RESEARCH IN ORGANIC ARABLE CROPS IN FRANCE

Transcription

1 RESEARCH IN ORGANIC ARABLE CROPS IN FRANCE Laurence Fontaine, ITAB 21st January, 2014 Naturland conference, Würzburg (DE)

2 OUTLINE 1. Organic farming & arable crops in France 2. Organisation of research in OF in France The key-role of ITAB 3. Issues raised by organic farmers 4. Research themes 5. Focus on some research programmes - Common bunt - Wheat variety testing - Long term experiments - Alfafa as fertilizer - Mechanical weeding

3 ALFAFA AS FERTILIZER Trials and synthesis coordinated by Chamber of Agriculture of Seineet-Marne & Arvalis-institut du végétal (Région Centre & Casdar fundings)

4 COMMON CROP ROTATIONS IN Ile-de-France region Cropping system in arable stockless systems If alfafa is possible, long rotation are preferred (effect on N & weeds) Alfafa 2 years / w. wheat 1+ 2 cereals / faba beans / w.wheat cereal / Clover / w.wheat 3 Without alfafa, rotation is shorter but includes spring crops that are hoed, more fertilizers are used Faba beans / w.wheat 1 / maize / triticale-pea intercropped / w.wheat 2 / triticale

5 GROSS MARGIN ARE HIGHER WITH ALFAFA Comparison of field gross margin with or without alfafa in Ile-de-France region (source CA 77) with without

6 PART OF LEGUMES (ALFAFA) IS IMPORTANT In stockless organic systems of Ile-de-France, 30% of crops are legumes Half of legumes is fodder, mainly alfafa Distribution of surfaces of organic legumes in IdF ( mean) (source CA 77) Clover Fallow Faba beans Alafafa is cultivated if: -soil are adapted - Economical outlet does exist Alfafa lentils Pea Intercop cereal-leg. Fodder (hay) Dehydration (drying industry) What about no outlet???

7 EXPERIMENTS ON ALFAFA AS FERTILIZER Objective : to valorize N potential of alfafa when economical outlet doesn t exist By using alfafa as an organic fertilizer To introduce N in the cropping system To participate to weed management To be less dependent on commercial organic fertilizers

8 EXPERIMENTS ON ALFAFA AS FERTILIZER Experiments: on-farm trials have been conducted (10 partners involved) from 2011 to trials with valid data (out of 33) fertilization in autumn or spring Test of: - poultry manure (fertilizer control) - dry or dehydrated alfafa - Silage - Compost - Digestate (anaerobic digestion) - Control (no fertilizer)

9 EXPERIMENTS ON ALFAFA AS FERTILIZER Climatic conditions: It is difficult to interpret results Year Climate Organic fertilizer efficiency Spring: warm & dry - Rain deficit on the whole cycle Spring: mild - Erratic rains, abundant by the end of cycle High rain, low temperature - Low mineralization Heterogeneous conditions: N in soil / end of winter: from 20 to 140 un/ha Control yield: from 1,5 to 6,3 t/ha Some products with few data: All tests (product x automn/spring) have not been done in each trial Low OK Low

10 ALFAFA AS FERTILIZER TRIALS: RESULTS Products with few data: Compost: only one year of results (hard to obtain, not stable, N lower) Digestate: two years of results but in few trials Spring supply of silage: Only in Abandonned because of slow degradation => go against hoeing Main focus on poultry manure / dehydrated alfafa (spring and autumn supply) / silage (autumn)

11 ALFAFA AS FERTILIZER TRIALS: RESULTS/YIELD Average yield (% of control). Wheat trials 2011 to 2013 (brackets: number of trial) (Source: CA 77) Control (no fert.) Poultry manure Spring Poultry manure autumn Digesta te Dehydrat ed alfafa autumn Dehydrat ed alfafa Spring Silage autumn Silage Spring Average gain of yield (0,1 t/ha)

12 ALFAFA AS FERTILIZER: FIRST CONCLUSIONS Gain of yield: Alfafa fertilizers < poultry manure Dehydrated alfafa: Close to poultry manure in low mineralization conditions < poultry manure in favourable conditions Silage / poultry manure: Tendency to close results when silage is supplied in autumn Economic approach: gain only in case of no outlet Prospects: Alfafa forms to test? Silage in autumn Fresh alfafa Digestate Make hay + dry/dehydrate? More accurate study on silage: N loss? Optimize the manufacturing

