Agronomy for Sustainable Development最新文献

{"title":"Optimal fertilization strategy promotes the sustainability of rice–crayfish farming systems by improving productivity and decreasing carbon footprint","authors":"Wanyang Zhang,&nbsp;Mingshuang Xu,&nbsp;Tianqiao Ma,&nbsp;Jianwei Lu,&nbsp;Jun Zhu,&nbsp;Xiaokun Li","doi":"10.1007/s13593-024-00952-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-024-00952-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rice–crayfish farming systems (RCs), a novel rice cropping system, have gained rapid popularity in many countries due to their economic advantages. Fertilizers tend to be applied in large quantities for higher profits, but has high burden on resources and environment, especially in terms of the carbon emissions. It is crucial to explore an optimal fertilization strategy with high productivity and low carbon emissions for the sustainable development of RCs. However, information about C emissions is incomplete, regarding the indirect C emissions during the rice growing season as well as C emissions during the crayfish culture period. We conducted field experiments to investigate the effects of five fertilization strategies including no fertilization (CK), farmer’s practices (FP), optimized fertilization (OPT), organic fertilization only (OF), and organic fertilizer substitution (OPTOF) on the productivity, economic benefits, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon footprint, and sustainability index of RCs. Results showed that OPT reduced direct (by 6.7%) and indirect (by 37.0%) GHG emissions during the rice growing season while maintaining rice (95%) and crayfish (104%) yields compared with that of FP. Additionally, the soil organic carbon storage and annual economic benefit of the OPT increased by 20.1% and 4.7%, respectively, whereas the carbon footprints of unit area, unit grain yield, unit energy yield, and unit of economic output decreased by 29.5%, 27.2%, 24.5%, and 32.7%, compared to the FP, respectively. The sustainability index (0.78) of the OPT treatment was significantly higher than that of other treatments due to its higher productivity and lower the carbon footprint. In conclusion, optimal fertilization strategy in RCs could achieve to increase productivity while reducing carbon footprint. This is conducive to the sustainability of RCs. Future attention in RCs should be focused on the development and promotion of such strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140895398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep genotyping reveals specific adaptation footprints of conventional and organic farming in barley populations—an evolutionary plant breeding approach","authors":"Michael Schneider,&nbsp;Agim Ballvora,&nbsp;Jens Léon","doi":"10.1007/s13593-024-00962-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-024-00962-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Sustainable food production for a growing world population will pose a central challenge in the coming decades. Organic farming is among the feasible approaches to achieving this goal if the yield gap to conventional farming can be decreased. However, uncertainties exist to which extend—and for which phenotypes in particular—organic and conventional agro-ecosystems require differentiated breeding strategies. To answer this question, a heterogeneous spring barley population was established between a wild barley and an elite cultivar to examine this question. This initial population was divided into two sets and sown one in organic and the other in conventional managed agro-ecosystems, without any artificial selection for two decades. A fraction of seeds harvested each year was sown the following year. Various generations, up to the 23th were whole-genome pool-sequenced to identify adaptation patterns towards ecosystem and climate conditions in the allele frequency shifts. Additionally, a meta-data analysis was conducted to link genomic regions’ increased fitness to agronomically related traits. This long-term experiment highlights for the first time that allele frequency pattern difference between the conventional and organic populations grew with subsequent generations. Further, the organic-adapted population showed a higher genetic heterogeneity. The data indicate that adaptations towards new environments happen in few generations. Drastic interannual changes in climate are manifested in significant allele frequency changes. Particular wild form alleles were positively selected in both environments. Clustering these revealed an increased fitness associated with biotic stress resistance, yield physiology, and yield components in both systems. Additionally, the introduced wild alleles showed increased fitness related to root morphology, developmental processes, and abiotic stress responses in the organic agro-ecosystem. Concluding the genetic analysis, we demonstrate that breeding of organically adapted varieties should be conducted in an organically managed agro-ecosystem, focusing on root-related traits, to close the yield gap towards conventional farming.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-024-00962-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140895407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Considering farming management at the landscape scale: descriptors and trends on biodiversity. A review","authors":"Théo Brusse,&nbsp;Kévin Tougeron,&nbsp;Aude Barbottin,&nbsp;Laura Henckel,&nbsp;Frédéric Dubois,&nbsp;Ronan Marrec,&nbsp;Gaël Caro","doi":"10.1007/s13593-024-00966-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-024-00966-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Farming management and alterations in land cover play crucial roles in driving changes in biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and the provision of ecosystem services. Whereas land cover corresponds to the identity of cultivated/non-cultivated ecosystems in the landscape, farming management describes all the components of farming activities within crops and grassland (i.e., farming practices, crop successions, and farming systems). Despite extensive research on the