b'PRACTICES BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLYcomplex trait of drought stress in more ACHIEVE THE SAME OR BETTER YIELDSdetail: they use spectral cameras to record AS CONVENTIONALLY PRODUCEDtheir shape, size, and weight as they grow. CROPS? THATS CRITICAL TO FEEDINGCertain ingredients can also be recordedAN INCREASING POPULATION. the water content of leaves is of particular Molthan underlines that modern agricul- interest here, says Hering. This way, their ture and farmers have done a remarkableexperts want to better understand how job in feeding a world population of moreplants react to various external influences. than eight billion people. As we look toThis knowledge then is used in the devel-the future and consider a global popula- opment of new varieties that can cope well tion projected to get closer to 10 billionwith the climatic challenges of the futureby 2050, agriculture faces a growing list ofand are, for example, as tolerant as possible big challenges to overcome: degraded land,to heat and lack of water.weather extremes, new pests and diseasesMontet indicates that yield is not the being introduced, and diminishing waterBruno Hoeltgebaum, business director at Incotec. primary aim of regenerative agriculture, resources, he says. Molthans company hasbut for this approach to be sustainable and great hope and is committed to demon- viable, it has to produce reasonable yields. strating that these regenerative agricultureOne thing is certain, genetic progress is a practices can improve both the quantity andstrong response to expectations in all pro-quality of food crops.duction methods, and numerous trials have Research shows that building soilshown that the new varieties have a greater organic matter can improve yields becausecapacity to adapt to a given environment, soil better retains moisture and nutrients.whether that environment is favourable or That means that, during long periods ofrestrictive, Montet says.stress, crops can be more inherently resil- There are already multiple examples ient. It is also known that crops grown inof regenerative agriculture outperforming biologically active, healthy soil are richer inconventional produced crops because of nutrients, says Allerding. We can point toincreased climate change resilience, says studies that indicate that farms that havevan der Voort. And adds that this may be applied regenerative practices maintainedeven more so when other ecosystem bene-similar or even increased crop yields versusfits, such as improved pollination and pest conventional practices. However, its impor- Valentina Manstretta, Horta EU research management, are considered also (which tant to note that yields will not necessarilyprojects lead. might be rewarded soon).increase immediately once a regen ag prac- Hoeltgebaum mentions that as a seed tice is introduced, and a transition periodresulting from sustainable rotation, coversector, there is a responsibility to support does need to be accounted for.crop implementation, and no-till practice,feeding the world, and therefore it has no The aim of plant breeding has alwayssays Stenull.room to compromise on the yield perfor-been the development of plants that areThe latest field data results demon- mance of the crops it grows. At our com-as resistant as possible, for example, tostrate a significant annual increase in soilpany, we do our utmost to make sure that cope well with extreme conditions such asorganic carbon of 0.7 to 1.8% with the useany new sustainable solution will be at least drought.of CSF+. Stenull says the extent of thisas effective as the solution it replaces.The preliminary findings from theincrease depends on factors such as cropHortas expertise demonstrates that 2022 trial in regenerative cotton, showrotation, yield, soil type, and weather con- regenerative practices can be profitable for similar or slightly lower yields for regen- ditions. In contrast, conventional cottoncropping systems, says Manstretta. To pre-erative practices in comparison to standardproduction typically does not result in aserve net income, the following strategies matching project expectations, indicatespositive increase in soil organic carbon.are recommended: Stenull. Regarding carbon footprint,This increase in soil organic carbon1. Support farmer actions through regenerative practice (CSF+) achievedhas a positive environmental impact, equiv- Decision Support Systems (DSS) better results than standard practice (fromalent to removing 1-3 T CO 2 eq per hectare2. I ncrease the inclusion of legumes in -9 to -16% in terms of CO 2 eq/ton of seedfrom the atmosphere and sequestering it incrop rotations cotton) due to the trade-off effectlessthe soil. To put it in perspective, this is3.Implement cover crops as a relay diesel (positive effect) and less fertilizercomparable to the emissions produced bycropping strategy (positive effect) compensated with slightlydriving an average petrol passenger vehicle4. Leave pruning residues in the field lower yields (negative effect) in some situa- for a distance of 2.5K - 7.6K kilometres.5. Invest in longer crop rotations tions. Field emissions from fertilizer appli- (1.5K - 4.7K miles), Stenull explains. TheThese practices have shown reduc-cation, diesel combustion as well as energyeconomic performance reveals lower coststions in nitrogen fertilizer use and carbon consumption for irrigation were identifiedper ha for CSF+ due to lower cost of pro- footprint while increasing carbon uptake as the biggest contributors to the carbonduction and could be higher profit for theand organic nitrogen mineralization. The footprint. The carbon footprint for CSF+farmer, if the fashion industry supports theinclusion of legumes improves soil fertility practices is expected to be further reducedtransition, offering farmers a fair premiumand reduces the need for nitrogen inputs in the following years due to improvementsfor regenerative cotton.in rotations. Additionally, the use of DSSs in cropping, use of primary inputs, and yieldIn the so-called PhenoFactory at ourlowers fuel consumption, reduces chemical increase lifted by the benefits of conserv- company, researchers use modern tech- usage, and minimizes water consumption ative practices. The main differentiatornology to examine various corn and beetcompared to conventional techniques, she was higher carbon sequestration potential,plants around the clock to understand theadds. SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 17'