Better performance of organic than conventional tomato varieties in single and mixed cropping
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In: Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, Vol. 46, No. 4, 21.04.2022, p. 491-509.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Better performance of organic than conventional tomato varieties in single and mixed cropping
AU - Ficiciyan, Anoush Miriam
AU - Loos, Jacqueline
AU - Tscharntke, Teja
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2022/4/21
Y1 - 2022/4/21
N2 - Replacing traditional crop varieties with commercial, high-yielding varieties during the last decades is one of the main drivers for the decline in farmland and crop diversity. However, it is unclear how commercial, high-yielding varieties adapt to less environmental conditions such as weed pressure and mixed cropping cultivation systems. In Europe, organic breeding organizations conserve local, traditional varieties and develop new varieties under low-input conditions, aiming at increasing the range of varieties adapted to harsh cultivation conditions and mixed cropping. To evaluate whether organic varieties (i) cope better with weed pressure and (ii) have a higher adaptability to mixed cropping, we compared the agronomic and quality performance of eight organic varieties with eight commercial, high-yielding varieties, focusing on tomato, the economically most important vegetable in the EU. Each group was cultivated as single plants and in a mixed cropping system, respectively, with a legume and with or without exposure to weed stress by a grass. The organic group outperformed the commercial, high-yielding group, specifically, in mixed cropping systems. Weed stress lowered the yield of both groups, but the organic group showed higher fruit weight stability across the varieties than the commercial, high-yielding varieties when grown as single plants under weed stress.
AB - Replacing traditional crop varieties with commercial, high-yielding varieties during the last decades is one of the main drivers for the decline in farmland and crop diversity. However, it is unclear how commercial, high-yielding varieties adapt to less environmental conditions such as weed pressure and mixed cropping cultivation systems. In Europe, organic breeding organizations conserve local, traditional varieties and develop new varieties under low-input conditions, aiming at increasing the range of varieties adapted to harsh cultivation conditions and mixed cropping. To evaluate whether organic varieties (i) cope better with weed pressure and (ii) have a higher adaptability to mixed cropping, we compared the agronomic and quality performance of eight organic varieties with eight commercial, high-yielding varieties, focusing on tomato, the economically most important vegetable in the EU. Each group was cultivated as single plants and in a mixed cropping system, respectively, with a legume and with or without exposure to weed stress by a grass. The organic group outperformed the commercial, high-yielding group, specifically, in mixed cropping systems. Weed stress lowered the yield of both groups, but the organic group showed higher fruit weight stability across the varieties than the commercial, high-yielding varieties when grown as single plants under weed stress.
KW - Agrobiodiversity
KW - genetic diversity
KW - organic breeding
KW - variety comparison
KW - vegetable diversity
KW - weed stress
KW - Ecosystems Research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85125266753&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/21683565.2022.2039834
DO - 10.1080/21683565.2022.2039834
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:85125266753
VL - 46
SP - 491
EP - 509
JO - Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
JF - Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
SN - 2168-3565
IS - 4
ER -