Possibilities and limits of reduced primary tillage in organic farming

In two organically cultivated field trials, located in Germany and Greece, effects of reduced primary tillage systems on root and shoot growth of cereals were investigated. The field trial in Rommersheim near Mainz, Germany, was established in 1994 by the foundation „Stiftung Ökologie und Landbau“. The Agricultural University of Athens established in 1995 a similar experiment in a field trial carried out by The Laboratory of Crop Science, located in Athens, Greece

Effect of Limited Drip Irrigation Regime on Yield and Yield Components of Sesame under Mediterranean Conditions

Sesame is one of the most important oilseed crops in the world. Irrigation is of great importance to sesame production due to its positive effect on growth parameters. Although sesame has good drought tolerance compared with many other crops, it is particularly susceptible to drought damage during the seedling, flowering and seed filling stages and this can lead to yield loss. The aim of this study was to determine the response of sesame landraces to different irrigation applications during the 2015 growing season. The experiment was set up as a split plot design with three replicates, four main plots (irrigation treatments, designated as 100%, 75% 50% and 0 of the daily crop evapotranspiration) and two sub-plots (sesame landraces, Limnos and Evros). Different characteristics such as plant height, number of seeds per capsule, and number of capsules per plant, seed yield, 1000-seed weight and % capsules without seeds, were recorded. The results indicated that all traits except 1000-seed weight were significantly affected by irrigation regimes. Plant height, shattering losses and number of capsules per plant decreased with increasing water shortage. Seed yield and number of seeds per capsule were less affected by irrigation level and showed higher values in the 50% of the daily crop evapotranspiration treatment. Limnos produced higher seed yield and number of seeds per capsule under all irrigation regimes. Evros showed higher plant height and shattering losses than Limnos. The results of this study suggest that sesame landraces can use water efficiently, are locally adapted and associated with traditional farming systems.

Impact of Compost Application on Fall-seeded Camelina Yield and Seed Quality

Camelina sativa (L). Crantz is a novel promising oilseed plant that can be grown as a spring annual crop or as a winter annual, in milder climates, providing distinct advantages. The objectives of this 3-year study were to evaluate the agronomic potential of fall-seeded camelina in Mediterranean conditions and the effect of compost application on its yield and quality characteristics. The response of fall-seeded camelina to organic fertilization resulted in tripling the seed yield and enhance the weight of seeds, compared to the unfertilized control. Concerning, seed quality characteristics compost application significantly enhanced only seed ash percentage (3.71%) as compared to control (3.05%) and lesser the crude fiber, crude protein and oil content. Results indicated that camelina is a feasible winter crop for Southern Greece and further studies must be carried out to optimize its production

Sensitivity of Seed Germination to Salt Stress in Teff [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter]

Teff is an annual grass originated in Ethiopia, grown for both human food and animal feed. Salinity and moisture stress are the main limiting factors of agricultural development on arid and semi-arid regions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of salinity due to NaCl on germination of teff. A set of experiments was conducted under a completely randomized design with four replications of 200 seeds at two different suboptimal germination temperatures (15 and 25 °C) in the dark for 10 days. In order to create salt stress conditions during the germination process, seven solutions were used (0 as control, 80, 160, 240 and 320, 400 and 480 mM NaCl). The germination performance was evaluated by final germination percentage and mean germination time. The presence of NaCl reduced germination, especially above 240 mM for 15 °C and 400 mM for 25 °C. The mean germination time increased with higher NaCl levels

Einfluß von drei Bodenbearbeitungssystemen auf bodenphysikalische Eigenschaften und Wurzelwachstum von Wintergerste auf einem Ackerstandort in Athen, Griechenland

Optimierte bodenphysikalische Eigenschaften sind Grundlage der Entwicklung vitaler Getreidebestände und hoher Kornerträge. Wurzelwachstum und Wurzelaktivität stehen in engem Zusammenhang mit Bodendichte, Porenverteilung, Eindringwiderstand und dem gewogenen mittleren Aggregatdurchmesser. Konventionelle Grundbodenbearbeitung mit dem Wendepflug führt häufig zu ungünstigerem Bodengefüge, im Zusammenhang mit hohen Auflasten, zu Pflugsohlen. Ziel des Projektes war es, den Einfluß verschiedener Bodenbearbeitungssysteme auf bodenphysikalische Eigenschaften und das Wurzelwachstum von Wintergerste unter den klimatischen Bedingungen des Mittelmeerraums zu untersuchen

Effect of Organic Fertilization and AMF Inoculation on Yield and Floral Quality Parameters of Common Marigold

In Greece common marigold is one of the major medicinal plants widely used in cosmetics, perfumes and the pharmaceutical industry. A field experiment was conducted at Komotini, Greece, to compare the effect of organic and conventional fertilization combined with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation on yield and floral qualitative characteristics of the common marigold during the 2015 growing season. The experiment was set up as a split plot design with three replicates, three main plots (fertilization treatments, inorganic, organic and untreated) and two sub-plots (addition/non-addition of commercial mycorrhiza of the genus Glomus spp.). Floral fresh and dry weight as well as total phenolic and flavonoid content of the dried flowers were recorded. Data analysis confirmed no significant correlation between fresh/dry floral yield, total phenolic and flavonoid content of the dried flowers and type of fertilization. The results also demonstrate a tendency of increase of the fresh or dry weight of the flowers when the commercial mycorrhiza is applied but it is not statistically significant

The Role of Mulching with Residues of two Medicinal Plants on Weed Diversity in Maize

In the present study, there were studied the effects of mulch with the residues of two aromatic and medicinal plants (Sideritis scardica Griseb and Echinacea purpurea) on weed flora and first growth of a maize crop. A field and a pot experiment were conducted at Agricultural University of Athens. In particular, the field experiment was conducted under organic conditions, while in the pot experiment special attention was paid to the first growth of maize plants under the effect of plant residues. Our results showed that there was a significant effect of plant residues on weed flora. The incorporation of Sideritis sp. residues resulted to a lower number of different weed species (low richness) and an intense effect on most weed species. During the early growth stages of maize there was a satisfactory control of the broadleaf weeds after the incorporation of S. scardica, resulting to a significantly lower biomass. However, this effect progressively disappeared, with E. purpurea mulch progressively showing a higher phytotoxic activity. The pot experiment revealed that there was not any negative effect of mulching on maize seed germination, emergence and early growth