scholarly journals Whole-Systems Analysis of Environmental and Economic Sustainability in Arable Cropping Systems: A Case Study

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hawes ◽  
Young ◽  
Banks ◽  
Begg ◽  
Christie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Economic Sustainability ◽  
Commercial Practice ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Trade Offs

The long-term sustainability of crop production depends on the complex network of interactions and trade-offs between biotic, abiotic and economic components of agroecosystems. An integrated arable management system was designed to maintain yields, whilst enhancing biodiversity and minimising environmental impact. Management interventions included conservation tillage and organic matter incorporation for soil biophysical health, reduced crop protection inputs and integrated pest management strategies for enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem functions, and intercropping, cover cropping and under-sowing to achieve more sustainable nutrient management. This system was compared directly with standard commercial practice in a split-field experimental design over a six-year crop rotation. The effect of the cropping treatment was assessed according to the responses of a suite of indicators, which were used to parameterise a qualitative multi-attribute model. Scenarios were run to test whether the integrated cropping system achieved greater levels of overall sustainability relative to standard commercial practice. Overall sustainability was rated high for both integrated and conventional management of bean, barley and wheat crops. Winter oilseed crops scored medium for both cropping systems and potatoes scored very low under standard management but achieved a medium level of sustainability with integrated management. In general, high scores for environmental sustainability in integrated cropping systems were offset by low scores for economic sustainability relative to standard commercial practice. This case study demonstrates the value of a ‘whole cropping systems’ approach using qualitative multi-attribute modelling for the assessment of existing cropping systems and for predicting the likely impact of new management interventions on arable sustainability.

Review: Redesigning Canadian prairie cropping systems for profitability, sustainability, and resilience

2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 1049-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne R. Thiessen Martens ◽  
Martin H. Entz ◽  
Mark D. Wonneck
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Canadian Prairie ◽  
Research Education

Thiessen Martens, J. R., Entz, M. H. and Wonneck, M. D. 2015. Review: Redesigning Canadian prairie cropping systems for profitability, sustainability, and resilience. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 1049–1072. Redesign of agricultural systems according to ecological principles has been proposed for the development of sustainable systems. We review a wide variety of ecologically based crop production practices, including crop varieties and genetic diversity, crop selection and rotation, cover crops, annual polyculture, perennial forages, perennial grains, agroforestry systems, reducing tillage, use of animal manures and green manures, soil biological fertility, organic production systems, integrated crop–livestock systems, and purposeful design of farm landscapes (farmscaping), and discuss their potential role in enhancing the profitability, environmental sustainability, and resilience of Canadian prairie cropping systems. Farming systems that most closely mimic natural systems through appropriate integration of diverse components, within a context of supportive social and economic structures, appear to offer the greatest potential benefits, while creating a framework in which to place all other farming practices. Our understanding of ecological relationships within agricultural systems is currently lacking, and a major shift in research, education, and policy will be required to purposefully and proactively redesign Canadian prairie agricultural systems for long-term sustainability.

scholarly journals Extracellular DNA: Insight of a Signal Molecule in Crop Protection

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1022
Author(s):  
Ireri Alejandra Carbajal-Valenzuela ◽  
Gabriela Medina-Ramos ◽  
Laura Helena Caicedo-Lopez ◽  
Alejandra Jiménez-Hernández ◽  
Adrian Esteban Ortega-Torres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Extracellular Dna ◽  
Molecular Characteristics ◽  
Plant Metabolism ◽  
Signal Molecule ◽  
Molecular Pattern ◽  
Trade Offs

Agricultural systems face several challenges in terms of meeting everyday-growing quantities and qualities of food requirements. However, the ecological and social trade-offs for increasing agricultural production are high, therefore, more sustainable agricultural practices are desired. Researchers are currently working on diverse sustainable techniques based mostly on natural mechanisms that plants have developed along with their evolution. Here, we discuss the potential agricultural application of extracellular DNA (eDNA), its multiple functioning mechanisms in plant metabolism, the importance of hormetic curves establishment, and as a challenge: the technical limitations of the industrial scale for this technology. We highlight the more viable natural mechanisms in which eDNA affects plant metabolism, acting as a damage/microbe-associated molecular pattern (DAMP, MAMP) or as a general plant biostimulant. Finally, we suggest a whole sustainable system, where DNA is extracted from organic sources by a simple methodology to fulfill the molecular characteristics needed to be applied in crop production systems, allowing the reduction in, or perhaps the total removal of, chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and insecticides application.

scholarly journals A Comparative Techno-Economic Analysis of Organic and Conventional Nigella sativa L. Crop Production in Greece

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Evangelia STEFANOPOULOU ◽  
Ioannis ROUSSIS ◽  
Konstantinos TSIMPOUKAS ◽  
Stella KARIDOGIANNI ◽  
Ioanna KAKABOUKI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Alternative Crop ◽  
Net Profit ◽  
The Cost

