Conventional versus organic farming systems: dissecting comparisons to improve cereal organic breeding strategies

Summary

“Conventional” and “organic” farming systems have been compared in many studies. However, the lack of concern about the diversity of both conventional and organic farming systems can be imputed to the oft-quoted methodological difficulties of comparing conventional and organic systems. Indeed, the analysis of articles on genotype performance of small-grain cereals under conventional and organic management strategies revealed that there are significant variations in input levels within conventional systems and within organic farming. In addition, this could lead to conflicting results when attempting to identify the best breeding strategies for organic management systems. To boost breeding activities for the organic sector, our proposal is the establishment of an international classification of agroecosystem managements based on recognized agro-climatic and management indicators. Management classifications are proposed for both conventional and organic management strategies. This work would facilitate the sharing of new results among agronomists and breeders for designing adapted and efficient organic breeding strategies.