Editorial: Comparing conventional and low-input agricultural practices: multicriteria assessment of productivity, environmental and plant protection aspects

Agricultural runoff contributes nutrients to nonpoint-source pollution of surface waters. This study was conducted to investigate the potential use of alternative farming practices to improve water quality. The study examined the effects of both alternative and conventional farming practices on subsurface drainage and nitrogen and phosphorus loss through subsurface drainage from glacial till soils (i.e., Calciaquolls, Endoaquolls, Eutrudepts, Hapludolls) in southwest Minnesota. Alternative farming practices included organic management practices, species biodiversity, and/or practices that include reduced inputs of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides. Conventional farming practices include corn-soybean (Zea mays L.-Glycine max L., respectively) rotations and their associated recommended fertilizer rates as well as pesticide usage. Precipitation was highly variable during the 3-yr study period including a below-average year (2003), an average year (2002), and an above-average year (2004). Results indicate that alternative farming practices reduced subsurface drainage discharge by 41% compared with conventional practices. Flow-weighted mean nitrate-nitrogen (nitrate N) concentrations during tile flow were 8.2 and 17.2 mg L(-1) under alternative and conventional farming practices, respectively. Alternative farming practices reduced nitrate N losses by between 59 and 62% in 2002 and 2004 compared with conventional practices. Ammonium-nitrogen (ammonium N), orthophosphorus, and total phosphorus losses in subsurface drainage were very low and did not pose a substantial risk of pollution. Results suggest that alternative farming practices have the potential to reduce agricultural impacts on water quality.

This research was carried out to determine the effects of organic and inorganic tea farming practices on some soil quality parameters and erodibility under Rize province condition. The study was done using 40 surface soil samples (0-20 cm) taken from the orchards having organic and conventional tea farming practices located on the same line and different positions. According to the analyses of the soil samples and evaluations, effects of organic and conventional farm practices on soil quality parameters were influenced by the positions. Generally, it was seen that the samples from the plots located at high elevation were rich with clay and organic matter contents and more resist to erodibility. The plots having conventional farm practices had more suitable soil quality conditions compared with the plots having organic farm practices.

The profile of glucosinolates in relation to the antioxidant capacity of five Brassica vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, White and Red Cabbage) grown by organic and conventional agricultural practices in Transylvania region-Romania, were determined and compared. The qualitative and quantitative compositions of glucosinolates were determined by HPLC-PDA technique. The antioxidant capacity was comparatively determined by ABTS, DPPH, FRAP and Folin-Ciocalteu assays. The highest glucosinolates levels were found in the Broccoli samples grown under conventional practices (14.24 μmol/g dry weight), glucoraphanin, glucobrassicin and neo-glucobrassicin being the major components. The total glucosinolates content was similar in Kohlrabi and Cauliflower (4.89 and 4.84 μmol/g dry weight, respectively), the indolyl glucosinolates were predominant in Kohlrabi, while the aliphatic derivatives (sinigrin and glucoiberin) were major in Cauliflower. In Cabbage samples, the aliphatic glucosinolates were predominat against indolyl derivatives, glucoraphanin and glucoiberin being the main ones in Red Cabbage. The principal component analysis was applied to discriminate among conventional and organic samples and demonstrated non-overlaps between these two agricultural practices. Meanwhile it was shown that glucosinolates may represent appropriate molecular markers of Brassica vegetables, their antioxidant capacity being higher in organic crops, without significant differences among different Brassica varieties.

Secondary phenolic metabolites play an important role in plant defense mechanisms, and increasing evidence indicates that many are important in human health. To date, few studies have investigated the impact of various agricultural practices on levels of secondary plant metabolites. To address this issue, the total phenolic (TP) content of marionberries, strawberries, and corn grown by sustainable, organic, or conventional cultural practices were measured. Additionally, the effects of three common postharvest processing treatments (freezing, freeze-drying, and air-drying) on the TP content of these agricultural products were also investigated. Statistically higher levels of TPs were consistently found in organically and sustainably grown foods as compared to those produced by conventional agricultural practices. In all samples, freeze-drying preserved higher levels of TPs in comparison with air-drying.

