Daniel Plaza-Bonilla
PhD, researcher in Agronomy and Soil Sciences
Associate Professor
Universitat de Lleida
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Stakeholders' critical perception of diversification strategies in cereal-based rotations.
To accompany Spanish and Greek stakeholders in a structured learning process with the co-design of available diversification options, an ex-ante assessment of agri-environmental, social, and economic performance, and a co-evaluation of the assessed performances and the indicators used.
The study evaluated the impacts of different diversification options available to local farmers from both scientific and a local stakeholder perspective.
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To what extent replacing N fertilization by a companion service cover crop maintains crop productivity and N use efficiency?
Assess mineral fertilizer or pig slurry, as well as the use of companion cover crops on grain yield, nitrogen efficiency, and soil organic carbon in a 3-year wheat-wheat-rapeseed rotation.
In Mediterranean irrigated systems devoted to winter cash crops production companion cover cropping does not ensure improvements in productivity or nitrogen and water use efficiency, and in some cases may even lead to reductions compared to an unfertilized control.
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Pedoclimatic, knowledge and management factors drive European soybean and faba bean yields.
To identify the importance of different underlying drivers of yields in legume production considering pedoclimatic, structural, knowledge, and management factors and to evaluate, for the first time, the influence of farmers’ knowledge on yields.
The development of legumes in Europe will involve (i) strengthening advice on varietal choice, (ii) developing tools at system or crop rotation scales to better manage the biotic pressures and (iii) rethinking the strategies for allocating irrigation water resources between crops.
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Faba bean introduction makes protein production less dependent on nitrogen fertilization in Mediterranean no-till systems.
Evaluate diversification and N fertilization as strategies to improve N use efficiency at the cropping system level and quantify its productivity.
Crop diversification adds challenges and risks in dry Mediterranean areas. However, the study shows that crop diversification with faba bean can decrease cropping system’s N-fertilizer dependence and increase protein productivity, contributing to cropping systems’ sustainability.
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Co-design of diversified cropping systems in the Mediterranean area.
To co-design, during workshops with local stakeholders, diversification options in five case studies located in the Mediterranean.
The advantage of participatory research in diverse contexts along with cross-case analyses and to the need to consider the future of these Mediterranean regions, where crop diversification is limited by water deficit.
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Maximising soybean productivity with late maturity groups in Mediterranean irrigated systems.
To i) explore later soybean maturity groups than currently used for single and sequential double cropping systems and (ii) quantify the drivers of their performance under Mediterranean irrigated conditions.
Our study proposes a shift towards the use of later soybean MG for Mediterranean irrigated cropping systems as a strategy to improve its competitiveness and, likely, farmer’s adoption. This study highlights the potential to expand soybean production towards Mediterranean irrigated areas with a high yield potential.
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Alternatives for sustainable weed control in single- and double-cropped soybean: A case study for Mediterranean irrigated conditions.
Assess the weed control efficacy, and the soybean performance, of alternative management practices for single- and double-cropped soybean.
Herbicide reduction for single-cropped soybean under Mediterranean irrigated conditions can be achieved by roller-crimping a rye cover crop, provided enough rye biomass is accumulated.
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A win-win situation – Increasing protein production and reducing synthetic N fertilizer use by integrating soybean into irrigated Mediterranean cropping systems.
Assess diversified Mediterranean irrigated cropping systems to maximize protein production while reducing synthetic N fertilizer use.
Introducing soybean as a double crop following barley is a successful strategy to reduce environmental impacts resulting from N fertilizer use and increase protein production.
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Relay cropping for sustainable intensification of agriculture across temperate regions: Crop management challenges and future research priorities.
To assemble information on key factors affecting the performance of relay cropping by focusing on field crops grown for grain harvest purpose across temperate regions.
A key challenge for relay cropping is to achieve grain yields outperforming those under sequential double cropping and to achieve higher land equivalent ratios than sole cropping.
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Diversifying crop rotations enhances agroecosystem services and resilience.
Finding sustainable ways to increase crop productivity with little or no impact on the environment is the primary goal of modern agriculture.
Developing and adopting of diversified cropping systems are key factors for agricultural policy setting and a top priority for on-farm decision-making to increase crop productivity and enhance soil health, while reducing negative environmental impacts.
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Nitrogen fertilization strategies for improved Mediterranean rainfed wheat and barley performance and water and nitrogen use efficiency.
To assess winter cereal yield and water and N use efficiencies in a rainfed semiarid Mediterranean climate under (i) a range of pre-plant fertilizers, (ii) fertilizer incorporation, and (iii) application of urea-ammonium nitrate solution.
In semiarid Mediterranean the pre-sowing application of organic fertilizers can perform as well as mineral N fertilizer for winter cereal production and water-use efficiency. Proper management of organic fertilizers, product of the intensive animal husbandry of the region, requires a holistic valorization of their nutrients, a more efficient reduction of their volumes, and minimizing farm field distances by establishing better user networks.
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Delayed sowing improved barley yield in a no-till rainfed Mediterranean agroecosystem.
Evaluate the effect of sowing date and maturity class on grain yield and WUE and NUE of barley and soft wheat managed under no-till conditions.
In western Mediterranean areas, sowing delay under no-till can increase grain yield, WUE and NUE of winter barley, and also of wheat but only during wet years.
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Do no-till and pig slurry application improve barley yield and water and nitrogen use efficiencies in rainfed Mediterranean conditions?
Elucidate the impact of tillage and different sources and rates of nitrogen fertilization on cereal production and water and nitrogen use efficiencies under Mediterranean conditions.
The use of no-till and the application of agronomic rates of N as pig slurry leads to greater barley yield and water-and nitrogen-use efficiencies than the traditional management based on conventional tillage and mineral N fertilization.
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Innovative cropping systems to reduce N inputs and maintain wheat yields by inserting grain legumes and cover crops in southwest France.
Evaluate the impacts of introducing grain legumes and cover crops in completely redesigned cropping systems (i.e. adapting all management practices) on wheat yield and grain quality to reduce N fertilizer and irrigation dependence.
Under temperate sub-mediterranean conditions, properly designed cropping systems that simultaneously insert grain legumes and cover crops reduce N requirements and show similar wheat yield and grain quality attributes as those that are cereal-based.
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Grain legume-based rotations managed under conventional tillage need cover crops to mitigate soil organic matter losses.
Quantify the impact of the incorporation of grain legumes and cover crops on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil organic nitrogen (SON) in rotations with an increasing number of grain legumes managed under conventional tillage
In conventionally-tilled grain legume-based rotations, the use of cover crops is efficient to mitigate SOC and SON losses and then increase N use efficiency at the cropping system level without reducing productivity.
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