Nigella sativa L. is considered to be an alternative crop offering innovative and high-quality products. A case study was implemented on an existing farm to determine the prospects of N. sativa production in Greece and to assess the economic outcomes of the cultivation of this crop under organic and conventional cropping systems. The total production cost of organic N. sativa seeds was 6.09 €/kg, while the cost of conventional seeds was 4.77 €/kg. The organic and conventional N. sativa seed selling prices were 17.04 and 12.01 €/kg, respectively. Moreover, the financial performance of farm is better after the introduction of N. sativa crop under organic cropping system, where the net profit increased by 63.8% compared to the initial profit of the farm, while the increase in the conventional was less at 49.2%. N

scholarly journals Different Uses of Ozone: Environmental and Corporate Sustainability. Literature Review and Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Remondino ◽  
Luigi Valdenassi
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Fish Farming ◽  
Economic Sustainability ◽  
Pharmaceutical Drugs ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Pharmaceutical Agents

An extensive and interdisciplinary literature review was carried out to evaluate the uses of synthetically produced ozone in many different application areas. The objective of the study was to investigate the disinfectant and purifying effectiveness of this natural compound and evaluate its use as an economically and environmentally sustainable alternative to treatments that often involve the adoption of pharmaceutical agents. Being a natural substance, the potential environmental sustainability of the use of ozone in areas such as water disinfectant; pesticide action in agriculture; and antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and antiviral actions in animal husbandry and fish farming are of interest. In addition to environmental sustainability, economic sustainability is also important for companies employing ozone in their processes. Thus, a case study was proposed that represents the use of ozone in a pilot swine farm located in Northern Italy, both as an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs for the animals and as an air and water purifier. The case study demonstrates the economic sustainability of ozone use, especially in the medium run, along with its ability to reduce animal mortality (by about 2%), as well as decrease use of pharmaceutical antibiotics.

scholarly journals Diversification and ecosystem services for conservation agriculture: Outcomes from pastures and integrated crop–livestock systems

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt A. Sanderson ◽  
David Archer ◽  
John Hendrickson ◽  
Scott Kronberg ◽  
Mark Liebig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Forage Diversity ◽  
Integrated Agricultural Systems

AbstractConservation agricultural systems rely on three principles to enhance ecosystem services: (1) minimizing soil disturbance, (2) maximizing soil surface cover and (3) stimulating biological activity. In this paper, we explore the concept of diversity and its role in maximizing ecosystem services from managed grasslands and integrated agricultural systems (i.e., integrated crop–livestock–forage systems) at the field and farm level. We also examine trade-offs that may be involved in realizing greater ecosystem services. Previous research on livestock production systems, particularly in pastureland, has shown improvements in herbage productivity and reduced weed invasion with increased forage diversity but little response in terms of animal production. Managing forage diversity in pastureland requires new tools to guide the selection and placement of plant mixtures across a farm according to site suitability and the goals of the producer. Integrated agricultural systems embrace the concept of dynamic cropping systems, which incorporates a long-term strategy of annual crop sequencing that optimizes crop and soil use options to attain production, economic and resource conservation goals by using sound ecological management principles. Integrating dynamic cropping systems with livestock production increases the complexity of management, but also creates synergies among system components that may improve resilience and sustainability while fulfilling multiple ecosystem functions. Diversified conservation agricultural systems can sustain crop and livestock production and provide additional ecosystem services such as soil C storage, efficient nutrient cycling and conservation of biodiversity.

scholarly journals Soil Resources Influence Spatial Patterns of Denitrifying Communities at Scales Compatible with Land Management

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 2243-2250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Enwall ◽  
Ingela N. Throb�ck ◽  
Maria Stenberg ◽  
Mats S�derstr�m ◽  
Sara Hallin
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Abundance Ratio ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Gene Pools

ABSTRACT Knowing spatial patterns of functional microbial guilds can increase our understanding of the relationships between microbial community ecology and ecosystem functions. Using geostatistical modeling to map spatial patterns, we explored the distribution of the community structure, size, and activity of one functional group in N cycling, the denitrifiers, in relation to 23 soil parameters over a 44-ha farm divided into one organic and one integrated crop production system. The denitrifiers were targeted by the nirS and nirK genes that encode the two mutually exclusive types of nitrite reductases, the cd1 heme-type and copper reductases, respectively. The spatial pattern of the denitrification activity genes was reflected by the maps of the abundances of nir genes. For the community structure, only the maps of the nirS community were related to the activity. The activity was correlated with nitrate and dissolved organic nitrogen and carbon, whereas the gene pools for denitrification, in terms of size and composition, were influenced by the soil structure. For the nirS community, pH and soil nutrients were also important in shaping the community. The only unique parameter related to the nirK community was the soil Cu content. However, the spatial pattern of the nirK denitrifiers corresponded to the division of the farm into the two cropping systems. The different community patterns, together with the spatial distribution of the nirS/nirK abundance ratio, suggest habitat selection on the nirS- and nirK-type denitrifiers. Our findings constitute a first step in identifying niches for denitrifiers at scales relevant to land management.

Residence Block Design Methods Based on the Concept of Sustainable Development – A Case Study of Residence Block Design of Wuhan

2012 ◽  
Vol 253-255 ◽  
pp. 199-202
Author(s):  
Shan Hu ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Douady Clément Noël
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Economic Sustainability ◽  
Residential District ◽  
Block Planning

The field of sustainable development can be conceptually broken into three constituent parts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and sociopolitical sustainability. This paper uses the case study of Wuhan Shouyi area residential block urban design, discusses the concept of sustainable development of residential block urban design. In the current trend of residential district design, this paper may be able to lead to some better residential block planning design.

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