Crop Diversification and Fertilization Strategies in a Rainfed System with Drought Periods

Angela Bosch-Serra, Carlos Ortiz, María Gabriela Molina, Awais Shakoor and Bárbara Parra-Huertas
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Carlos Ortiz: Department of Chemistry, Physics, Environment and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida, Spain
María Gabriela Molina: Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, National University of Córdoba, Félix Aldo Marrone 746. Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba X5000HUA, Argentina
Awais Shakoor: Department of Chemistry, Physics, Environment and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida, Spain
Bárbara Parra-Huertas: Department of Chemistry, Physics, Environment and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida, Spain

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: Crop diversification and the reduction of nitrogen (N) inputs are key issues in the EU for more sustainable agriculture. An experiment was set up in a semiarid rainfed Mediterranean system. Our hypothesis was that these challenges could be addressed by introducing new crops and using pig slurries (PSs). The experimental factors were N fertilization at sowing (with or without PS) combined (according to a split-block design) with N fertilization as topdressing (the control, two N mineral rates, and two N rates from PS). Barley, rapeseed, and pea performances were evaluated in two different crop sequences: (i) barley–rapeseed or rapeseed–barley after a fallow season, and (ii) barley–pea or pea–barley after a fallow season followed by a non-fertilized barley crop. The results of the four-year study demonstrated that under a spring drought risk, barley performed better than peas in terms of relative crop yield maintenance. After fallow, N can be saved while maintaining the yields and total biomass of barley and rapeseed. In the second crop sequence, maximum pea and barley yields were associated with a minimum topdressing of 60 or 120 kg mineral N ha −1 , respectively. However, slurry fertilization at sowing also allowed the highest yields for barley. Rapeseed and peas can be introduced to reduce N fertilization inputs. However, the obtained yield plateau for pea and rapeseed (3 and 4 Mg ha −1 , respectively) and the effect of a yield spring drought on pea yields (50% reduction) might be a constraint for the success of EU policies on crop diversification.

Keywords: barley; fertilization; nitrogen; pea; rapeseed; slurry (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: 2024
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