Conservation agriculture and management of cover crops without herbicides
For many years now, Isara agronomists have been researching how to preserve the fertility and improve the productivity of organically managed grain systems.
Our work centers on designing and evaluating organic or low-input crop systems based on conservation agriculture principles, and more specifically on the advantages of developing no-till farming and herbicides-free multiservices cover crops.
The design of such systems is based on research work involving interested parties (farmers, consultants…) and leads to the creation of co-conceptualized systems, from formalising the method to implementing it on the field.
The evaluation of the systems focuses in particular on their effects on soil fertility, the production of agricultural biomass (quantity and quality) and various ecosystem regulation services (weed management, pest, biological control agents…) with a view to reducing the use of input.
Recent publications
- PEIGNÉ, J., VIAN, J.-F., PAYET, V. & SABY, N. P. 2018. Soil fertility after 10 years of conservation tillage in organic farming. Soil and Tillage Research, 175, 194-204.
- Armengot, L., Blanco-Moreno, J.M., Bàrberi, P., Bocci, G., Carlesi, S., Aendekerk, R., Berner, A., Celette, F., Grosse, M., Huiting, H., Kranzler, A., Luik, A., Mäder, P., Peigné, J., Stoll, E., Delfosse, P., Sukkel, W., Surböck, A., Westaway, S., Sans, F.X., 2016. Tillage as a driver of change in weed communities: A functional perspective. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment, 222, 276-285.
- BALDIVIESO-FREITAS, P., BLANCO-MORENO, J. M., GUTIÉRREZ-LÓPEZ, M., PEIGNÉ, J., PÉREZ-FERRER, A., TRIGO-AZA, D. & SANS, F. X. 2018. Earthworm abundance response to conservation agriculture practices in organic arable farming under Mediterranean climate. Pedobiologia, 66,58-64
- BOIZARD, H., PEIGNÉ, J., SASAL, M. C., DE FÁTIMA GUIMARÃES, M., PIRON, D., TOMIS, V., VIAN, J.-F., CADOUX, S., RALISCH, R. & TAVARES FILHO, J. 2017. Developments in the “profil cultural” method for an improved assessment of soil structure under no-till. Soil and Tillage Research, 173, 92-103.
- CASAGRANDE, M., PEIGNÉ, J., PAYET, V., MÄDER, P., SANS, F. X., BLANCO-MORENO, J. M., ANTICHI, D., BÀRBERI, P., BEECKMAN, A. & BIGONGIALI, F. 2016. Organic farmers’ motivations and challenges for adopting conservation agriculture in Europe. Organic Agriculture, 6, 281-295.
- COOPER, J., BARANSKI, M., STEWART, G., NOBEL-DE LANGE, M., BÀRBERI, P., FLIEßBACH, A., PEIGNÉ, J., BERNER, A., BROCK, C. & CASAGRANDE, M. 2016. Shallow non-inversion tillage in organic farming maintains crop yields and increases soil C stocks: a meta-analysis. Agronomy for sustainable development, 36, 1-20.
- PELOSI, C., PEY, B., CARO, G., CLUZEAU, D., PEIGNE, J., BERTRAND, M. & HEDDE, M. 2016. Dynamics of earthworm taxonomic and functional diversity in ploughed and no-tilled cropping systems. Soil and Tillage Research, 156, 25-32.
- VINCENT-CABOUD, L., PEIGNÉ, J., CASAGRANDE, M. & SILVA, E. M. 2017. Overview of Organic Cover Crop-Based No-Tillage Technique in Europe: Farmers’ Practices and Research Challenges. Agriculture, 7-42.
- VINCENT-CABOUD, L., VEREECKE, L., SILVA, E., PEIGNE, J., 2019. Cover Crop Effectiveness Varies in Cover Crop-Based Rotational Tillage Organic Soybean Systems Depending on Species and Environment. Agronomy Vol.9, n°6.
- VINCENT-CABOUD, L., CASAGRANDE, M., DAVID, C., SILVA, E., RYAN, M., PEIGNE, J. Using mulch from cover crops to facilitate organic no-till soybean and maize production. A review. 2019. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 39-45