Influence of conventional and organic agricultural practices on the phenolic content in eggplant pulp: Plant-to-plant variation

Maize is the main staple food and the dominant cereal in low moisture stress areas of Boricha and Loka Abaya districts of southern Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to test the adaptability and suitability of improved maize varieties under conservation agriculture (CA) and conventional farming practice (CP) and to recommend for further use by farmers. Seven improved maize varieties of which four were hybrids and the other three were open pollinated (OPV) tested using Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS)in the first year under CP whereas in the second year all the genotypes tested were hybrid varieties in the same districts. In addition, at Hawassa on station in CP, each variety was sown on an area of 22.95 m 2 replicated three times. In the first year under CP, hybrid variety Shala gave the highest yield (3.59 t/ha), followed by the OPV Gibe2 (2.72 t/ha) under farmers’ conditions. In the second year under CA conditions, varieties Shala and SC-403 gave highest yields 3.94 and 3.87 t/ ha, respectively. In researcher managed conditions, varieties Shala, BH-543 and MHQ-138 gave highest yields 9.21, 9.08, 8.81 t/ ha, respectively and ranked from first, second and third under CP. In both seasons variety Shala ranked first in yield under CA and CP which shows the variety’s good stability in favorable and unfavorable years. This variety was also farmers’ first choices in both years and locations based on their evaluation criteria.

This study examined the effects of alternative and conventional farming practices on soil physical properties, including texture, organic C content, bulk density, moisture retention, and saturated hydraulic conductivity ( K s ). There were no significant differences in soil organic C contents between the alternative and conventional management systems. Bulk density in the A horizon was 3% lower under alternative management practices (1.39 Mg m −3 ) than under conventional practices (1.43 Mg m −3 ). Saturated hydraulic conductivity was significantly higher in the A horizon under alternative management practices (45.5 cm d −1 ) than under conventional management (18.1 cm d −1 ). Differences in conductivity were greater for soils located at bottom‐slope positions than soils at mid‐ or upper‐slope positions. The b value of Campbell's moisture retention equation was significantly smaller for alternative practices than conventional management practices in the A, B, and C horizons. In the B and C horizons, the smaller b values could have been due to smaller clay contents in soils of the alternatively managed system. The Campbell equation air entry value was significantly larger for alternative practices (1.1 kPa) than conventional practices (0.79 kPa) in the A horizon. Differences in bulk density, air entry, and K s between the alternative and conventional management systems were attributed to differences in crop rotations and nutrient or tillage management between the two systems. These results provide a useful database of soil physical and hydraulic properties that can be used by modelers to estimate the impacts of alternative agricultural practices on water movement and water quality.

