Environmental consequences of wheat-based crop rotation in potato farming systems in galicia, Spain

Influence of Cultivation System and Proportion of Local Cultivars 'Caaveiro' and 'Callobre' in Flour Mixtures on the Nutritional Quality of Galician Bread

Bread is one of the main symbols of the culinary heritage of Galicia (NW Spain). This study evaluates the nutritional quality of Galician breads made from local wheat varieties, 'Caaveiro' and 'Callobre', under organic and conventional farming systems. Breads were prepared using 100% local wheat flour and a mixture of 25% local flour with 75% commercial flour, in accordance with the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) 'Pan Galego'. Nutritional composition was assessed using official AOAC procedures and validated enzymatic assays, including macronutrients, fiber, starch fractions, sugars and minerals. The results reveal that 100% local wheat breads showed significantly higher levels of protein, carbohydrates and minerals, which are beneficial for human health. Specifically, 'Caaveiro' breads were richer in protein, while 'Callobre' breads exhibited higher carbohydrate and mineral content. Although the cultivation system had a minor effect, it was still relevant when combined with the proportion of local flour. The study highlights the potential of local wheat varieties to enhance the nutritional value of Galician bread.

Understanding the microbiome-crop rotation nexus in karst agricultural systems: insights from Southwestern China

Understanding how soil properties and microbial communities respond to crop rotation is essential for the sustainability of agroecosystems. However, there has been limited research on how crop rotation alters below-ground microbial communities in soils with serious bacterial wilt within the karst agricultural system. This study investigated the effects of continuous planting of corn, tobacco, and tobacco-corn rotation on soil microbial communities in the karst regions of Southwestern China. High-throughput sequencing was used to evaluate the responses of the soil microbial community structure to crop monoculture and rotation patterns. As expected, the tobacco-corn rotation mitigated the negative effects of continuous cropping and reduced soil acidification. The tobacco-corn rotation also significantly altered the composition of microbial communities and promoted plant growth by fostering a higher abundance of beneficial microorganisms. The predominant bacteria genera Sphingomonas and Gaiella and the predominant fungal genera Mortierella and Saitozyma were identified as discriminant biomarkers that are critical to soil ecosystem health. pH, available potassium (AK), and available phosphorus (AP) were the primary soil factors related to the soil microbiome assembly. This study aimed to demonstrate the association between crop rotation and microbiomes, suggesting that altering cultivation patterns could enhance karst agricultural systems.

The relationship between agricultural fires and livestock farming

Although many studies have been conducted in recent years on the environmental damage caused by the livestock sector, there are some gaps in terms of possible positive impacts. In this study, in order to investigate the possible positive environmental impacts of the livestock sector, the relationship between agricultural fires and livestock in Turkey between 2012 and 2021 is analyzed. Within the scope of the study, micro-level data, remote sensing datasets and fixed effects panel data method were used. As a result of the analysis at the district level, it was concluded that the development of the livestock sector and the decline in second crop corn production caused by this phenomenon reduced stubble fires. This result reveals that this maturity should be taken into account in future studies on the environmental impacts of the livestock sector.

Environmental and economic benefits of wheat and chickpea crop rotation in the Mediterranean region of Apulia (Italy)

Wheat plays an essential role in safeguarding global food security. However, its intensive agricultural production, aimed at maximizing crop yields and associated economic benefits, jeopardizes many ecosystem services and the economic stability of farmers. Rotations with leguminous are recognized as a promising strategy in favor of sustainable agriculture. However, not all crop rotations are suitable for promoting sustainability and their implications on agricultural soil and crop quality should be carefully analyzed. This research aims to demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of introducing chickpea into a wheat-based system under Mediterranean pedo-climatic conditions. For this purpose, the crop rotation "wheat-chickpea" was evaluated and compared with the conventional regime (wheat monoculture) by means of life cycle assessment methodology. For this purpose, inventory data (e.g., agrochemical doses, machinery, energy consumption, production yield, among others) was compiled for each crop and cropping system, thus converted into environmental impacts based on two functional units: 1 ha per year and one € of gross margin. Eleven environmental indicators were analyzed, including soil quality and biodiversity loss. Results indicate that chickpea-wheat rotation system offers lower environmental impacts, regardless of the functional unit considered. Global warming (18 %) and freshwater ecotoxicity (20 %) were the categories with the largest reductions. Furthermore, a remarkable increase (96 %) in gross margin was observed with the rotation system, due to the low cost of chickpea cultivation and its higher market price. Nevertheless, proper fertilizer management remains essential to fully attain the environmental benefits of crop rotation with legumes.

Determining the environmental and economic implications of lupin cultivation in wheat-based organic rotation systems in Galicia, Spain

Crop rotation represents a potentially sustainable strategy to address environmental problems of intensive agricultural practices, such as soil degradation, biodiversity reduction, and greenhouse gas emissions. This manuscript assesses the environmental and economic implications of introducing lupin cultivation into winter wheat-based rotation systems under an organic regime in Galicia, Spain. Life Cycle Assessment methodology was used to determine the environmental impacts of three rotation systems over a six-year period: lupin → wheat → rapeseed (OA1), lupin → potato → wheat (OA2), and lupin → wheat → rapeseed ‖ maize (OA3). For a robust assessment, three functional units were applied: land management (ha), economic indicator (gross margin in euros) and protein content (1 kg of protein-corrected grain). Moreover, the environmental profiles were compared with rotation systems without lupin crop in a conventional regime. In terms of Global Warming, impacts of about 2214, 3119 and 766 kg CO₂eq·ha^-1 were obtained for OA1, OA2 and OA3, respectively. Moreover, OA1 is the best rotation in terms of land and protein. Meanwhile, OA2 rotation is the best choice in the economic function, as it obtained the highest level of gross margin (5708 €·ha^-1). Furthermore, with the exception of acidification, organic systems are less impactful than conventional systems. Ammonia emissions from the use of manure are the reason for these higher impacts. Organic rotations OA1 and OA2 have about 6 % or 15 % less gross margin than their conventional counterparts, respectively, however, an increase of 28 % was obtained for rotation OA3. This study helps decision-makers to implement environmentally and economically viable strategies.

Human Health and Ecosystem Quality Benefits with Life Cycle Assessment Due to Fungicides Elimination in Agriculture

Industrial agriculture results in environmental burdens due to the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides. Fungicides is a class of pesticides whose application contributes (among others) to human toxicity and ecotoxicity. The European Union aims to increase organic agriculture. For this reason, this work aims to analyze climate change, freshwater ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, (terrestrial) acidification, and freshwater eutrophication impacts of fungicides and calculate expected benefits to human health (per European citizen) and ecosystem quality (terrestrial) with life cycle assessment (LCA) during crop production. The Scopus database was searched for LCA studies that considered the application of fungicides to specific crops. The analysis shows how many systemic and contact fungicides were considered by LCA studies and what was the applied dosage. Furthermore, it shows that fungicides highly contribute to freshwater ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, and freshwater eutrophication for fruits and vegetables, but to a low extent compared to all considered environmental impacts in the case of cereals and rapeseed. Expected benefits to human health and ecosystem quality after fungicides elimination are greater for fruits and vegetables, ranging between 0 to 47 min per European citizen in a year and 0 to 90 species per year, respectively.