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Agronomy
Special Issues
Non-chemical Approach in Crop Production Systems
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Non-chemical Approach in Crop Production Systems

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 9067

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Kestutis Romaneckas

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Agroecosystems and Soil Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Agriculture Academy, K. Donelaičio str. 58, 44248 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: meteorological conditions; soil properties; crop productivity; detailed evaluation of tillage and sowing systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Aušra Marcinkevičienė

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agroecosystems and Soil Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Agriculture Academy, K. Donelaičio str. 58, 44248 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: multi-cropping; inter-cropping; cover crops; oilseed rape technology; soil biological properties; weed and pest management; organic farming; climate change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Intensive crop production technologies are based on invasive unbalanced amounts of mineral fertilizers and pesticides using, which destroy the soil physical, chemical, biological composition and natural interactions between soil-crop-environment, initiates soil, water, environment and food pollution, acceleration of GHG respiration process, the adaptation of harmful organisms to pesticides, and other problems. Non-chemical approach in crop production systems does not mean the archaic agro-technological methods. On the contrary, non-chemical systems include modern innovative precision machinery and equipment up to artificial intelligence. Also use of new generation organic, bio-organic or nano-organic fertilizers for primary and additional fertilization, bio-pesticides, combinations of mechanical, physical, biological control of harmful organisms, crop functionality increase by cover-cropping, inter-cropping, multi-cropping in conditions of sustainable, precision or organic agriculture. Non-chemical systems can conserve and improve soil and crop fertility, the qualitative, nutritional and energy efficacy of the harvest or raw biomass production, decrease ecological foot-print.

Special Issue will highlight the non-chemical methods in crop production systems for soil, environment, raw material and food sustainability. Research papers, communications, and review articles are all welcome. Attention will be also given to studies involving impact of non-chemical approach on soil properties, GHG emissions; development, productivity and quality of crops, identification and abundance of weeds, pests and diseases; machinery and equipment. Research data on technologies economy, energy and environmental impact are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Kestutis Romaneckas
Prof. Dr. Aušra Marcinkevičienė
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable, precision, organic agriculture
  • inter-cropping, multi-cropping
  • fertilization, weed, pest and disease control
  • bio pesticides
  • soil properties, carbon sequestration and ghg emissions
  • crops productivity and quality
  • machinery, equipment and tools
  • economy, energy and environmental impact
  • climate change