Yoğun ve bilinçsiz gübre kullanımından kaynaklanan çevre kirliliğinin azaltılması, verim ve kalitede yaşanan düşüşleri önlemek ve üretimin ekonomik olarak sağlanması için, son yıllarda dengeli gübreleme/beslenme programlarını amaçlayan ve konvansiyonel tarıma alternatif olan iyi tarım uygulamaları öne çıkmaktadır. Bu amaçla, önemli turunçgil üretim alanlarından biri olan Adana’nın Karataş ilçesinde iyi tarım uygulamaları (İTU) ve konvansiyonel tarım uygulamalarının (KTU) yapıldığı 80 farklı turunçgil (portakal, limon ve mandarin) bahçesinden yaprak örnekleri alınmış, besin elementi analizleri gerçekleştirilerek mineral beslenme durumları karşılaştırmalı olarak belirlenmiştir. Sonuçlar genel olarak değerlendirildiğinde ağaçların K bakımından büyük oranda yetersiz olduğu buna karşılık N,P, Ca ve Mg açısından önemli bir beslenme probleminin olmadığı görülmüştür. Ayrıca, yaprak örneklerindeki element konsantrasyonlarının KTU yapılan alanlarda kısmen daha yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir. Çalışmaya konu olan alanlardan alınan yaprak örneklerindeki Fe ve Cu konsantrasyonlarının kritik konsantrasyon sınır değerlerine göre %100’ünün yeterli düzeyde ve üzerinde olduğu buna karşılık Zn konsantrasyonunun iki uygulamada da %85 oranında ve Mn konsantrasyonunun İTU yapılan bahçelerde %20, KTU yapılan bahçelerde %25 oranında kritik konsantrasyon sınır değerlerinden düşük olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Yaprak örneklerindeki ortalama mikro besin elementi sonuçları değerlendirildiğinde Fe, Zn, Cu ve Mn değerlerinin her iki uygulama bahçelerinde birbirine yakın olduğu ve uygulamalar arasında anlamlı bir fark olmadığı belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, İTU yapılan alanlarda çiftçilerin gübreleme alışkanlıklarının değişmediği, bitkinin besin ihtiyacının toprak ve bitki analizlerine dayalı olarak belirlenerek uygulamaların buna göre yapılması gerektiği ve bunu teşvik eden uygulamaların sürdürülülebilirliğinin önemli olduğu anlaşılmıştır.

Conventional farming practices can provide higher agricultural yields through the extensive use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other inputs. These practices have been associated with severe environmental effects, such as eutrophication, acidification, etc. Laser technology, among many other techniques, could be a viable option for environmental reduction if incorporated into agricultural production systems. However, the environmental performance of using lasers in agriculture practices needs to be investigated in order to provide sustainable management of the agriculture sector. Therefore, in this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) of laser-induced maize production in bio-stimulated seeds was compared to conventional farming practices using the software SimaPro ver. 9.0. The study emphasized human toxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, and marine ecotoxicity due to their significant contributions. The results demonstrated that laser technology was an environmentally friendly system for treating maize seeds before sowing. The study further identified the mineral fertilization process as the most critical threat to the environment. Based on normalization, maize production process-related toxicity accounts for the highest environmental impacts of 8.2 and 7.3 kg 1,4-DCB/ton of grain produced by conventional practices and laser maize production, respectively, on the general environmental profile. At the endpoint level, the irradiated maize seeds performed better than their non-irradiated counterpart impacting human health at 5.46 × 10−3 DALY, ecosystems at 1.86 × 10−5 species⋅year, and resources at 60.74 USD 2013. Soil management was also identified as the conventional maize production process with the most significant environmental impacts. The greatest observed impacts were on marine ecotoxicity (19.23 kg 1,4-DCB) and freshwater ecotoxicity (12.94 kg 1,4-DCB) per ton of grain produced. The evaluation of potential human toxicity concluded that zinc contributed more than 90% in ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) and benzene contributed approximately 22% in CML 2000. The study concluded that improved environmental performance was obtained for laser-induced maize production compared to conventional farming practices. The LCA can provide information to policymakers and government agencies about shifting to more sustainable agricultural practices in arid regions, such as Iraq, prone to drought linked to water availability and soil salinity.

The focus of this research was to determine how plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can affect the soil and physical characteristics of Chinese cabbages, tomatoes, and carrots. A two-factor randomized block design was used. The first factor examined was the time spent soaking the seeds in PGPR solution and the alternatives tested were 0, 10, 20, or 30 minutes. The second factor was the PGPR concentration used when watering the plants in the beds and the alternatives tested were 0, 1.25, 2.5, or 3.75 cc/L. The study found that using PGPR had an effect on soil organic matter and NPK levels, plant height, and yields that differed slightly from the characteristics obtained through conventional practices. The texture and brightness of the Chinese cabbages, tomatoes, and carrots were affected by PGPR treatment. The average texture of the Chinese cabbages, tomatoes, and carrots from the PGPR application was 23.46, 22.82, and 34.14 kg m/sec2, respectively, with brightness levels of 40.19, 34.06, and 39.10. The Chinese cabbages, tomatoes, and carrots from conventional farming practices had textures of 27.12, 23.03, and 31.13 kg m/sec2, respectively, and brightness levels of 58.11, 34.16, and 43.04. The texture and brightness level of the Chinese cabbages, tomatoes, and carrots produced by PGPR application were nearly identical to those produced by conventional farming practices. Keywords: plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, characteristics, Chinese cabbages, tomatoes, and carrots

