Productive performance of alternative land covers along aridity gradients: ecological, agronomic and economic perspectives
The replacement of natural vegetation by pastures and extensive crops is generally driven by economic incentives and supported by technology improvements and multiple subsidies. However, towards areas of increasing aridity the productive performance of these replacements may decline from all perspec...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
2018
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X16303833#! http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/2165 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2016.08.004 |
| _version_ | 1855034915385507840 |
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| author | Murray, Francisco Baldi, Germán Bernard, Tamara von Viglizzo, Ernesto Francisco Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel |
| author_browse | Baldi, Germán Bernard, Tamara von Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel Murray, Francisco Viglizzo, Ernesto Francisco |
| author_facet | Murray, Francisco Baldi, Germán Bernard, Tamara von Viglizzo, Ernesto Francisco Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel |
| author_sort | Murray, Francisco |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | The replacement of natural vegetation by pastures and extensive crops is generally driven by economic incentives and supported by technology improvements and multiple subsidies. However, towards areas of increasing aridity the productive performance of these replacements may decline from all perspectives – ecological to agronomic to economic – due to intrinsic differences in the structural and physiological adjustment of natural and cultivated vegetation to reduced and fluctuating water availability. We compare natural woody vegetation, perennial C4 pastures and annual crops (maize, soybean and wheat) along a gradient of decreasing precipitation (900–400 mm of annual mean) encompassing the current agricultural frontier of the Dry Chaco and Western Espinal ecoregions of South America. We assess (i) aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) (ii) yields of product dry mass, edible energy and protein outputs and, (iii) economic gross profits and return of investment. We linked climatic with yield data from national statistics, field trials and empiric models, together with productive parameters and market prices obtained from local consultants and economic bulletins. Maize achieved the highest ANPP of all vegetation covers (+ 42% in average compared to the rest) along the entire precipitation gradient, while the rest of the crops were very similar to natural vegetation. Pastures approached the ANPP of natural vegetation in the humid range, but had the lowest performance below 700 mm (− 15%). Along the entire precipitation gradient, maize was outstanding in mass and edible energy yield while soybean was so in protein production. Soybean had the highest gross profit per hectare (+ 50%) and total capital return of investment (+ 70%). Pastures offered the highest functional capital return of investment (+ 98%; without fixed capital, infrastructure and land value costs), explaining their relevance at the onset of the deforestation process and the gradual prevalence of crops afterwards. While agronomic and economic incentives for natural vegetation replacement remain strong along the whole aridity gradient, crop choice rather than land use system seem to shape the key ecological process of net primary productivity. |
| format | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| id | INTA2165 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publishDateRange | 2018 |
| publishDateSort | 2018 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA21652019-03-27T13:52:45Z Productive performance of alternative land covers along aridity gradients: ecological, agronomic and economic perspectives Murray, Francisco Baldi, Germán Bernard, Tamara von Viglizzo, Ernesto Francisco Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel Pastizales Cobertura de Suelos Zona Arida Factores Ecológicos Costos Pastures Land Cover Arid Zones Ecological Factors Costs Vegetación Natural The replacement of natural vegetation by pastures and extensive crops is generally driven by economic incentives and supported by technology improvements and multiple subsidies. However, towards areas of increasing aridity the productive performance of these replacements may decline from all perspectives – ecological to agronomic to economic – due to intrinsic differences in the structural and physiological adjustment of natural and cultivated vegetation to reduced and fluctuating water availability. We compare natural woody vegetation, perennial C4 pastures and annual crops (maize, soybean and wheat) along a gradient of decreasing precipitation (900–400 mm of annual mean) encompassing the current agricultural frontier of the Dry Chaco and Western Espinal ecoregions of South America. We assess (i) aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) (ii) yields of product dry mass, edible energy and protein outputs and, (iii) economic gross profits and return of investment. We linked climatic with yield data from national statistics, field trials and empiric models, together with productive parameters and market prices obtained from local consultants and economic bulletins. Maize achieved the highest ANPP of all vegetation covers (+ 42% in average compared to the rest) along the entire precipitation gradient, while the rest of the crops were very similar to natural vegetation. Pastures approached the ANPP of natural vegetation in the humid range, but had the lowest performance below 700 mm (− 15%). Along the entire precipitation gradient, maize was outstanding in mass and edible energy yield while soybean was so in protein production. Soybean had the highest gross profit per hectare (+ 50%) and total capital return of investment (+ 70%). Pastures offered the highest functional capital return of investment (+ 98%; without fixed capital, infrastructure and land value costs), explaining their relevance at the onset of the deforestation process and the gradual prevalence of crops afterwards. While agronomic and economic incentives for natural vegetation replacement remain strong along the whole aridity gradient, crop choice rather than land use system seem to shape the key ecological process of net primary productivity. EEA San Luis Fil: Murray, Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis. Agencia de Extensión Rural San Luis; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis; Argentina Fil: Baldi, Germán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis. Grupo de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina Fil: Bernard, Tamara von. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis. Grupo de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina Fil: Viglizzo, Ernesto Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Centro Regional La Pampa-San Luis; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis. Grupo de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina 2018-04-04T15:31:56Z 2018-04-04T15:31:56Z 2016-11 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X16303833#! http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/2165 0308-521X https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2016.08.004 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess application/pdf Agricultural systems 149 : 20-29. (November 2016) |
| spellingShingle | Pastizales Cobertura de Suelos Zona Arida Factores Ecológicos Costos Pastures Land Cover Arid Zones Ecological Factors Costs Vegetación Natural Murray, Francisco Baldi, Germán Bernard, Tamara von Viglizzo, Ernesto Francisco Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel Productive performance of alternative land covers along aridity gradients: ecological, agronomic and economic perspectives |
| title | Productive performance of alternative land covers along aridity gradients: ecological, agronomic and economic perspectives |
| title_full | Productive performance of alternative land covers along aridity gradients: ecological, agronomic and economic perspectives |
| title_fullStr | Productive performance of alternative land covers along aridity gradients: ecological, agronomic and economic perspectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Productive performance of alternative land covers along aridity gradients: ecological, agronomic and economic perspectives |
| title_short | Productive performance of alternative land covers along aridity gradients: ecological, agronomic and economic perspectives |
| title_sort | productive performance of alternative land covers along aridity gradients ecological agronomic and economic perspectives |
| topic | Pastizales Cobertura de Suelos Zona Arida Factores Ecológicos Costos Pastures Land Cover Arid Zones Ecological Factors Costs Vegetación Natural |
| url | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X16303833#! http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/2165 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2016.08.004 |
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