanaa ◽  
Néji Tarchoun ◽  
Mohamed Ben Kheder ◽  
...  

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Husrev Mennan ◽  
Khawar Jabran ◽  
Bernard H. Zandstra ◽  
Firat Pala

Vegetables are a substantial part of our lives and possess great commercial and nutritional value. Weeds not only decrease vegetable yield but also reduce their quality. Non-chemical weed control is important both for the organic production of vegetables and achieving ecologically sustainable weed management. Estimates have shown that the yield of vegetables may be decreased by 45%–95% in the case of weed–vegetable competition. Non-chemical weed control in vegetables is desired for several reasons. For example, there are greater chances of contamination of vegetables by herbicide residue compared to cereals or pulse crops. Non-chemical weed control in vegetables is also needed due to environmental pollution, the evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds and a strong desire for organic vegetable cultivation. Although there are several ways to control weeds without the use of herbicides, cover crops are an attractive choice because these have a number of additional benefits (such as soil and water conservation) along with the provision of satisfactory and sustainable weed control. Several cover crops are available that may provide excellent weed control in vegetable production systems. Cover crops such as rye, vetch, or Brassicaceae plants can suppress weeds in rotations, including vegetables crops such as tomato, cabbage, or pumpkin. Growers should also consider the negative effects of using cover crops for weed control, such as the negative allelopathic effects of some cover crop residues on the main vegetable crop.


2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 646-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan S. Boyd ◽  
Eric B. Brennan

Weed management is often difficult and expensive in organic production systems. Clove oil is an essential oil that functions as a contact herbicide and may provide an additional weed management tool for use on organic farms. Burning nettle, purslane, and rye responses to 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80% v/v clove oil mixture applied in spray volumes of 281 and 468 L/ha were examined. Log-logistic curves were fitted to the nettle and purslane data to determine the herbicide dose required to reduce plant dry weight 50% (GR50) and 90% (GR90). A three-parameter Gaussian curve was fitted to the rye data. The GR50 and GR90 were largely unaffected by spray volume. Nettle dry weight was reduced by 90% with 12 to 61 L clove oil/ha, whereas 21 to 38 L clove oil/ha were required to reduce purslane biomass to the same level. Rye was not effectively controlled by clove oil. Clove oil controls broadleaf weeds at high concentrations, but its cost makes broadcast applications prohibitive, even in high-value vegetable production systems.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Dremák ◽  
Á. Csihon ◽  
I. Gonda

Success of apple production is highly influenced by the applied production system and the planted cultivar. In this paper growing characteristics of 39 apple cultivars were studied in integrated and organic production systems. These kind of parameters are less studied in the cultivar and training system examinations, although they have huge effect on the training and maintaining of canopy, on the pruning necessity, ultimately on the production costs. According to our results the thickness of the central axis of apple trees showed significant differences between the integrated and the organic systems. Axis of the trees with lower trunk thickness tapers more slightly in the integrated production system, than in the case of the trees with thicker trunk in the organic system. Thicker axis is not accompanied by thicker trunk, namely the thickness of the central leader starts to decrease stronger in the organic production system, compared to the integrated one.


2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 659-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell W. Wallace ◽  
Annette L. Wszelaki ◽  
Carol A. Miles ◽  
Jeremy S. Cowan ◽  
Jeffrey Martin ◽  
...  

Field studies were conducted during 2010 and 2011 in Knoxville, TN; Lubbock, TX; and Mount Vernon, WA; to compare high tunnel and open-field organic production systems for season extension and adverse climate protection on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) yield and quality. The climates of these locations are diverse and can be typified as hot and humid (Knoxville), hot and dry (Lubbock), and cool and humid (Mount Vernon). In both years, 6-week-old lettuce seedlings of ‘New Red Fire’ and ‘Green Star’ (leafy type), ‘Adriana’ and ‘Ermosa’ (butterhead type), and ‘Coastal Star’ and ‘Jericho’ (romaine type) were transplanted in the late winter or early spring into subplots covered with black plastic and grown to maturity (43 to 65 days). Lettuce harvest in Knoxville occurred at 50 to 62 days after transplanting (DAT), with open-field lettuce harvested an average of 9 days earlier compared with high tunnel plots both years (P > 0.0001). The earlier than anticipated harvests in the open-field in Knoxville in 2010 were due to lettuce bolting. In Lubbock, high tunnel lettuce was harvested an average 16 days earlier in 2010 compared with open-field lettuce (P > 0.0001), while in 2011, high temperatures and bolting required that open-field lettuce be harvested 4 days earlier than lettuce grown in high tunnels. On average, lettuce cultivars at Mount Vernon matured and were harvested 56 to 61 DAT in 2010 and 54 to 64 DAT in 2011 with no significant differences between high tunnel and open-field production systems. Total and marketable yields at Mount Vernon and Lubbock averaged across cultivars were comparable in both high tunnel and open-field plots. At Knoxville, although total yields were significantly higher (P > 0.0062) in high tunnels than open-field plots, incidence of insect, disease, and physiological damage in high tunnel plots reduced lettuce quality and marketable yield (P > 0.0002). Lettuce head length:diameter ratio (LDR) averaged across cultivars was equal between high tunnel and the open field at all three locations. High tunnel production systems offer greater control of environments suitable for lettuce production, especially in climates like Knoxville and Lubbock where later-planted open-field systems may be more susceptible to temperature swings that may affect lettuce quality. These results suggest that although high tunnel culture alone may influence lettuce yield and quality, regional climates likely play a critical role in determining the impact of these two production systems on marketable lettuce yields.