Biocompatible Pickering emulsions (PE) stabilized by tailor-made antioxidant-loaded particles have been known for some time now, but antioxidant-rich natural plant particle-based emulsions are much less well known. This study aimed to investigate the physico-chemical properties of commercial Zingiber officinale powders obtained from biological and conventional agricultural practice and ginger powder-based PE. The physico-chemical and biological properties of Zingiber officinale powders (GDPs) obtained from conventional (GDPC1 and GDPC2) and biological agricultural (GDPBIO) practices, and the properties of derived PE (PE_GDPs) were examined. All GDPs showed weak aggregation in aqueous media and a sufficiently hydrophobic surface to stabilize oil-in-water (O/W) PE against coalescence for at least 1 month. Zingiber officinale powders (2% w/w) derived from biological agricultural practices (GDPBIO) demonstrated the best emulsifying properties. The Zingiber officinale powders and PE_GDPs were also characterized by their phytochemical profiles. All the investigated samples exhibited ferric reducing ability power greater than the positive control, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), with values ranging from 91.21 to 102.63 μmol L-1 Fe (II) g-1 for GDPC2 and 05PE_GDPC1 (O/W=1:1), respectively. In β-carotene bleaching test the following trend GDPC1 > GDPBIO > GDPC2 was observed. A 05PE_GDPBIO sample with the oil volume fraction equal to 50% was stable to oxidation and exhibited a promising α-amylase inhibitory activity. The results suggest that ginger powder should be used as a starting point to design biocompatible PEs for different applications in the functional food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. In fact, powder and based PE are characterized by a promising antioxidant activity, carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzyme and lipase inhibitory properties. Further in vivo studies are necessary to confirm these findings. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

ABSTRACTFarmers in Mexico till soil intensively, remove crop residues for fodder and grow maize often in monoculture. Conservation agriculture (CA), including minimal tillage, crop residue retention and crop diversification, is proposed as a more sustainable alternative. In this study, we determined the effect of agricultural practices and the developing maize rhizosphere on soil bacterial communities. Bulk and maize (Zea mays L.) rhizosphere soil under conventional practices (CP) and CA were sampled during the vegetative, flowering and grain filling stage, and 16S rRNA metabarcoding was used to assess bacterial diversity and community structure. The functional diversity was inferred from the bacterial taxa using PICRUSt. Conservation agriculture positively affected taxonomic and functional diversity compared to CP. The agricultural practice was the most important factor in defining the structure of bacterial communities, even more so than rhizosphere and plant growth stage. The rhizosphere enriched fast growing copiotrophic bacteria, such as Rhizobiales, Sphingomonadales, Xanthomonadales, and Burkholderiales, while in the bulk soil of CP other copiotrophs were enriched, e.g., Halomonas and Bacillus. The bacterial community in the maize bulk soil resembled each other more than in the rhizosphere of CA and CP. The bacterial community structure, and taxonomic and functional diversity in the maize rhizosphere changed with maize development and the differences between the bulk soil and the rhizosphere were more accentuated when the plant aged. Although agricultural practices did not alter the effect of the rhizosphere on the soil bacterial communities in the flowering and grain filling stage, they did in the vegetative stage.IMPORTANCE We studied the effect of sustainable conservation agricultural practices versus intensive conventional ones on the soil microbial diversity, potential functionality, and community assembly in rhizosphere of maize cultivated in a semiarid environment. We found that conservation agriculture practices increased the diversity of soil microbial species and functions and strongly affected how they were structured compared to conventional practices. Microbes affected by the roots of maize, the rhizobiome, were different and more diverse than in the surrounding soil and their diversity increased when the plant grew. The agricultural practices affected the maize rhizobiome only in the early stages of growth, but this might have an important impact on the development of maize plant.

