Practical Applications of Agricultural Systems Research in Temperate Countries

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Abstract
Agricultural systems research experience has stimulated greater involvement in interdisciplinary and multi-agency teams to solve complex production problems. Classical component research and small teams of scientists with narrow goals are evolving into well-funded and mission-oriented teams that can efficiently work with more complex problems. Current research within a single discipline often includes measurement of energy, environmental, or human impact as a part of its evaluation. Team research on systems provides a framework for the integration of components in either a space or a time continuum. The boundaries among biological, physical, and social sciences are blurring as we attempt to solve complex challenges. There is also a growing appreciation of the connections between systems and that our research into systems can have far-ranging impacts on success in agricultural enterprises as well as the quality of rural life. The purpose of this review is to provide a “snapshot” overview of current research conducted by individuals and teams in agronomy that address questions from a systems perspective. The objective is to provide specific examples of research approaches and results that illustrate the practical value of systems research. Review of four journals in 1992 reveals a growing appreciation of how interdisciplinary work can help explain the complexities of component interactions in cropping systems, as well as a relative absence of economic and social evaluation of the impacts of technology. Research Question Agricultural systems research has focused on understanding how complex systems operate and how we can modify them to increase productivity, make efficient use of resources, and minimize environmental harm. This study summarizes some results of team research reported in the USA during 1992 that show how biological, economic, physical, and social factors relate to practical farming systems. It also shows the interconnections of fields, farms, and communities and how we need to look at the entire ecosystem when attempting to evaluate the long-term impact of changes in farming practices. Literature Summary/Study Description Today's research environment encourages activity by interdisciplinary teams, and even individual researchers often bring experience from several disciplines to address complex questions. Four journals of ASA and CSSA were reviewed for the year 1992: Agronomy Journal, Crop Science, Journal of Production Agriculture, and Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education. Examples from these sources were used in this paper to illustrate the importance of approaching technical problems from different angles, and the critical need for broad based perspectives in solving production problems and relating solutions to the environment and rural communities. Applied Questions What are some of the most frequent examples of team research? There is a long and valuable history of cooperative research on insect resistance between plant breeders and entomologists, and between soil scientists and water quality experts on fate of fertilizers and pesticides. One example is the search for resistance to the cyst nematode in soybeans. In the future, we will see even more team research as the challenges of environmental quality and food safety confront those who work to improve agriculture. What is the importance of crop diversity in agricultural fields? The design of more diverse cropping patterns (use of strip cropping, double crops, relay cropping, field windbreaks) can help us take advantage of some of the natural pest, nutrient, and water cycles that have been suppressed in high input, energy-intensive conventional agriculture. The paper includes two examples, one on the recycling of nutrients in a multiple species pasture system, and another on the below-ground competition for resources between rice and mungbeans in an intercrop system. Careful study of these cycles and their biological efficiencies will help farmers take advantage of the internal, renewable resources on the farm. We also will learn more about the impacts on both the farm and neighboring areas, and design systems that will meet goals of economic production and a desirable rural environment. How can we take the most advantage of rotation effects? In general, rotations boost yields of each crop in the sequence by about 10070, depending on how different the crops are. Most success in rotations is found by using dissimilar species, such as legumes with cereals, winter crops with summer crops, and deep-rooted with shallow-rooted crops. Two examples of research on nutrient recovery and use by soybeans are described in the full paper accompanying this Research Application Summary, one on the efficiency of N recovery in different systems and the other on the long-term effects of soybean on succeeding crops. In the latter, there were significant effects on grain sorghum yield in the first and second year after soybean, but not in the third year. In the future, we may be able to design flexible rotation sequences that will take better advantage of residual fertility, prevalent pest populations, and changing economic advantages of different crops. What are some important directions for the future? Within the context of systems research, we will have to explore a number of component technologies as well as ways to exploit the interactions among them. Some likely directions include: Breeding crops for less favorable environments and growing conditions, instead of using expensive inputs to modify the environment; Improving crops for intercropping systems and other complex cropping patterns, including rotations and special niches in systems; Increasing nutrient cycling and incorporating more legumes into cropping and crop/animal systems; Reducing both tillage and chemical use, to maintain residue on the soil surface and reduce potential for soil and chemical loss from fields; Improving our understanding of the rhizosphere (area immediately around plant roots) and the cycling of soil organic matter for nutrients available to crops; Studying improved methods of water capture, storage, and use by crops, in both rainfed and irrigated production systems; Increasing our understanding of rotation effects and ways to design systems to maximize the use of biological structuring in cropping systems; Understanding regional pest dynamics, the ways that infestation and infection occur, and designing systems to minimize crop damage and improve productivity; and Determining alternative measures of success in agriculture, including income, efficient resource use, risk and uncertainty, and quality of life.