Saagikultuuride segukülvides kasvatamine

Segukultuuride kasvatamine monokultuuride asemel mahepõllumajanduslikus külvikorras võib olla üks viis riskide hajutamiseks ning saagikuse ja saagi kvaliteedi tõstmiseks. Kaunviljade ja eriti nisu segus kasvatamine võib tõsta terade proteiinisaldust ning vähendada ka haiguste ja kahjurite riski. Mõnede põllukultuuride, näiteks põldherne ja viki puhul võimaldab segaviljelus kergemini saaki koristada. Segukultuur, kui seda oskuslikult kombineerida, võib olla vahepealne võimalus põhikultuuride ja vahekultuuride vahepealne variant, parandades mitte ainult saagikust, vaid ka mulla viljakust. Projekti käigus katsetati mitmeid kombinatsioone kaunviljade ja teraviljadega

Mineraalide ja biostimulaatorite kompleksi hõlmav mahepõllukultuuride kasvatustehnoloogia

Maheviljeluses on võimalik maheväetiste ja biostimulaatorite kasutamisega põllukultuuride saaki ja saagi kvaliteeti tõsta, kuid tuleb arvestada, et see on keeruline ja võib ka kergesti ebaõnnestuda. Üldjuhul on mulda antavad maheväetised (peamiselt erinevad kivijahud) taimedele raskesti omastatavad ning vajavad taime jõudmiseks mullamikroobide abi

A transnational and holistic breeding approach is needed for sustainable wheat production in the Baltic Sea region

The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish water bodies in the world. Eutrophication is a major concern in the Baltic Sea due to the leakage of nutrients to the sea with agriculture being the primary source. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most widely grown crop in the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea and thus promoting sustainable agriculture practices for wheat cultivation will have a major impact on reducing pollution in the Baltic Sea. This approach requires identifying and addressing key challenges for sustainable wheat production in the region. Implementing new technologies for climate-friendly breeding and digital farming across all surrounding countries should promote sustainable intensification of agriculture in the region. In this review, we highlight major challenges for wheat cultivation in the Baltic Sea region and discuss various solutions integrating transnational collaboration for pre-breeding and technology sharing to accelerate development of low input wheat cultivars with improved host plant resistance to pathogen and enhanced adaptability to the changing climate.Peer reviewe

