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Scientific Article details

Title Going Conservative or Conventional? Investigating Farm Management Strategies in between Economic and Environmental Sustainability in Southern Italy
ID_Doc 64441
Authors Simoniello, T; Coluzzi, R; D'Emilio, M; Imbrenda, V; Salvati, L; Sinisi, R; Summa, V
Title Going Conservative or Conventional? Investigating Farm Management Strategies in between Economic and Environmental Sustainability in Southern Italy
Year 2022
Published Agronomy-Basel, 12, 3
DOI 10.3390/agronomy12030597
Abstract The European "Green Deal" strategy is aimed at making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 through integrated actions relying on healthier agricultural systems grounded in (environmental and economic) sustainable practices, including soil carbon management and biodiversity enhancement. In this vein, the present study contrasts the economic-environmental performances of conventional (deep tillage) and conservative (no-tillage and soil ripping) practices for two varieties of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum), namely a modern (Anco Marzio) and an ancient landrace (Saragolla Lucana) variety in the Basilicata region (Southern Italy). Field and laboratory analysis (granulometry, mineralogy, and geochemistry) as well as satellite data (RapidEye) were used to characterize the soil and vegetation patterns. The empirical results indicate a higher biomass production and vegetative potential together with higher grain yields in soils managed with conventional deep tillage compared with soil managed with conservative practices. Similarly, the modern wheat variety exhibited better performance with respect to the old landrace. The soils managed with conventional practices had a distribution of exchangeable macro-nutrients characterized by a reduction in Ca+ and an increase in Mg2+ and K+ between pre-sowing and post-harvesting. Such a distribution was also genotype-dependent, with a higher variability for Saragolla Lucana than Anco Marzio, showing a diverging adsorption of macro-elements between the modern and ancient landrace varieties.
Author Keywords VHR satellite; RapidEye; Saragolla Lucana; durum wheat; conservative tillage; sustainability; district resilience
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED); Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)
EID WOS:000775508300001
WoS Category Agronomy; Plant Sciences
Research Area Agriculture; Plant Sciences
PDF https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/3/597/pdf?version=1648023404
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