Effects of cover crop residue management on yield and weed controlin processing tomato

The aim of this poster is to evaluate the effects of different subsidiary crop species and their residue management on weed control and fruit yield of a tomato crop in the Mediterranean environment of Central Italy. A field experiment was set up in September 2012 at the experimental farm of Tuscia University (UNITUS). A 2-year durum wheat – tomato sequence was adopted. The treatments consisted in: (i) 4 different cropping sequences (Fig. 1); (ii) 2 cover crop residue management [residues mowed and left in strips on soil surface in no-tillage (NT) and residues chopped and incorporated into the soil (T)]; (iii) 3 nitrogen fertilization levels to the durum wheat and tomato [0% (N0), 50% (N50), and 100% (N100) of total nitrogen recommended dose]

Conventional vs. organic cropping systems: yield of crops and weeds in Mediterranean environment

Agriculture must meet the twin challenge of feeding a growing population while simultaneously of minimizing its global environmental impacts. The organic farming, which is a system aimed at producing food with minimal harm to ecosystems, is often proposed as a possible solution. However, critics argue that organic agriculture may give lower yields and therefore more land is required in order to produce the same amount of food of the conventional farms, resulting in more widespread deforestation and biodiversity loss, thus undermining the environmental benefits of organic practices. The long-term experiment was established in 2001 in order to compare organic vs. conventional cropping systems and inversion vs. non-inversion soil tillage. A 3-year crop rotation (chickpea, durum wheat and tomato)was established in both cropping systems. In the organically managed cropping system, the crop rotation was implemented with hairy vetch and oilseed rape cover crops which were green manured before tomato transplanting and chickpea sowing, respectively (Fig. 1). The soil tillage were: (i) inversion tillage consisting in moldboard plowing (depth of 30 cm) + disc harrowing; (ii) non-inversion tillage consisting in subsoiling (depth of 20 cm) + disc harrowing. In this poster are reported the results of 2013/2014 cropping season on the yield and weed biomass observed in durum wheat, chickpea and tomato crops

COVER CROPS AND MULCHES INFLUENCE WEED COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS IN STRIP TILLED TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicon L.)

The aim of this poster is to investigate the effects that cover crop species and their residues may have on weed community composition in a winter cover crop-tomato sequence. Experiments were carried out at the experimental farm of Tuscia University from 2011 to 2013. The treatments consisted in: (i) 5 soil managements [three winter cover crop species (hairy vetch, phacelia, and white mustard), a winter fallow soil mulched with barley straw before tomato transplanting, and a winter fallow tilled before tomato transplanting (conventional)}; (ii) 2 levels of nitrogen fertilization applied on tomato [0 kg of N ha-1 (N0) and 100 kg of N ha-1 (N100)]; (iii) 2 levels of weed management applied on tomato [weed-free (WF) and weedy (We)]. Cover crop residues were arranged in strips and tomato seedlings were transplanted in paired rows into the mulch strips. In the weedy treatments the weeds were controlled with a rotary hoe only between the tomato paired rows. Weed species density and weed aboveground biomass were determined at cover crop suppression and at tomato harvesting

Multi-Environments Experiment (MEE) UNITUS

Unsustainable farming practices, including soil tillage intensification and heavy use of agrochemicals, have an adverse impact on natural resources, biodiversity and the environment. Therefore, there is a need to improve actual agricultural practices. The introduction of living mulches could be an efficient tool in order to stabilize crop yields, improve soil characteristics, and reduce external agricultural inputs such as herbicides and fertilizers. The overall objective of this experiment is to improve understanding and use of subsidiary crops in conservation agriculture systems under the Mediterranean environment of central Italy. Field experiment was set up in September 2012 at the experimental farm of Tuscia University (UNITUS). A 2-year durum wheat – tomato sequence was foreseen. In the first year of study the treatments consisted in: (i) four different crops sequences (durum wheat + hairy vetch cover crop; durum wheat + black oat cover crop; durum wheat/ subclover living mulch; durum wheat + fallow); (ii) three nitrogen fertilization levels to the wheat (0%, 50%, and 100% of total nitrogen recommended dose). In this poster is reported the preliminary results of the first year of multi environment experiment regarding the cereal grain yield and subclover biomass production

Use of essential oils of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum L.), lavender (Lavandula spp.) and peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.) for weed control

The indiscriminate use of synthetic chemical compounds for weed control has been often responsible of damage to both the environment and the human health. To challenge these problems, in the last years research has increased its effort to find out alternatives farming strategies. A feasible alternative could be the identification of natural substances with allelopathic effects for the realization of natural herbicides. Some research has already highlighted the possibility of using essential oils, extracted from aromatic plants, for weed control. The advantage in the utilization of such natural compounds is the quickly breaking down process into the environment and so the possible application in sustainable agriculture like organic farming. Objective of this research was the evaluation of the inhibition effect exerted by the essential oils of cinnamon, peppermint and lavender on seeds germination of some of the most common weeds species of the Mediterranean environment (pigweed, wild mustard and ryegrass). The results have highlighted a control in the weeds germination. Among the essential oils tested, cinnamon oil has exerted the highest inhibition effect compared with lavender and peppermint ones. The dicotyledonous species have been more susceptible compared with the monocotyledonous, even if it has been recorded only for redroot pigweed a dose able to inhibit totally the seed germination