relationship between land cover and biodiversity at the landscape scale, there is a surprising scarcity of studies examining the impacts of farming management on biodiversity at the same scale. This is unexpected given the already recognized field-scale impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the fact that most species move or supplement their resources in multiple patches across agricultural landscapes. We conducted a comprehensive literature review aimed at answering two fundamental questions: (1) What components of farming management are considered at the landscape scale? (2) Does farming management at the landscape scale impact biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions and services? We retrieved 133 studies through a query on the Web of Science, published from January 2005 to December 2021 addressing the broad notion of farming management at the landscape scale. The key findings are as follows: (1) The effect of farming management components at the landscape scale on biodiversity was tackled in only 41 studies that highlighted that its response was highly taxon-dependent. They reported positive effects of organic farming on pollinators, weeds, and birds, as well as positive effects of extensification of farming practices on natural enemies. (2) Most studies focused on the effect of organic farming on natural enemies and associated pests, and reported contrasting effects on these taxa. Our study underscores the challenges in quantifying farming management at the landscape scale, and yet its importance in comprehending the dynamics of biodiversity and related ecosystem services.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140845228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A method to account for diversity of practices in Conservation Agriculture","authors":"Manon S. Ferdinand,&nbsp;Philippe V. Baret","doi":"10.1007/s13593-024-00961-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-024-00961-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Conservation Agriculture (CA) is actively promoted as an alternative farming system that combines environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Three pillars define CA: (i) minimum mechanical soil disturbance, (ii) permanent soil organic cover, and (iii) species diversification. The local context, constraints, and needs of the farmers influence the translation of the pillars into practices. Currently, there is no method for categorizing this diversity of CA practices, which hampers impact assessment, understanding of farmer choices and pathways, stakeholder communication, and policymaking. This paper presents a systematic method to identify and categorize the diversity of CA practices at the regional level, anchored in the three pillars and based on practices implemented by CA farmers. The classification method is grounded on the intersection of an archetypal analysis and a hierarchical clustering analysis. This method was used to study CA practices in Wallonia, Belgium, based on a survey of practices in a sample of 48 farmers. Combining the two clustering methods increases the proportion of classified farmers while allowing for the distinction between three CA-types with extreme and salient practices, and two intermediate CA-types comprising farmers whose practices fall between these references. The study reveals that three explanatory factors influence the implementation of CA practices in Wallonia: (i) the proportion of tillage-intensive crops and (ii) temporary grasslands in the crop sequence, and (iii) the organic certification. These factors lead to trade-offs that hinder the three pillars of CA from being fully implemented simultaneously. This new classification method can be replicated in other regions where CA is practiced, by adapting input variables according to context and local knowledge.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-024-00961-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140845077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cultivar mixtures increase crop yields and temporal yield stability globally. A meta-analysis","authors":"Tiantian Huang,&nbsp;Thomas F. Döring,&nbsp;Xiaoru Zhao,&nbsp;Jacob Weiner,&nbsp;Pengfei Dang,&nbsp;Maoxue Zhang,&nbsp;Miaomiao Zhang,&nbsp;Kadambot H. M. Siddique,&nbsp;Bernhard Schmid,&nbsp;Xiaoliang Qin","doi":"10.1007/s13593-024-00964-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-024-00964-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cultivar mixtures have been proposed as a way to increase diversity and thereby improve plant production, but our understanding of the effects of mixing cultivars on crop diseases and resource-use efficiency remains fragmentary. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the effects of cultivar mixtures on crop yield, yield stability, resource-use efficiency, and disease severity compared with monocultures of twelve major crops. We found that, overall, mixing of cultivars increased crop yield by 3.82%. Yield gains from mixing cultivars were highest in rice (+16.1%), followed by maize (+8.5%), and were lowest in barley (+0.9%) and sorghum (no increase). Temporal yield stability increased with the number of cultivars in the mixtures. Overall, mixing cultivars increased crop biomass, leaf area index, photosynthetic rate, and Water-use efficiency by 5.1, 7.2, 8.5 and 4.3%, respectively, and decreased disease incidence by 24.1%. Cultivar mixtures were more effective in mitigating diseases and increasing yields in studies performed at lower latitudes, higher mean annual temperatures, and higher mean annual precipitation. Our study complements and adds to previous research, indicating that cultivar mixtures reduce crop losses to disease and enhance resource-use efficiency compared with monocultures globally. We conclude that the targeted use of cultivar mixtures with appropriate management practices can reduce resource and pesticide inputs while maintaining high yields, thereby promoting sustainable and productive agriculture.