Designing and developing sustainable cropping systems - for an unpredictable future

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1 Designing and developing sustainable cropping systems - for an unpredictable future Erik Steen Jensen Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy DTU KSLA Seminarium 22. April 2008

2 Overview Cropping systems - basics Future cropping systems Researching, designing and developing systems Analysing cropping systems Conclusions

3 Cropping systems integrate: The nature of crops Crop succession The series of management techniques applied, incl. varieties Cropping systems with a high diversity in time and space is the basis for organic and low input agricultural systems

4 Externalities Weather/climate Market Goventment/EU New tech./info Management Yield/quality Net returns Soil/water/air quality Resource conservation Pest managem. Farmer goals Production Economic Environmental Social Cropping system Economically viable Environmentally sustainable Socially acceptable

Wishes for future cropping systems Successful cropping systems need to be flexible and sustainable: economically viable, social acceptable and environmentally acceptable Future cropping systems

5 Wishes for future cropping systems Successful cropping systems need to be flexible and sustainable: economically viable, social acceptable and environmentally acceptable Future cropping systems should include many crops to increase cropping options and reduce the risk compared to monoculture systems in a more unpredictable climate and changing market. The challenge is to exploit synergism in time and space through crop sequencing to improve crops yields without additional inputs and deterioration of the environment and climate via integration of ecological and agricultural sciences. Develop ecological-agricultural systems that use technological advances (Ecology the science of agriculture in the 21st century, Jacob Weiner, 2003)

Dynamic cropping systems a new concept A dynamic cropping system can be defined as a flexible system where, crop sequencing decisions are made annually based on externalities as well as management

6 Dynamic cropping systems a new concept A dynamic cropping system can be defined as a flexible system where, crop sequencing decisions are made annually based on externalities as well as management goals that optimize cropping options and the outcome of production, economic and environmental goals using sound ecological management principles (Tanaka et al 2002) Key factors in dynamic cropping systems : diversity increase - type and number of crops knowledge on rotation effects evaluation and application of the best info crops and varieties, new technologies, environmental technologies flexible in adaption of new crops and technologies reduced input costs, e.g. N2 fixing crops environmental/climate change awareness several markets

7 Attributes among cropping system Potential for pest/weed infestation Nutrient/precipitation use efficiency Production risk Breadth of management expertise Requirement for exogenous inputs Relative sustainability Monoculture Fixed-sequence Dynamic cropping system Hanson et al 2007

8 R & D in cropping systems Previous more focus on comparative studies of fixed systems Determination of causal relationships required for solving farmer problems (how much are we aware of the rotation effect?) Crop portfolio for screening which crops for the region, soil and climate, are relevant which are the best management methods for each crop. Experimental designs, e.g. crop matrix that allow simultaneous multiple evaluations of combinations The crop x crop residue matrix determines the synergism and antagonims that occurs among crops under similar weather and soil conditions.. Multidisciplinary research team to determine causal relationships

9 A theoretical framework for studying cropping systems Environmental conditions (Bio, Chem, Phys) time Conditions at harvest n-1 n n+1 Crop n-1 Crop n Crop n+1 Climate and management methods on crop n-1 Climate and management method on crop n Climate and management method on crop n+1 Crop n-1 yield Crop n yield Crop n+1 yield Preceding effect: the variation in the environment (biological, chemical and physical characteristics) between the beginning and the end of the crop under consideration under the combined influence of the plant population and the management methods that have been submitted as well as the climate. Sensibility of the following: The existence of the varied reactions of the n+1 crop and according to the diversity of the environmental conditions created by crop n under a given climate and submitted management methods for the following crop. Cumulative effect: This is the result over several years of successive preceding effects. after Sebillotte, 1990

Sensibility of crops following grain legumes and a catch crop 1st. Spring wheat 2nd. Winter triticale 5.1 5.1 tons grain ha -1 4.6 4.1 3.

10 Sensibility of crops following grain legumes and a catch crop 1st. Spring wheat 2nd. Winter triticale tons grain ha tons grain ha Faba + Faba - Pea + Pea - Faba + Faba - Pea + Pea - Oat + Oat - Oat + Oat - Previous crop (-or+ catch crop) Previous crop Source: GLIP Project; Hauggaard-Nielsen et al., 2008, in prep.

11 Prototyping (Vereijken 1997) Crop sequence design from portfolio information and priority of farmer objectives (prototyping): Define hierachy of objectives for production, environment, nature, profit, etc (farmers, researcher) Define parameters and methods to quantify objectives Design of theoretical prototype and management methods Layout of test and improve Dissemination of the prototype

R & D in future cropping systems Research information: usual flow: Researcher extension farmers multidirectional flow: Researcher extension farmers Timely research-based information (crop x crop x

12 R & D in future cropping systems Research information: usual flow: Researcher extension farmers multidirectional flow: Researcher extension farmers Timely research-based information (crop x crop x natural resources x management factors) is required by farmers to take decisions. Agronomists must supply the diagnostic and decision aid tools, e.g. as user friendly models and software as well as site specific farm management coaching. Take interest in farmer decisions Experimental station or on-farm development of systems?

13 Tools, examples

14 Life cycle analysis of introducing pea in cropping systems Barrois (F) CR1: OSR W W wb CR2: OSR W wp W wb Castilla/Leon (E) CR1: S W wb sb CR2: P W wb sb Sachsen-Anhalt (D) CR1: OSR W W W wb CR2: OSR W P W wb Canton Vaud (CH) CR1: OSR W M W OSR W M W CR2: OSR W P W OSR W SB W Legend: OSR: Winter rapeseed, W: Winter wheat, wb: Winter barley, sb: Spring barley P: Spring pea, wp: Winter pea, M: Grain maize, S: Sunflower Source:

15 Crop rotation (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) Non-renewable energy consumption 30 4 Global warming potential (~100yr) Terrestrial ecotoxicity potential 60' '000 Insecticides 3 GJ-eq/(ha*a) Fertiliser t CO2-eq/(ha*a) N 2 O ecotox points/(ha*a) 40'000 30'000 20' Tillage CR1 CR CR1 CO 2 CR2 10'000 0 Fungicides CR1 CR2 Source: Nemecek et al., 2008

Conclusions Diverse and flexible cropping systems are required for the future with increasingly unpredictable factors such as weather and market.

16 Conclusions Diverse and flexible cropping systems are required for the future with increasingly unpredictable factors such as weather and market. We need to know more about the preceding effect of crops on the subsequent crops (rotation effects) to give farmers more tools to enhance diversity of systems Multidisciplinary research teams are requried to design, develop and test cropping system on farms integrating especially ecological and agricultural sciences User friendly tools and assessment methods for economy, environmental impacts and quality of goods are required for assisting the farmer and the society in valuation of ecosystem services.

17 Future challenges for agriculture Climate change Energy security Population growth The local environment and nature Consumer requirement for healthy and safe quality food Biodiversity Globalization WTO

Planning a Crop Rotation Intensity and Diversity

Planning a Crop Rotation Intensity and Diversity Chad Godsey Cropping Systems Specialist 2010 Crop Rotation Three choices Monoculture Fixed Wheat-DC Grain Sorghum-Corn Dynamic Cropping Systems Dynamic