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the productivity of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) through nitrogen management practices under conservation and conventional agriculture practices during 2012-2013 at Chitwan, Nepal. The experiment on rice was conducted in strip[1]split plot design with two establishment methods (conservation agriculture and conventional practices), two rice varieties (improved variety Sabitri and hybrid Gorakhnath 509), and four nitrogen levels (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg/ha). The experiment on wheat was conducted in a split-plot design with two establishment methods and four nitrogen levels as in rice with Gautam variety. The research result revealed that the grain yield of the rice-wheat system was higher in conservation agriculture (6.6 t/ha). Gorakhnath 509 of rice followed by Gautam variety of wheat had a higher system grain yield (6.8 t/ha) than Sabitri followed by Gautam (6.5 t/ha). The highest system grain yield was obtained from 180 N kg/ha (8.1 t/ha) which was significantly higher than 0 and 60 N kg/ha but was statistically similar to 120 N kg/ha. Thus, in Chitwan and similar niches, the rice-wheat system either Sabitri followed by Gautam or Gorakhnath 509 followed by Gautam variety under conservation agriculture practices by applying 120 N kg/ha can be successfully grown by the farmers.

The green revolution, characterized by intensive farming practices and synthetic agrochemicals, has been associated with concerns about ecological balance and soil health. This study investigated the impact of organic and conventional farming practices on soil quality and microbial diversity in coffee plantations within the Western Ghats. Soil samples from organic and conventional coffee farms in Ponnampet, Kodagu, Karnataka were collected for physical, chemical, and biological analysis. Organic soils had lower bulk density and particle density, suggesting improved structure and porosity. Organic systems had higher levels of organic carbon, nitrogen, and exchangeable calcium and magnesium. Organic coffee farming exhibited the highest soil quality index value of 0.98, which was higher than that of conventional coffee farming practice (0.87). Organic farming systems demonstrated significantly higher soil microbial respiration rates, reflecting a more active and diverse microbial community. Organic coffee farming systems not only promoted higher microbial biomass but also the higher value of Shannon–Wiener’s index, Simpson’s Diversity Index, Shannon and Simpson evenness index enhanced microbial diversity. These findings underscore the potential of organic coffee farming for sustainable agriculture in the Western Ghats, particularly in terms of enhancing soil health, promoting microbial diversity, and improving long-term soil quality compared to conventional practices.

The adverse effects of climate change on agricultural productivity have been evident for several years. Factoring climate change risks into critical decision-making is crucial for ensuring food security. Zambia has adopted conservation agriculture in response to two real threats to food security: loss of animal draught power due to livestock disease, and poor yield and occasional total crop failure due to frequent drought. The main threats from climate change arise from the stresses and shocks caused by high temperature and erratic rainfall, such as shorter growing seasons and water deficit in the soil profile. Under these conditions, conventional tillage practices and a few of the current cropping systems have proved inappropriate and inadequate for sustaining high crop yields. For instance, the national long-term average yield of maize under conventional agricultural practices has declined by 40 %. In this paper, I discuss conservation tillage (CT), soil quality management, and crop and cultivar options for adapting to and mitigating the adverse effects of climate change with the aim of ensuring stable yields. In drought years, employing CT involving deep ripping (15–30 cm), leaving crop residues on the soil surface, and using an appropriate maturity cultivar have consistently resulted in yield increases of 30–70 % (with maize showing the highest yield increase) compared with conventional practices. Early planting is an important factor, and 45 % of the yield increment could be attributed to it. Both physical (plow pans) and chemical (subsoil acidity) impediments to soil depth can greatly restrict root growth into the subsoil and severely restrict the volume of soil exploited and, in turn, the quantities of nutrients and water available to the crop. This investigation shows that adopting a technology package of appropriate culture practices, and seed and crop management can potentially reduce the negative effects of drought and stabilize crop yields.