Viljelussüsteemi, eelvilja ja ilmastiku mõju suvinisu saagile ja kvaliteedile

A Thesis for applying for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture.Present thesis studies the impact of farming system, pre-crop and weather conditions to yield and quality of spring wheat. The main objectives were: (i) to determine the effect of six leguminous pre-crop species (perennial red and alsike clover, biennial Washington lupine, white sweet clover and the less commonly used annual Alexandria and crimson clover) on grain yield and quality characteristics of subsequent spring wheat compared to other cereals and to select the optimal leguminous pre-crops for spring wheat cultivation in organic conditions; (ii) to compare grain yield and quality characteristics of spring wheat varieties in organic and conventional conditions; (iii) to investigate the impact of weather (precipitation, sum of effective temperatures, sun hours) on yield, length of growing period, and protein content of spring wheat cultivated in conventional conditions over a period of 29 years. The results showed that the yield of spring wheat increased significantly after all the leguminous pre-crops, even after the annual species crimson clover and Alexandria clover. Six leguminous pre-crops had different impact on quality. A significant increase of the protein content was measured only after perennial species (alsike clover, red clover and Washington lupine. All the pre-crops, except crimson clover, increased volume weight and all the legumes increased TKW. The reaction of spring wheat to different management systems was the most sensitive among the spring cereals. In organic conditions the average grain yield of wheat constituted only 64% compared of that of the conventional yield. Protein content was the most influenced by farming system and was lower in the organic trial for spring wheat. The other quality characteristics (TKW and volume weight) were less influenced by the management regime. The hypothesis that increased yearly fluctuations of weather conditions over a 29 year period negatively impact yield and protein content of spring wheat was partly correct. Both stress conditions, drought and excess precipitation, caused decrease of yield. Spring wheat yields differed more than twice during the years. The highest yields were obtained mainly in years when the amount of precipitation was not significantly above or below the mean and the sum of the effective temperatures did not significantly exceed the average. Negative correlation between yield and protein content was found. The protein content of spring wheat increased during the drier and warmer years, and the average content met the highest quality requirement in more than half of the years.Doktoritöö uurib viljelussüsteemi, eelvilja ja ilmastikutingimuste mõju suvinisu saagile ja kvaliteedile. Tulenevalt püstitatud hüpoteesidest olid uurimustöö eesmärkideks selgitada välja kuue liblikõielise eelvilja (mitmeaastased punane ja roosa ristik ning hulgilehine lupiin, kaheaastane valge mesikas ja vähetuntud üheaastased aleksandria ja inkarnaatristik) mõju suvinisu saagikusele ja kvaliteedinäitajatele võrreldes teiste teraviljadega mahekülvikorras ning soovitada kasvatamiseks parimad liblikõielised eelkultuurid suvinisule. Oluline oli kindlaks teha suvinisu sortide terasaagi ja kvaliteedinäitajate erinevused tava- ja maheviljeluses kasvatamisel ning hinnata 29 aasta ilmastikutingimuste mõju ulatust tavaviljeluses kasvatatud suvinisu saagikusele, kasvuperioodi pikkusele ja proteiinisisaldusele. Tulemustest selgus, et suvinisu terasaak tõusis usutavalt kõigi liblikõieliste eelviljade, ka üheaastaste liikide järel, proteiinisisaldus aga vaid peale mitmeaastaseid eelvilju. Mahumass tõusis usutavalt kõigi liblikõieliste eelviljade, v.a inkarnaatristiku järel. Kõik eelviljad suurendasid usutavalt ka 1000 tera massi. Suvinisu keskmine saak mahekatses jäi väiksemaks ja moodustades tavaviljeluse saagitasemest 64%. Keskmised 1000 tera massid olid mahetingimustes usutavalt suuremad kui tavatootmises, aga mahumasside vahel usutavaid erinevusi ei olnud. Viljelusviis mõjutas uuritud näitajatest kõige enam suvinisu proteiinisisaldust, mis jäi mahetingimustes madalamaks. Hüpotees, et ilmastikuolude iga-aastased kõikumised 29-aastase perioodi jooksul mõjutavad negatiivselt suvinisu saagikust ja proteiinisisaldust, oli osaliselt õige. Mõlemad stressitingimused, nii põud kui ka liigsed sademed, vähendasid oluliselt suvinisu saagikust. Terasaagid erinesid aastati üle kahe korra. Suurem saak saadi enamasti aastatel, kus sademete kogused ei olnud oluliselt üle või alla keskmise ja efektiivsete temperatuuride summa ei ületanud oluliselt keskmist taset. Nisul leiti saagi ja proteiinisisalduse vahel negatiivne korrelatsioon. Suvinisu proteiinisisaldus kuivematel ja soojematel aastatel tõusis ja keskmine proteiinisisaldus vastas kõige kõrgemale kvaliteedinõudele enam kui pooltel uuritud aastatel.The English language was edited by prof. Illimar Altosaar (Univ. of Ottawa) and Hannah Joy Kennedy. The Estonian language was edited by Ülle Tamm. Publication of this thesis is supported by the Estonian University of Life Sciences

The variability of yield and baking quality of wheat and suitability for export from Nordic–Baltic conditions

Nordic conditions necessitate varieties adapted to marginal environments (short vegetation period, winter damages etc.) to reduce environmental influence on yield and quality. This study evaluated yield and quality variability of five spring and six winter wheat varieties grown in six locations throughout Estonia during 2011–2014. The variation of quality parameters was larger in spring wheat, according to the coefficient of variation. Average protein content for spring wheat was 13.6%, for winter wheat 13.3%. Average gluten content was 29.1% for spring wheat, 29.4% for winter wheat. Spring wheat varieties ‘Manu’ and ‘Quarna’ and winter wheat varieties ‘Ada’, ‘Fredis’, and ‘Ramiro’ had the highest baking quality. Protein and gluten content variation for both types of wheat depended mostly on the year. Baking strength W was higher for spring wheat. Variation of W of spring wheat depended more on genotype while variation of winter wheat more on year. The ratio of tenacity and extensibility (P/L) was similar for both wheat types; variation depended most on genotype. Average yield of winter wheat was 6.8 and spring wheat 5.3 t ha−1. ‘Nemunas’, ‘Kallas’, and ‘Skagen’ were high yielding among winter wheat varieties and had the best stability according to cultivar superiority inde

Organic Carrot (Daucus carota L.) Production Has an Advantage over Conventional in Quantity as Well as in Quality

Organic production is one of the fastest growing food sectors globally. However, average yield in organic vegetable production is up to 33% lower than in conventional production. This difference could be due to higher fertilization rates in conventional, compared to organic, farming. We aimed to compare yield and quality characteristics of carrots produced under equal nitrogen fertilization rates over four years in organic and conventional conditions. We found a 14.5% higher marketable, and 10.0% lower discarded, yield in the organic compared to the average conventional treatments. In addition, carrots managed organically had 14.1% lower nitrate and 10.0% higher vitamin C content than carrots managed conventionally. There were no convincing effects of cultivation system on the nitrogen, total sugar, or dry matter content of carrots. Organically managed carrots were free of pesticide residues, while several residues were found in carrots managed conventionally. Our study reveals that organic management of carrots may exceed that of conventional methods in yield and several quality characteristics, while being free of pesticide residues. Organic fertilizer gave an advantage over mineral fertilizer, when equal rates of nitrogen were used in both production systems