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

Tillage intensity and compost application effects on organically grown camelina productivity, seed and oil quality

The importance of Camelina sativa has lessened substantially over the last half century, however its unique oil composition and the beneficial agronomic attributes with regard to sustainable agriculture have recently reignited interest in this oilseed crop. Notwithstanding the great interest in camelina, the potential to be cultivated organically has not received prominent attention from researchers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of organic camelina to different tillage systems and compost types, based on differences in yield parameters, oil content, seed crude protein and fatty acid profile. The field experiments, conducted during the 2014, 2015 and 2016 growing seasons, were laid out in a split plot design with three replicates, two main plots (conventional tillage and minimum tillage) and three sub-plots (vermicompost, compost, unamended control). It is consequential from the results that the effect of the type of organic amendment was highly significant on camelina’s productivity. Particularly, compost treatment resulted in higher seed and oil yield (1132 and 446 kg ha-1, respectively) compared to the vermicompost (682 and 269 kg ha-1, respectively) and the unamended control (554 and 220 kg ha-1, respectively). Regarding the fatty acid profile, both organic amendments increased linoleic and palmitic acids, while they presented disparate effects on a-linolenic acid. Furthermore, tillage system influenced significantly only thousand seeds weight, protein content and gondoic acid, enabling the use of reduced tillage to be comparably effective on organically grown camelina performance. Further experimentation is needed to match crop needs with the appropriate cropping techniques in order to ensure an effective organic cultivation

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

Effects of Plant Density and Row Arrangement on Weed Management and Yield in Organic Cabbage Crop (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.)

Cabbage is an important vegetable crop species. To obtain high yield of cabbage, good weed management practice must be implemented. A field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of plant density and row arrangement on weed flora and yield of a cabbage crop under Mediterranean climatic conditions. A randomized complete block design was employed with 4 replicates per treatment (single rows 60 cm x 40 cm, single rows 70 cm x 30 cm, single rows 50 cm x 34 cm and paired-rows: the distances between two rows in a pair and between two consecutive paired-rows were 25 cm and 85 cm, respectively, and plant-to-plant spacing was 40 cm; 58,800 plants ha-1). The intercepted PAR by the cabbage canopy increased with increases in plant density to about 59,000 plants ha-1 and this increased interception of PAR resulted in a decrease in weed biomass. Weed density and weed biomass decreased with increasing plant populations. There were also no significant differences between paired-rows and single row pattern at high density. Moreover, plant density affected cabbage yield. The highest yield (10.54 t∙ha-1) was observed in the paired-rows planting pattern and the next highest in the single-rows 50 x 34 cm. Our results indicate that paired-rows cabbage production is feasible and the control of various weeds was better in paired-rows than single-rows pattern at lower cabbage density