Potential of indicators to unveil the hidden side of cropping system classification: Differences and similarities in cropping practices between conventional, no-till and organic systems
2019
Abstract To compare different
cropping systems, it is crucial to describe explicitly the associated
croppingpractices. A set of 31 indicators and six
composite indexesaddressing farm structure,
cropdiversification, soil disturbance, organic matter inputs, nitrogen
fertilisation,
crop protection, and yield was used to describe 59 winter wheat fields belonging to conventional, no-till and organic systems, in Switzerland. The aim of this study was to investigate the complementarity and redundancy of the indicators and their potential to characterise these
cropping systems. In general, weak correlations were observed between the studied indicators, showing the importance of using a set of indicators to fully characterise
croppingpractices. The complex indicators were often correlated with simpler ones, but it cannot be excluded that they can prove to be more useful in different contexts. Retaining a combination of simple and complex indicators to obtain a broad picture of
croppingpractices is thus recommended. The indicators highlighted differences but also similarities between the three systems. For example, the input of organic matter and
crop rotationdiversification were similar between the three systems. In contrast, total nitrogen
fertilisation(lower for organic systems) and soil disturbance (lower for no-till systems) were different. A high within-system variability was observed for some indicators, suggesting that using quantitative indicators rather than simple classifications based on a general description of the systems allows a better characterisation of these systems. Overall, the use of indicators has the potential to improve our understanding of the influence of
croppingpractices on the soil and environment.
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