Direct-seeding rice production is increasing due to declining farm labor forces and expanding water scarcity worldwide. In this production system, speed of germination, field emergence and crop yield depend prominently on rice seed vigor. Scientists Simma et al. showed that wood vinegar, a byproduct of wood burning, may be used as a sustainable alternative to chemicals for rice seed priming.
In a context of global change that increases uncertainty for agriculture, biodiversity-based techniques may reveal promising to enhance farming system resilience. Scientists Casagrande et al. tracked the use of such techniques in five regions of France. They observed that the level of diversification is related to farm characteristics. Farmers under organic farming apply a large number of biodiversity-based techniques, but surprisingly, this is not the case for farmers under conservation agriculture. Enhancing knowledge exchange through networks could favor the broader application of such techniques.
The conventional cultivation of globe artichoke triggers high nitrogen surpluses rendering this production poorly sustainable. Scientists Deligios et al. tested over ten years in Italy, the effect of crop residue incorporation into soil, the use of soil-building crops and crop rotations on artichoke cropping. Adopting biannual rotation with cauliflower together with the use of cover crop, maintained crop yield and promoted valuable nutrient recycling. Shifting from traditional to alternative artichoke cropping system prevented head disorders, yield losses and avoided environmental problems.
Current agronomy and the concept of sustainable intensification are contested. Sustainable intensification requires radical transformations in the social and economic organisation of agriculture. It also requires clarity about what can and should be intensified, with the aim of making agronomy “green again”. For that to occur, scientists Struik and Kuyper reckon two trends must coincide: sustainable de-intensification in the industrial agriculture of the north and sustainable intensification of the low-input agriculture of the south.
Pollinator protection by farmers is currently based on rewards, which is unscalable for Low and Middle Income countries. Scientists Christmann et al. tested for the first time the new “farming with alternative pollinators” approach, which measures net income increase for farmers engaged in habitat enhancement (floral resources, nesting and hibernating sites, shelters against wind) for wild pollinators alternative to honeybees and commercial bumblebees. In Uzbekistan, they obtained a high income increase for field-crop cucumber and orchards of sour cherry.
Farming system classifications into “conventional” vs. “organic”, “ecological”, “sustainable”, “agroecological”… deal in fact with a variety of farming practices and performances. Agronomists Therond et al. used environmental issues of industrial agriculture as a new attempt to sort out these farming systems. They identify six key agricultural models that promote greater sustainability and raise agronomic issues.
Increased palm oil production reduces biodiversity, damages the ecosystems and threatens human health. Scientists Sanyal et al. reviewed the advancements in the search for sunflower oil varieties containing high levels of stearic and oleic acids, capable of replacing palm oil in the food industry. Sustainable growth of these high yielding varieties can be achieved now without damaging the ecosystems, contrary to palm oil cultivation.
Farmers in the semi-arid regions of West Africa face challenges related to poor crop establishment, variable rainfall, low soil fertility and a shortage of labour at times of peak demand. Scientists Aune et al. showed that selecting good quality seeds, seed priming, seed treatment with a fungicide/insecticide, micro-dosing of fertilizers and water-harvesting structures increased yields in those areas. Mechanized sowing and weeding can ensure that the practices are applied at the right time and increase precision of application.
Modern high-input agriculture associated with a low crop genetic diversity is widely recognized as unsustainable. Farmers need rules to design variety mixtures and crop breeders need new methods to select varieties for mixtures. Scientists Barot et al. reviewed the beneficial effects of mixtures of varieties on ecosystems and recommend strategies derived from ecology to optimize variety mixtures.
Commercial orchards have to produce high yields of good quality fruits, while preserving natural resources. In such productive context, many biological, chemical and physical processes still provide important services to the soil, the plant and the atmosphere. Demestihas et al. review how agricultural practices in orchards affect these services and show that fruit production, climate regulation, soil nitrogen availability, water regulation, pest and disease control and pollination can be assessed from simulation models.