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Weed vegetation of organic and conventional dryland cereal fields in the mediterranean region

Romero, A.; Chamorro, L. and Sans, F.X. (2005) Weed vegetation of organic and conventional dryland cereal fields in the mediterranean region. Paper at: Researching Sustainable Systems - International Scientific Conference on Organic Agriculture, Adelaide, Australia, September 21-23, 2005. [Unpublished]

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Summary

Weed abundance, species richness and diversity in conventional and organic dryland cereal fields in Catalonia (NE of Iberian Peninsula) were compared to assess the effect of intensification on the floristic composition and structure of weed vegetation and to evaluate the role of organic farming in preventing the continued loss of biodiversity caused by intensive farming practices. Between 1 and 3 closely paired fields (blocks) were selected at 10 agricultural sites. Each pair contained one long-established organic farm and one conventional farm. Weed abundance, taking into account the spatial pattern, was surveyed in spring 2003 and 2004 by means of a relative abundance index for each species, ranking from one to six. Results show that abundance, species richness and diversity were higher in organic than conventional fields. Low tolerance to herbicides and the dense crop swards of conventional fields may explain the lower abundance of broad-leaved weeds, while the increase in legumes in organic fields may be related to the absence of chemical fertilization. Species richness was higher at the crop edges than mid-field in both organic and conventional fields, whereas weed abundance was higher at field margins than mid-field in conventional fields.


EPrint Type:Conference paper, poster, etc.
Type of presentation:Paper
Keywords:Biodiversity, organic farming, conventional farming, comparison, conservation
Subjects: Crop husbandry > Production systems > Cereals, pulses and oilseeds
Research affiliation: International Conferences > 2005: 1st ISOFAR Conference > 2005: 1st ISOFAR Conference
Related Links:http://orgprints.org/4013/, http://www.isofar.org/adelaide2005, http://orgprints.org/view/projects/int-conf-isofar-2005.html
Deposited By: ISOFAR
ID Code:4224
Deposited On:03 Nov 2005
Last Modified:12 Apr 2010 07:30
Document Language:English
Status:Unpublished
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted
Additional Publishing Information:The paper presented here is the final paper submitted by the authors to the conference Researching Sustainable Systems.
The final edited papers are available with the following publication:
Köpke, Ulrich; Niggli, Urs; Neuhoff, Daniel; Cornish, Peter; Lockeretz, Willie und Willer, Helga, (Hrsg.) (2005) Researching Sustainable Systems. Proceedings of the First Scientific Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), Held in Cooperation with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA), 21 – 23 September 2005, Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide, South Australia.. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, CH-Frick, and International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), c/o Institute of Organic Agriculture (IOL), DE-University of Bonn. http://orgprints.org/4013/
Distribution: Paper copies may be ordered from FiBL at a cost of 28 Euros plus mailing costs (see FiBL shop at http://www.fibl.org/shop); FiBL order number 1394. A PDF version is available free of charge for ISOFAR members via the member area of www.isofar.org.

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