Influence of transplanter modifications and cover crop mulches on the production of summer vegetables in conservation tillage

The aim of this poster is to develop a vegetable transplanter that is capable of working in no-tillage conditions and in presence of organic mulches which cover the soil. The following requirements should be considered for built a transplanter able to work in no-tillage conditions: - An adequate structure and implements that can transplant under the most challenging conditions; - The possibility of placing vegetable seedlings in areas with high amounts of residues without disturbing the soil more than necessary; - The creation of a furrow for proper seedling placement; - Being able to cover the vegetable root system with soil in presence of a superficial mulch layer

Optimizing spatial arrangement for durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) and subclover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) intercropping system

The aim of this poster is to find a suitable spatial arrangement for the subclover living mulch-durum wheat system in order to provide a high cereal grain yield and a sufficient subclover reseeding after wheat harvesting. The study was carried out at the experimental farm of Tuscia University from 2011 to 2013. Field experiments included: (i) 5 cropping systems including the monoculture of durum wheat and subclover and three different durum wheat/subclover intercropping spatial arrangements (Fig. 1); (ii) 2 nitrogen fertilization levels (0 and 100 kg ha-1 of N, hereafter called N0 and N100, respectively); (iii) 2 weed managements [weed-free (WF) and weedy (We)]. The wheat planting density was 400 seeds m-2 regardless the cropping system, while the subclover planting density was 600 seeds m-2 in pure stand, and 300 seeds m-2 in the intercropped treatments

Naturalness consumption and Biodiversity in an Ecoregion of Central Italy

Landscape naturalness and landscape biodiversity are closely connected with ecosystem sustainability. In this study, “naturalness consumption” and “induced biodiversity” created by human interference were evaluated in an ecoregion of Central Italy that represents a meaningful local example of land-use pattern in a Mediterranean environment. A core set of selected indicators and indexes applied to the database produced by GIS was used first to evaluate the landscape naturalness for each phyto-climatic unit and then to calculate the naturalness consumption. Moreover, the landscape biodiversity of each phyto-climate was evaluated, considering the ecomosaic space organization and taking into account the presence of some important ecological structures like ecotones and hedges. In the naturalness analysis, the highest naturalness consumption occurred in phyto-climates with a higher presence of cultivated areas. In the biodiversity analysis, the phyto-climates with a lower naturalness and a higher presence of agricultural land showed higher values of landscape biodiversity in comparison with the other phyto-climatic units. The results suggest that biodiversity in agro-ecosystems can compensate for naturalness consumption in terms of landscape sustainability. Indeed, natural landscapes carry out a conservative role, while more bio-diverse landscapes offer a balance between human requirements and native ecosystem conditions in a frame of co-evolutionary development

Evaluating spatial arrangement for durum wheat ( Triticum durum Desf.) and subclover ( Trifolium subterraneum L.) intercropping systems

Cover crops and mulches can be used for increasing sustainability in winter cereal cropping systems. We performed a 2-year field experiment in Central Italy with the aim of finding a suitable spatial arrangement for durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) and subclover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) as a living mulch system in order to provide a high grain cereal yield and a sufficient subclover reseeding following the wheat harvest. Experimental treatments consisted of: (i) five cropping patterns [wheat and subclover mixed in the same row, with rows 15 cm apart (same row); 2 rows of wheat and 1 row of subclover at a distance of 10 cm between rows (narrow rows); 2 rows of wheat and 1 row of subclover with a distance of 10 cm between the wheat rows and 17.5 cm between the wheat and subclover rows (wide rows); durum wheat sole crop and subclover sole crop, both in rows 15 cm apart]; (ii) two nitrogen fertilization levels (0 and 100 kg ha-1 of N); (iii) and two weed management levels (weed-free and weedy). The wheat grain yield was not reduced by the intercropped subclover in narrow rows, while it was around -14% lower in same row and wide rows compared to the pure crop treatment, although the intercropped systems always showed a higher resource use efficiency. When intercropped with subclover, wheat was the competitively superior species and its competitive advantage was greater when it was closer to the legume and/or in presence of nitrogen fertilization. A strong negative relationship between wheat aggressivity and subclover seed production was observed. Following the wheat harvest, the legume reseeding was sufficient to regenerate a cover crop in the autumn of the second year regardless the spatial arrangement, even if the density of the subclover seedlings was almost twice in wide rows compared to same row. Although the intercropped systems were characterized by an increase in plant density compared to the sole crops (100% of wheat + 50% of subclover), the competitive ability of the wheat-subclover system against the weeds was higher than the wheat sole crop only in narrow rows where a significant reduction of both weed density and weed biomass was observed. When the subclover is used as living mulch in durum wheat, a moderate separation between the two species could be a suitable spatial arrangement for obtaining an adequate wheat grain yield, ensuring satisfactory subclover reseeding, controlling the weeds more effectively