The Performance of Oat-Vetch Mixtures in Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

Katarzyna Pużyńska, Agnieszka Synowiec, Stanisław Pużyński, Jan Bocianowski, Kazimierz Klima and Andrzej Lepiarczyk
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Katarzyna Pużyńska: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Agnieszka Synowiec: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Stanisław Pużyński: Malopolska Agricultural Advisory Centre, Osiedlowa 9, 32-082 Karniowice, Poland
Jan Bocianowski: Department of Mathematical and Statistical Methods, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Kazimierz Klima: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Andrzej Lepiarczyk: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: The research aimed to compare the yields and yield components of mixtures of oats with common vetch grown for seeds in organic and conventional farming systems. Moreover, the selection of oat cultivars for the mixture and its performance in a crop rotation experiment in different growing years was analyzed. Additionally, the leaf area index (LAI) and the relative content of chlorophyll (SPAD) of the mixtures were assessed. The field experiment with four-field crop rotation in organic or conventional farming systems was carried out in 2012–2014 in southern Poland. Common vetch ( Vicia sativa L., cv. ‘Hanka’) was mixed with one of two oat ( Avena sativa L.) cultivars, ‘Celer’ or ‘Grajcar.’ The effects of all of the factors on the mixtures’ canopy indices and yield were found. The canonical analysis revealed that the weather course, especially drought, had the largest effect on the oat-vetch mixtures’ performance. Moreover, the mixtures developed the highest LAI (5.28 m 2 ∙m −2 ) and seed yield (4.57 t ha −1 ) in the conventional farming system. On the contrary, the share of vetch seeds in the mixtures was 24% higher in the organic system than in the conventional one. The selection of cv. ‘Grajcar’ oats for the mixture with vetch increased the share of vetch seeds in the yield by 16.5%. In summary, a balanced share of oat-vetch mixture components depends on the proper selection of the oat cultivar, especially for organic farming systems.

Keywords: cereal-legume mixture; organic farming; conventional farming; leaf area index; leaf greenness index; seed yield; yield components (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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