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Organic Agriculture: Crop Response and Cropping Strategies for Reducing the Effects of Abiotic and Biotic Stress

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2015) | Viewed by 18917

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Herb Cutforth

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Guest Editor

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, SK S9H 3X2, Canada
Interests: climatology; micrometeorology; stress physiology; tillage management; alternative crops

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Organic agricultural management is gaining popularity in North America. In Canada, the total number of farms decreased by about 17% since 2001, whereas the number of organic farms has increased by about 66%. In many other regions of the world, organic agriculture is the main/only viable farming system for food production. Several reasons for organic agriculture include the cost/availability of chemicals and fertilizers, ecological and environmental concerns, such as reducing pollution and thereby promoting a healthier environment, and personal preference. Also, in developed countries, organic agriculture is becoming more economically attractive as consumer demand for organically grown food increases.

Organic agriculture requires a holistic approach towards optimizing production and economic sustainability. This Special Issue on “Organic Agriculture: Crop Response and Cropping Strategies for Reducing the Effects of Abiotic and Biotic Stress” provides international researchers the opportunity to publish research and review articles on abiotic and biotic stress management for organic agriculture; topics include, but are not limited to: adaptation to climatic/environmental conditions, such as drought, excess water, low temperatures, heat, wind, and salinity; soil management, including biological activity, soil quality, and erosion control; fertility management, including manures, composting, and green manure crops; pest management of weeds, insects, and diseases; crop breeding, specifically for organic agriculture; tillage management, including high versus reduced tillage; and crop rotations and crop sequencing of cover crops, grains, forages, oilseeds, and pulses, utilizing the above management practices to achieve economic viability.

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome the submission of research articles, reviews, as well as technical notes and communications, on these related topics.

Dr. Herb Cutforth
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

organic cropping systems
abiotic stress-drought, excess water, salinity, temperature
biotic stress-disease, insects, pathogens, weeds
crop response to stress
cultural control
crop rotations
crop sequencing
tillage
resource use efficiency
crop breeding

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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196 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Weed Control with Cover Crops in Irrigated Potatoes

by G.H. Mehring, J.E. Stenger and H.M. Hatterman-Valenti

Agronomy 2016, 6(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy6010003 - 05 Jan 2016

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5299

Abstract

Field experiments at Oakes, ND, USA in 2010 and Carrington, ND, USA in 2011 were conducted to evaluate the potential for cover crops grown in the Northern Great Plains, USA in order to reduce weed emergence and density in irrigated potatoes. Treatments included five cover crop treatments and three cover crop termination treatments. Termination of cover crops was done with glyphosate, disk-till, and roto-till. Cover crop biomass accumulation was greatest for rye/canola and triticale at Oakes, and hairy vetch and hairy vetch/rye at Carrington. Cover crop and termination affected weed control 14, 29, and 51 days after planting (DAP) at Oakes. Weed control at Carrington was at least 90% for all cover crop and termination treatments at all three evaluation timings. Marketable yield at Oakes was greater when roto-till was used to terminate the cover crops compared with disk-till or herbicide, which is beneficial for organic systems where herbicides are not used. Marketable yield at Carrington was not affected by cover crop or termination treatments. Results suggest that cover crops can successfully be integrated into irrigated potato production for weed control with yields equal to no cover crop, and with attention to potential mechanical difficulties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Agriculture: Crop Response and Cropping Strategies for Reducing the Effects of Abiotic and Biotic Stress)

935 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance of Northwest Washington Heirloom Dry Bean Varieties in Organic Production

by Carol Miles, Kelly Ann Atterberry and Brook Brouwer

Agronomy 2015, 5(4), 491-505; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy5040491 - 23 Oct 2015

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5474

Abstract

This two-year study compared nine northwest Washington dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) heirloom (H) varieties with 11 standard (S) commercial varieties in matching market classes using organic, non-irrigated production practices. Heirloom and standard varieties differed in days to harvest (DTH) (110 DTH and 113 DTH, respectively), while both days to harvest (113 DTH and 110 DTH) and yield (2268 kg∙ha⁻¹ and 1625 kg∙ha⁻¹) were greater in 2013 than in 2014. Varieties with the shortest DTH both years were “Bale” (H), “Coco” (H), “Decker” (H), “Ireland Creek Annie” (H and S), “Kring” (H) and “Rockwell” (H). Varieties that had the highest yield both years were “Eclipse” (S), “Lariat” (S) and “Youngquist Brown” (H). Only “Eclipse” (S) had the shortest cooking time both years, while “Rockwell” (H), “Silver Cloud” (S) and “Soldier” (S) had short cooking times in 2013, and “Orca” (S) and “Youngquist Brown” (H) had short cooking time in 2014. Varieties with the highest protein content both years were “Calypso” (S), “Coco” (S) and “Silver Cloud” (S). Further research should investigate yield of early maturing standard varieties, with a focus on color-patterned beans that are attractive for local markets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Agriculture: Crop Response and Cropping Strategies for Reducing the Effects of Abiotic and Biotic Stress)

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Review

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1180 KiB

Open AccessReview

Selected Abiotic and Biotic Environmental Stress Factors Affecting Two Economically Important Sugarcane Stalk Boring Pests in the United States

by Allan T. Showler

Agronomy 2016, 6(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy6010010 - 01 Feb 2016

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7532

Abstract

Sugarcane, Saccharum spp., in the United States is attacked by a number of different arthropod pests. The most serious among those pests are two stalk boring moths in the Family Crambidae: the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), and the Mexican rice borer, Eoreuma loftini (Dyar). The two species are affected by abiotic and biotic environmental stress factors. Water deficit and excessive soil nitrogen alter physical and physiochemical aspects of the sugarcane plant that make the crop increasingly vulnerable to E. loftini. Weed growth can be competitive with sugarcane but it also supports enhanced abundances and diversity of natural enemies that can suppress infestations of D. saccharalis. In an instance where the stalk borer is considered a stress factor, proximity of vulnerable crops to sugarcane can influence levels of E. loftini infestation of sugarcane. The adverse effects of each stress factor, in terms of stalk borer attack, can be reduced by adopting appropriate cultural practices, such as adequate irrigation, judicious use of nitrogen fertilizer, using noncompetitive weed growth, and not planting vulnerable crops near sugarcane fields. Understanding the relationships between stress factors and crop pests can provide valuable insights for plant breeders and tools for incorporation into integrated pest management strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Agriculture: Crop Response and Cropping Strategies for Reducing the Effects of Abiotic and Biotic Stress)

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