Contact/s:
Zlatko Tomljanović
zlatko.tomljanovic@mps.hr
How to Reduce the Carbon Footprint in Arable Crop Production?
Croatia
Continental and Mediterranean
- Decrease GHG emission in arable production
- Cover crop sowing methods
- Positive effect of introducing legumes into the crop rotation
Thematic Areas
Production System/s
Summary for Practicioners on the Main Finding(s)/Innovative solution(s)
We have been witnessing climate change, and its impact on agriculture is enormous. Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors affected by climate change. Therefore, several agricultural producers who are aware of this impact, as well as the need to adapt their production and implement climate-smart practices on their farms, have joined the Climate Farm Demo project.
It is important to present to farmers engaged in arable production the structure of sowing on farms, the method of tillage, and whether, and which, cover crops are sown (winter or spring). As integral stakeholders of the ecosystem, seed producers and distributors—with their offer of leguminous seeds and mixtures of seeds from different botanical species for various purposes—must be included in efforts to adapt agriculture to climate change.
It is also very important to show farmers different types of winter cover crops, such as mixtures of winter vetch, winter broad beans, black beans, and broad bean crops intended for processing. Demonstrating the nodules on the roots of legumes and emphasizing the positive effects of introducing legumes into crop rotation is essential.
However, it is important to emphasize that sowing cover crops involves several soil maintenance measures that include the presence of vegetation on the land, with the aim of maintaining or increasing soil organic matter content, improving the physical properties of the soil (soil structure, water-air relations), accumulating nitrogen in the soil through legume cultivation, enhancing soil microbiological activity, and controlling weeds through biological methods—in general, increasing soil fertility.
Additionally, cover crops serve the important function of “soil cover” with the intention of preventing erosion (by water and/or wind) and nutrient leaching, primarily nitrates, thereby helping to prevent groundwater pollution.
Summary for Practicioners in Native Language
Svjedoci smo klimatskih promjena, a utjecaj klime na poljoprivredu je ogroman. Poljoprivreda je jedan od najranjivijih sektora na koje utječu klimatske promjene. Stoga su se poljoprivredni proizvođači koji su svjesni utjecaja klimatskih promjena na poljoprivrednu proizvodnju, ali i potrebe da svoju poljoprivrednu proizvodnju prilagode te implementiraju klimatski pametne prakse na svom gospodarstvu, uključili u CFD projekt. Stoga je bitno poljoprivrednicima koji se bave ratarskom proizvodnjom predstaviti strukturu sjetve na gospodarstvima, način obrade tla te siju li pokrovne usjeve i koje (ozime ili jare). Kao sastavni dionici AKIS-a, u prilagodbu na klimatske promjene u ratarstvu moraju se uključiti i proizvođači i distributeri sjemena sa svojom ponudom sjemena mahunarki, ali i smjesa sjemena različitih botaničkih vrsta za različite namjene. Također, vrlo je bitno ratarima tijekom obilaska parcela prikazati različite tipove ozimog pokrovnog usjeva poput smjese ozime grahorice, ozimog boba i inkarnatke te usjeva boba namijenjenog preradi. Svakako treba prikazati nodule na korijenu mahunarki i istaknuti pozitivan učinak uvođenja mahunarki u plodored. Međutim, bitno je naglasiti da sjetva pokrovnih usjeva podrazumijeva više različitih mjera održavanja tla uz prisutnost vegetacije na zemljištu, a s namjerom održanja ili povećanja sadržaja organske tvari tla, poboljšanja fizikalnih svojstava tla (struktura tla, vodozračni odnosi u tlu), akumulacije dušika u tlu uzgojem mahunarki (leguminoza), poboljšanja mikrobiološke aktivnosti tla, suzbijanja korova biološkim mjerama, odnosno, općenito – podizanja plodnosti tla. Pri tome pokrovni usjevi imaju dodatnu funkciju “pokrivača tla” s namjerom sprječavanja erozije (vodom i/ili vjetrom) i ispiranja hranjiva, prije svega nitrata, a time i sprječavanja onečišćenja podzemnih voda.
Longer Description
We have been witnessing climate change, and its impact on agriculture is enormous. Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors affected by climate change. Therefore, several agricultural producers who are aware of this impact, as well as the need to adapt their production and implement climate-smart practices on their farms, have joined the Climate Farm Demo project.
It is important to present to farmers engaged in arable production the structure of sowing on farms, the method of tillage, and whether, and which, cover crops are sown (winter or spring). As integral stakeholders of the ecosystem, seed producers and distributors—with their offer of leguminous seeds and mixtures of seeds from different botanical species for various purposes—must be included in efforts to adapt agriculture to climate change.
It is also very important to show farmers different types of winter cover crops, such as mixtures of winter vetch, winter broad beans, black beans, and broad bean crops intended for processing. Demonstrating the nodules on the roots of legumes and emphasizing the positive effects of introducing legumes into crop rotation is essential.
However, it is important to emphasize that sowing cover crops involves several soil maintenance measures that include the presence of vegetation on the land, with the aim of maintaining or increasing soil organic matter content, improving the physical properties of the soil (soil structure, water-air relations), accumulating nitrogen in the soil through legume cultivation, enhancing soil microbiological activity, and controlling weeds through biological methods—in general, increasing soil fertility.
Additionally, cover crops serve the important function of “soil cover” with the intention of preventing erosion (by water and/or wind) and nutrient leaching, primarily nitrates, thereby helping to prevent groundwater pollution.