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 1754 KiB  
Article
Is Diversified Crop Rotation an Effective Non-Chemical Strategy for Protecting Triticale Yield and Weed Diversity?
by Magdalena Jastrzębska, Marta K. Kostrzewska and Marek Marks
Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1589; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061589 - 12 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1515
Abstract
Diversified crop rotation (DCR) has re-gained attention worldwide as a non-chemical practice for increasing the sustainability of cereal production systems. This study focused on comparing the effects of two weed management strategies, DCR (the six-field system: potato–oat–fiber flax–winter rye–faba bean–winter triticale) without the [...] Read more.
Diversified crop rotation (DCR) has re-gained attention worldwide as a non-chemical practice for increasing the sustainability of cereal production systems. This study focused on comparing the effects of two weed management strategies, DCR (the six-field system: potato–oat–fiber flax–winter rye–faba bean–winter triticale) without the application of a herbicide (DCR strategy) and with the application of a herbicide (DCR + H strategy) on the yield of winter triticale and on the biomass and species, taxonomic, and functional diversities of weed communities. In addition, the responses of two triticale cultivars, Trapero and Borowik, to the weed management strategies were evaluated. Data from five growing seasons (2017–2021) of a long-term experiment (Bałcyny, northeastern Poland) are presented. The DCR strategy proved less effective in protecting the triticale yield than DCR + H but provided greater weed species, taxonomic and functional diversities. Borowik had a higher yield and responded to herbicide abandonment with a lower yield loss. When the DCR strategy was used, Borowik was more competitive against weeds than Trapero without reducing weed diversity. The triticale yield correlated negatively with weed biomass and diversity, and weed diversity and weed biomass were positively correlated. The findings show that winter triticale can be grown in DCR without the application of a herbicide if a high-yield, competitive cultivar such as Borowik is used. Growing such a cultivar under DCR conditions without the application of a herbicide promotes weed diversity; however, in years with less favorable weather conditions, it may be necessary to accept a moderately lower yield compared to the yield provided with herbicide protection. The relationship between weed diversity and weather conditions is a subject for further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-chemical Approach in Crop Production Systems)
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15 pages, 5954 KiB  
Article
Alternative Approaches to Chemical Thinning for Regulating Crop Load and Alternate Bearing in Apple
by Prud Netsawang, Lutz Damerow, Peter Schulze Lammers, Achim Kunz and Michael Blanke
Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010112 - 29 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2294
Abstract
In the past, chemical thinning dominated in fruit orchards. This paper for the special issue outlines alternatives to chemical thinning for crop load management (CLM) and its effect on fruit size, firmness, sugar, starch, and weight, indicating ripeness and fruit quality, yield, and [...] Read more.
In the past, chemical thinning dominated in fruit orchards. This paper for the special issue outlines alternatives to chemical thinning for crop load management (CLM) and its effect on fruit size, firmness, sugar, starch, and weight, indicating ripeness and fruit quality, yield, and alternate bearing. A total of 450 apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh., cv. ‘Roter Boskoop’; six years old) on M9 rootstock were used at the Klein-Altendorf experimental station (50° N) of the University of Bonn, Germany. As the first alternatives, trees were mechanically blossom-thinned at the balloon stage (BBCH 59) with a rotor speed of 320 rpm or 380 rpm at 5 km/h tractor speed or were chemically thinned at the full bloom stage (BBCH 65) with ammonium thiosulfate (ATS), ethephon (ETH), and/or 6-benzyladenine (BA) at 10–12 mm fruit size (BBCH 71) after applying ATS/ETH. Flower clusters and/or cluster leaves (source) were manually removed to determine the optimum sink-source ratio to achieve different ratios of fruitlets (sink) relative to the leaves (source) at fruit set (BBCH 67–69). Un-thinned, adjacent trees served as the control. The majority of CLM methods improved fruit size and weight. Removing cluster leaves at fruit set increased fruit size and weight of the remaining fruit, which has not been observed before. The most effective treatment for fruit size and weight and return bloom was the 75% flower cluster and complete cluster leaf removal. Removal of more than 50% of flower clusters successfully improved return bloom, indicative of alternate bearing. The mechanical blossom thinning had a positive effect on fruit size and weight with a return bloom similar to that of removal of 50% flower clusters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-chemical Approach in Crop Production Systems)
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12 pages, 2954 KiB  
Communication
The Biomass Productivity of Maize, Hemp and Faba Bean Multi-Crops
by Jovita Balandaitė, Kęstutis Romaneckas, Austėja Švereikaitė, Rasa Kimbirauskienė, Aušra Sinkevičienė and Andrius Romaneckas
Agronomy 2022, 12(12), 3193; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12123193 - 16 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2275
Abstract
Crop biomass is valuable not only from a nutritional and fodder point of view, but also from an energetic point of view. The main task is to increase biomass production while maintaining low nutrient and pesticide requirements and low ecological footprint. A stationary [...] Read more.
Crop biomass is valuable not only from a nutritional and fodder point of view, but also from an energetic point of view. The main task is to increase biomass production while maintaining low nutrient and pesticide requirements and low ecological footprint. A stationary three-year field experiment was performed at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania, in 2020–2022. Single crops and mixtures of maize, hemp, and faba bean were investigated in terms of their biomass productivity. Results showed that as the crop diversification increases, the productivity of maize and hemp grown in the mixture decreases, while faba bean ensures high dried biomass productivity. During the three years of the experimentation, the highest total dried biomass was found in the ternary crop: on average, 1495.4 g m−2 per year. The highest dried biomass of the ternary crop was established in the first year of experimentation: 2081.1 g m−2. A decrease in biomass yields in the second and third years of the experiment was observed in all treatment plots. The results suggest that the low fertilization level (totally N 45, P 45, K 45 kg ha−1) in the experiment should be increased if multi-crop cultivations are to be regrown during vegetative seasons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-chemical Approach in Crop Production Systems)
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12 pages, 2309 KiB  
Article
Effects of Biopesticides and Undersown Cover Crops on Soil Properties in the Organic Farming System
by Aušra Marcinkevičienė, Arūnas Čmukas, Rimantas Velička, Robertas Kosteckas and Lina Skinulienė
Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2153; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092153 - 10 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2085
Abstract
The inclusion of undersown cover crops in crop rotations and the use of biopesticides are essential for the long-term sustainability of the agroecosystem in organic farming. We hypothesized that biopesticides and undersown cover crops (crimson (incarnate) clover (Trifolium incarnatum Broth.), hairy (winter) [...] Read more.
The inclusion of undersown cover crops in crop rotations and the use of biopesticides are essential for the long-term sustainability of the agroecosystem in organic farming. We hypothesized that biopesticides and undersown cover crops (crimson (incarnate) clover (Trifolium incarnatum Broth.), hairy (winter) vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and winter rye (Secale cereale L.)) are likely to have a positive impact on soil agrophysical and biological properties. Soil shear strength, soil aggregate–size distribution, plant root dry biomass and number and biomass of earthworms were determined at the end of the plant growing season. We concluded that the application of biopesticides and growing of undersown cover crops decreased soil shear strength and increased the percentage of macro-aggregates (0.25–10 mm) in the plough layer. In the plots with cover crops, plant root biomass was found to be significantly higher by a factor of 1.9 to 3.5, compared to the plots without cover crops. The application of biopesticides and undersown cover crops did not significantly affect the number and biomass of earthworms in the soil. The abundance of earthworms was more influenced by meteorological conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-chemical Approach in Crop Production Systems)
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