13 THE ROLE OF ALFAFA IN ORGANIC SYSTEMS Testing alfafa as fertilizer is an option. N effect in the crop rotation remains the first use. N in soil by the end of winter, according to previous crop (before w. cereal) (Source: CA 77) Effect of 2-year previous crop before cereal

14 THE ROLE OF ALFAFA IN ORGANIC SYSTEMS N mineralized after alfafa / faba bean N uptaken by the following winter wheat Source : JP Cohan, Arvalis. Essai Système Bio de Boigneville, année Ajustement des cinétiques de minéralisation selon un formalisme exponentiel Need to study mineralisation kinetics after alfafa in order to best respond to plant demands. Role of green manure. To be studied in long terms experiments (project starting in 2014)

15 MECHANICAL WEEDING Results from the research programme «optimize mechanical weeding» ( , casdar fundings). ITAB project manager.

16 MECHANICAL WEEDING: A «MIXED» PROGRAMME Compilation of 87 trials (mainly conv.) 200 farmers survey (mainly organic) 31 interviews (organic farmers) 2 sociologic studies (conventional)

17 THE FARMERS SURVEY 100% 80% 60% 79% 58% % d'utilisation des différents matériels de désherbage mécanique (échantillon complet) (153 agriculteurs bio, 36 agriculteurs conventionnels) 90% 40% 20% 19% 24% 25% 5% 8% 11% 3% 4% 25% 0% AB/mixte Conventionnels 195 farmers (159 OF, 36 conv.) Stockless Livestock 100% 80% 60% 56% Combinaison des différents matériels de désherbage mécanique (échantillon complet) (147 agriculteurs bio, 27 agriculteurs conventionnels) 55% Topics: Weeding material Problematic weeds Advice ressources Weed management 40% 20% 0% 7% 14% 7% 11% 0% 4% 4% 4% 20% 11% 7% 0% AB/mixte conventionnel

18 THE FARMER SURVEY Weeds most quoted by organic farmers (stockless system in yellow, livestock system in green) Dock (rumex) > thistle (cirsium arvense) > wild oat (avena fatua) perennials annuals Systèmes GC (N : 81) Systèmes polyculture-élevage (N: 70) grasses Vivaces Graminées d'automne Graminées indifférenciées 74 Graminées de printemps 32 Dicotylédones d'automne Dicotylédones indifférenciées Dicotylédones de printemps Number of quotation of weeds by type

19 FARMERS SURVEY Information needs / mechanical weeding A paradox: 48% of organic farmers think they are not enough informed 71% of conventionnal farmers think they are enough informed Type of information needed: Organic Efficiency of weeding methods Weed knowledge - Tools (knowledge, new material) Conventionnal Efficiency >> Cost > Tools. Sources : Organic farmers favour exchanges among farmers groups, Conventionnal farmers favour advisers, then press.

20 EFFICIENCY OF MECHANICAL WEEDING ON WINTER CEREAL Results from 10 trials in OF (91 data): - Efficiency is highly variable - Efficiency parameters: - First passing must be early - Hoe (end of winter) - Several passings Of course it depends on soil/climate conditions, on weed stages - Hoeing may increased yield To put in the whole farm context: available material, cost, working time, competition between works

21 WEED MANAGEMENT DESCRIPTION

22 KNOWING WEEDS TO BETTER CONTROL THEM

23 KNOWING WEEDS TO BETTER CONTROL THEM

24 QUOTED RESEARCH PROJECTS Mechanical weeding: «Optimiser et promouvoir le désherbage mécanique en grandes cultures», CASDAR fundings (French Ministry of Agricuture), ITAB project manager. Alfafa: «Fertiliser avec des produits à base de luzerne en grandes cultures biologiques», ARVALIS-CA 77 synthesis, trials Prospect: a project on alfafa (in stokcless and livestock systems) is currently setting up (management: ITAB-CA 77). Response will be known in july Long term experiments: «Conception et optimisation de systèmes de culture innovants en grandes cultures biologiques», CASDAR fundings (French Ministry of Agricuture), ITAB project manager. Wheat variety testing: trials network coordinated by ITAB for the last ten years (own fundings). Common bunt: «Agir rapidement pour contenir la carie commune», Contrats de Branche fundings (French Ministry of Agriculture), , ITAB project manager.