Crop Production and Environmental Effects in Conventional and Organic Vegetable Farming Systems: The Case of a Long-Term Experiment in Mediterranean Conditions (Central Italy)

Abstract

Monsampolo Organic VEgetable (MOVE) long-term field experiment produced a comparison between organic and a conventionally managed agroecosystem for vegetable production in Central Italy. The study was based on a four-year crop rotation involving six main crops: tomato, melon, fennel, lettuce, cauliflower, and bean. The experiment started in 2001. The agronomic performance and environmental sustainability of the two different management systems were assessed over a three-year period (2007–2010), comparing a) the yield and produce quality; b) cultivar adaptability to organic farming conditions; c) soil quality; and d) potential risk of soil nitrogen leaching. The organic and conventional four-years rotation systems yielded similarly and most of the crops showed no significant differences in produce quality. The study also indicates that comparisons among cultivars to be used in organic farming should be carried out on such experimental field sites where organic farming management had been in place for the long term. Our study demonstrated that soil organic C and total N increased, respectively, of 37% and 22% in the organically managed vegetable production system as compared to the conventional one. The risks of soil nitrate leaching were higher in autumn/winter conventionally managed crops as compared to the organic ones.

Keywords:

• cultivar comparison
• long-term comparison
• yield
• organic farming
• soil organic matter
• soil nitrates
• vegetable production system
• yield's marketable quality

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Valentino Ferrari, Director of the Unità di Ricerca per L'orticoltura, Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura (CRA–ORA) for his advice and collaboration in setting up and managing the MOVE long-term experiment, Fabrizio Leteo, Aldo Bertone, and Giacomo Mancinelli for their invaluable contribution to the process of field operation, sampling, and analysis. Many thanks also to Dr. Fabio Tittarelli of the Centro per lo Studio delle Relazioni tra Pianta e Suolo, Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura (CRA–RPS) for the critical revision of the manuscript.