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3>\u0000<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140637565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thresholds and prediction models to support the sustainable management of herbivorous insects in wheat. A review","authors":"Daniel J. Leybourne,&nbsp;Kate E. Storer,&nbsp;Abigail Marshall,&nbsp;Nasamu Musa,&nbsp;Samuel Telling,&nbsp;Laurie Abel,&nbsp;Sacha White,&nbsp;Steve Ellis,&nbsp;Po Yang,&nbsp;Pete M. Berry","doi":"10.1007/s13593-024-00965-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-024-00965-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Wheat is one of the most important arable crops grown worldwide, providing a significant proportion of the daily calorific intake for countries across the globe. Wheat crops are attacked by a diverse range of herbivorous invertebrates, pests, that cause significant yield loss. It is anticipated that yield loss caused by pests will increase in response to a changing climate. Currently, these pests are primarily controlled using pesticides; however, there is an increased need for more sustainable pest management solutions. Economic thresholds represent one avenue that can support the sustainable management of pests. Briefly, thresholds are the number of pests above which there is sufficient risk of yield loss. Here, we review the economic thresholds and prediction methods available for sustainable pest management in wheat. We focus on five economically damaging pests affecting wheat crops in the UK and Europe. For each, we highlight the key period of crop risk to pest attack, identify economic thresholds, and provide an overview of current decision support models that can help estimate crop risk and advise sustainable pest management; we end by proposing areas for future improvement for each pest. Furthermore, we take a novel approach by discussing economic thresholds and their applications to sustainable pest management within the context of crop physiology and the capacity for crops to tolerate pest damage, a consideration that is often overlooked when developing pest management strategies. We use the stem-boring pest, the gout fly, as a case study and use the economic injury level equation to conduct a theoretical assessment of the appropriateness of the current gout fly threshold. This theoretical assessment indicates that wheat crops can tolerate greater gout fly damage than currently considered, and shows that by incorporating crop physiology into sustainable pest tolerance schemes we can work towards developing more appropriate physiological-based pest thresholds.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-024-00965-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140637528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Case study analysis of innovative producers toward sustainable integrated crop-livestock systems: trajectory, achievements, and thought process","authors":"Fernanda Gomes Moojen,&nbsp;Julie Ryschawy,&nbsp;J. D. Wulfhorst,&nbsp;David W. Archer,&nbsp;Paulo César de Faccio Carvalho,&nbsp;John R. Hendrickson","doi":"10.1007/s13593-024-00953-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-024-00953-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) are more complex to properly manage than specialized farming systems due to multiple interactions between crops, livestock, and grassland. Despite individual and structural barriers to adopting sustainable ICLS, some innovative producers have successfully conducted integrated production practices. In this context, a research gap exists in understanding the motivations and incentives for transitioning to such systems. This study aims to address ICLS adoption barriers by analyzing the trajectory, achievements, and thought processes of 15 producers practicing ICLS. Our objectives were to (1) highlight producers’ perceptions of ICLS levers and barriers and (2) identify turning point factors that enabled producers to overcome the barriers. We used a unique set of cases in three continental regions (southern Brazil, the northern Great Plains region in the United States, and southern France) and conducted semi-structured interviews. Interviewees emphasized that ICLS imply dealing with barriers ranging from mindset change to operational adaptations, but they also emphasized the rewarding nature of ICLS when properly managed. All their trajectories had important turning points, such as programs or initiatives, human influence, and broader social and economic reasons that resulted in shifts in their production practices and thought processes. The cases also highlighted that integrating crops and livestock positively impacted family producers’ business outcomes, soil health, and livelihood options. Still, individual barriers, including operational management, and structural barriers, including stakeholder awareness and commitment, must be overcome. Encouraging initiatives that offer a systemic approach and promote knowledge exchange can address part of ICLS adoption barriers. Initiatives must embrace a broader innovation ecosystem, having extension teams in close contact with researchers and stakeholders to assist producers in providing support for a more sophisticated level of management that ICLS require. Overall, we found commonalities in consciousness and proactiveness in remarkable cases that could inspire broader sustainability transitions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-024-00953-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140637612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors influencing the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices for rice cultivation in Southeast Asia: a review","authors":"Sheng-Han-Erin Chang,&nbsp;Emmanuel O. Benjamin,&nbsp;Johannes Sauer","doi":"10.1007/s13593-024-00960-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-024-00960-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rice cultivation plays a vital role in the Southeast Asian (SEA) economy, but it poses environmental challenges and contributes a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. To address these concerns, sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) for rice production have been introduced to mitigate the environmental impact of rice production while fostering economic and social sustainability. However, the adoption of these practices remains limited, highlighting the need for a critical review of existing literature to gain deeper insights into the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of these practices in SEA countries. This review analyzed 39 manuscripts to assess the current state of SAPs for rice cultivation in SEA. We found that socio-demographic variables and farm management variables were frequently examined in these studies, with varying levels of significance. Economic and institutional variables were moderately studied and tended to have more significant findings. There is a noticeable research gap regarding behavioral factors, emphasizing the need for further investigation in SEA. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of conducting additional research to develop effective monetary and non-monetary incentives and explore methodologies to address the gaps in understanding farmers’ trade-offs and preferences among different SAPs. These efforts are crucial for promoting the widespread adoption of SAPs in rice cultivation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-024-00960-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140637702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"APSIM-based modeling approach to understand sorghum production environments in Mali","authors":"Madina Diancoumba,&nbsp;Jana Kholová,&nbsp;Myriam Adam,&nbsp;Mahamoudou Famanta,&nbsp;Benoît Clerget,&nbsp;Pierre C. S. Traore,&nbsp;Eva Weltzien,&nbsp;Michel Vacksmann,&nbsp;Greg McLean,&nbsp;Graeme L. Hammer,&nbsp;Erik J. van Oosterom,&nbsp;Vincent Vadez","doi":"10.1007/s13593-023-00909-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-023-00909-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Sorghum production system in the semi-arid region of Africa is characterized by low yields which are generally attributed to high rainfall variability, poor soil fertility, and biotic factors. Production constraints must be well understood and quantified to design effective sorghum-system improvements. This study uses the state-of-the-art in silico methods and focuses on characterizing the sorghum production regions in Mali for drought occurrence and its effects on sorghum productivity. For this purpose, we adapted the APSIM-sorghum module to reproduce two cultivated photoperiod-sensitive sorghum types across a latitude of major sorghum production regions in Western Africa. We used the simulation outputs to characterize drought stress scenarios. We identified three main drought scenarios: (i) no-stress; (ii) early pre-flowering drought stress; and (iii) drought stress onset around flowering. The frequency of drought stress scenarios experienced by the two sorghum types across rainfall zones and soil types differed. As expected, the early pre-flowering and flowering drought stress occurred more frequently in isohyets &lt; 600 mm, for the photoperiod-sensitive, late-flowering sorghum type. In isohyets above 600 mm, the frequency of drought stress was very low for both cultivars. We quantified the consequences of these drought scenarios on grain and biomass productivity. The yields of the highly-photoperiod-sensitive sorghum type were quite stable across the higher rainfall zones &gt; 600 mm, but was affected by the drought stress in the lower rainfall zones &lt; 600 mm. Comparatively, the less photoperiod-sensitive cultivar had notable yield gain in the driest regions &lt; 600 mm. The results suggest that, at least for the tested crop types, drought stress might not be the major constraint to sorghum production in isohyets &gt; 600 mm. The findings from this study provide the entry point for further quantitative testing of the Genotype × Environment × Management options required to optimize sorghum production in Mali.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-023-00909-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140637523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"APSIM’s origins and the forces shaping its first 30 years of evolution: A review and reflections","authors":"Brian Anthony Keating","doi":"10.1007/s13593-024-00959-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-024-00959-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Simulation models have co-evolved with agricultural research methods over the last 60 years and they are now a widely accepted and deployed component of agricultural research and development. Modelling supports research in a very diverse range of disciplines and situations, but nowhere more so than in farming systems research. The complex interactions in space and time in the face of climate variability and change that characterise contemporary farming systems research create a situation in which farming systems models are vital tools in interpreting and generalising research results. This review examines the evolution of one of the most widely used farming systems modelling platforms, the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM). The review sets the scene for APSIM development with an account of research approaches in agronomy during the 1960s and 1970s. The early innovations in crop and soil modelling in the 1980s are covered briefly and a more explicit history of APSIM development is reported from the 1990s. Reports of APSIM use and impact are reviewed over the 2000s and 2010s. The review concludes with reflections on the forces that have shaped and enabled this more than 30-year history of APSIM development and use, together with a look forward to future challenges. Recent developments in proximal and remote sensing together with advances in the power of empirical models arising from machine learning are not seen as threats but more so opportunities for sound bio-physical models to be deployed with greater effect.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"44 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-024-00959-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140603950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}