Author(s):  
Matthew A Carr ◽  
Kate A Congreves

The demand for certified organic garlic (Allium sativum) in Canada is increasing; however, garlic can be challenging to produce organically, as it does not compete well with weeds, requires relatively fertile soils, and is grown in a biennial cropping system. Synthetic mulches have been adopted in organic production as they can be an economical method to improve vegetable production by reducing weed pressure and modifying soil conditions. We hypothesize that garlic quality and overall yield will be improved when using synthetic mulches. In 2017-18, we conducted a randomized complete block design experiment to compare garlic production of black plastic, white plastic, and Kraft paper mulch treatments to a control with no mulch at a certified organic farm in Krestova, British Columbia. We evaluated garlic characteristics associated with yield and quality, changes in soil nutrition, and weed control of the mulch treatments. We found that plastic mulches had the best weed control, and all synthetic mulches increased minimum and maximum bulb diameter, clove count, and yield compared to the control. Mulching materials did not influence soil nitrate concentrations. The results support the hypothesis that synthetic mulches increase the quality and yield of the garlic compared to the control. Our findings suggest that synthetic mulching may be a key component of improving garlic production systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. e1110110667
Author(s):  
Ivan Carlos Zorzzi ◽  
Mycheli Preuss da Cruz ◽  
Nean Locatelli Dalacosta ◽  
Janaína Bruzamarello ◽  
Álvaro Luiz Ghedin ◽  
...  

In recent years, it has been observed a significant expansion of the organic market. In this context, the main phytosanitary problem of soybean in the organic system is Asian rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi), for which it is difficult to control, considering the restriction of products authorized for use in the organic system and the limitation of research related to this management system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of alternative products on the germination of uredospores, on the severity of soybean rust on detached leaves and the control of the disease under greenhouse and field conditions. The alternative treatments were calcium silicate, lime sulphur, bordeaux mixture, and copper oxychloride. The variables analyzed were uredospores germination, disease severity, defoliation level, area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), a thousand grain mass and productivity. The results obtained indicate that there is a possibility of using copper oxychloride to manage the Asian rust in organic production systems. Copper oxychloride had reduced the germination of uredospores and when evaluated under controlled conditions using detached leaves and greenhouse, it had reduced the severity of the disease. In field conditions, copper oxychloride at the doses of 588 and 882 g ha-1 reduced severity and AUDPC, in addition to increasing productivity at 1434 kg ha-1 in relation to the control. It is concluded that copper oxychloride can be used as a tool in the management of Asian rust in organic systems of soy production. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-57
Author(s):  
Carlos Francisco Ragassi ◽  
Agnaldo DF de Carvalho ◽  
Giovani Olegário da Silva ◽  
Gabriel Emiliano Pereira ◽  
Arione da S Pereira

ABSTRACT Potato is responsive to intensive agricultural input use; however, it can be produced in less intensive production systems (such as the organic system) by using appropriate production techniques and genotypes adapted to this system. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of advanced potato genotypes for tuber yield under conventional and organic production systems, in order to select potential genotypes to become new cultivars adapted to these systems. Fifteen advanced potato clones and two controls were evaluated under organic and conventional production systems, in 2016 and 2017, in Brasília-DF, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replicates and plots composed of two rows with 10 plants each, spaced 0.35 m between plants and 0.80 m between rows. Total (mass) and marketable (mass and number of tubers) productivities were evaluated. Variance analysis showed significant differences among genotypes for all traits. Despite the lower average tuber yield in the organic system, selecting genotypes with high potential productivity was possible in this system, such as F158-08-01 and F158-08-02, showing high marketable tuber yield, with values equivalent to the conventional system. Clones F102-08-04, F13-09-07, F-18-09-03, F-183-08-01, F-21-09-07, F31-08-05, F63-10-07 and F97-07-03 also outperformed the control cultivars in organic system. For conventional system, F158-08-01, F158-08-02 and F183-08-01 were superior, and F18-09-03, F21-09-07, F63-10-07, F97-07-03, PCDINV10 and PCDSE090 showed performance similar or superior to the most productive control (cultivar Asterix). Genotypes F158-08-01 and F158-08-02 were superior in both conventional and organic systems, with potential to become new cultivars recommended for both production systems.


HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 170a-170
Author(s):  
Victor A. Wegrzyn

Sustainable production systems are characterized as systems that can be physically and biologically maintained in perpetuity, can avoid adverse environmental and health problems, and can be economically profitable. Organic vegetable production systems are one example of sustainable farming enterprises. In California, organic production and postharvest handling techniques are closely defined by legislation. Of the several grower groups representing organic farmers in the state, the California Certified Organic Farmers is the largest, representing 382 growers that farmed a total area of 10,375 ha in 1988. Of these, 200 growers are vegetable producers. Another organization active among organic growers in California, as well as Mexico, Central American countries, and the Caribbean, is the Organic Crop Improvement Association. Marketing organizations such as the Nutri-Clean Program, which tests produce for pesticide residues and certifies specific residue standards, and the Organic Market News and Information Service facilitate the sale of organic produce in California. Cultural practice information for organic vegetable production is difficult to find, particularly techniques that would allow a grower to switch from conventional to organic production. University researchers and extension workers have so far been of little help, although the Univ. of California Sustainability Program at Davis is beginning research and education activities. Funding for these activities is inadequate, and the program is understaffed. There is need for long-term, interdisciplinary, on-farm studies to study organic production techniques in a realistic setting. At present, the reward system in place in land-grant institutions offers little encouragement to researchers to engage in this kind of work. There are formidable obstacles to increasing the use of organic materials for crop fertilization. The nutrient content of the state's manure and organic waste supplies is probably insufficient to meet the fertility needs of California's crops. In addition, since the majority of land currently producing vegetable crops in California is leased, long-term soil fertility investments are a risky undertaking.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document