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Socio-ecological factors determine crop performance in agricultural systems
Libère Nkurunziza1, Christine A Watson2,3, Ingrid Öborn2
1Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P O Box 7043, SE 75007, Uppsala, Sweden. libere.nkurunziza@slu.se.
Scientific Reports
|March 8, 2020
Summary
Organic and conventional farming differ in factors influencing crop yield. Organic systems rely on soil quality and landscape, while conventional farms depend on external inputs, requiring tailored management strategies for sustainable agriculture.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Ecology
- Agronomy
Background:
- Agricultural production systems involve complex socio-ecological interactions.
- Integrating these factors into a single analytical framework is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate differences in crop production across farms.
- To integrate socio-ecological and biophysical factors in a unified analysis.
- To understand the drivers of spring barley performance in organic and conventional systems.
Main Methods:
- Socio-ecological analysis of 34 farms (organic and conventional) in two agro-ecological zones.
- Evaluation of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare, L.) performance.
- Application of Projections to Latent Structures (PLS) for complex system analysis.
Main Results:
- Organic farm barley performance was influenced by previous management, landscape structure, and soil quality.
- Conventional farm barley yield was primarily driven by external inputs.
- Organic farming requires more complex management strategies than conventional farming.
Conclusions:
- Projections to Latent Structures (PLS) effectively integrates socio-ecological and biophysical factors.
- This integrated approach enhances understanding of crop performance determinants.
- The method can identify key areas for agricultural system improvement.
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