Given environmental, economic, and social costs of unilateral chemical and biotechnological interventions to control pests, there is an urgent need to transition towards a knowledge-intensive holistic approach emphasizing agroecosystem design and management. The focus will be on what makes agroecosystems susceptible and vulnerable to insect pests, pathogens and weeds, in order to design diversified agroecosystems that prevent and suppress insect pest, pathogen and weed problems. We propose a plant health model applicable to agroecosystems that feature biodiversity enhanced designs and soils rich in organic matter and microbial life, managed with low chemical loads. In such diversified farming systems, the general protection of the plant is a consequence of mutualistic above and below ground relationships between plants, insects, and soil microbial communities. From a practical standpoint, the approach involves (a) restoring plant diversity at the landscape and field level, with spatial and temporal crop combinations that deter pests and/or enhance natural enemies and (b) increasing soil organic matter through green or animal manures, compost and other amendments, which enhance antagonists that control soilborne pathogens. Polycultures promote a complex root exudate chemistry which plays an important role in recruitment of plant-beneficial microbes, some of which enhance plants’ innate immune system. Unleashing biotic interactions between plant diversity and increased microbial ecological activity generate conditions for the establishment of a diverse and active beneficial arthropod and microbial community above and below ground, essential for pest/disease regulation.

Modern agriculture depends on the production of very few crop species, which provide lower nutritive value for consumers. The present work summarizes the results of a three-year experiment on hulled wheat varieties as potential candidates for food system diversification. The organic field cultivation tests with 10 emmer and five einkorn landraces and varieties were conducted on ~10m² plots on sandy soil, and from 2017, under on-farm conditions in eastern Hungary. Most accessions adapted well to the marginal conditions, with some landraces even yielding higher than registered varieties—over 3 t per ha on average over three years. Compared to emmer, einkorn had higher maximum grain yields, but its yield performance varied more than that of emmer. Grain protein and the total phenolic content were high in both species. Compared to emmer, einkorn seeds exhibited a 3.8 times higher content of bound flavonoids and had 3.4 times higher antioxidant activity. Four einkorn accessions were resistant to leaf spot, as well as yellow and leaf rusts. Fusarium infected both species similarly. Our findings indicate that not only registered varieties of ancient wheat species but also their landraces can provide sustainable alternatives both for organic farmers and also for the diversification of agriculture.

Einkorn, emmer, and rivet are three species of wheat that have largely been neglected in modern agriculture. There is a revived interest in these species as potentially successful alternatives to mainstream wheat in organic and low-input cropping systems and as sources of highly nutritious food. However, the availability of literature studies concerning rotational positions and soil tillage management is still scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the field (cover, disease resistance, yield) and quality performance (protein, fats, fiber, polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity) of these species when organically grown in the United Kingdom. As part of the H2020 DIVERSIFOOD project, different cultivars of each species, including landraces, populations, old varieties, and where available, commercial varieties, were included in the experiment. Rotational position and tillage systems significantly affected the main agronomic performance of the minor cereals investigated, suggesting that low fertility and shallow-non-inversion tillage might be suitable options to manage tall species. Emmer showed the highest incidence of foliar diseases, whereas einkorn and rivet wheat appeared quasi-immune to the main fungal diseases (stripe rust, septoria). In addition, nutritional and nutraceutical investigation showed that the rotational position and soil management also affect metabolic pathways differently by species and within species, by genotype. Our results suggest a good potential to introduce these species in sustainable cropping systems. Furthermore, the interesting species and cultivar-by-management interactions observed can pave the way for future, better focused, research on these underutilized and underexplored species.

Given the substantial variation in global wheat yield, insufficient research in cultivar selection for climate change, and the lack of suitable germplasm in sustainable agroecosystems, there is a requisite for soft wheat genotypes, with stable grain yield as well as quality parameters. The present study was aimed at genotype evaluation (GGE biplot for “mean performance versus stability”) not only for yield, but also for technological, phytosanitary and functional quality parameters of 24 Triticum aestivum L. genotypes (eight landraces, old and modern varieties, respectively) within a single organic farm location (Argelato, Emilia-Romagna, Italy) over three consecutive years. Overall, high yield stability was shown for the landraces and old varieties. In particular, the landraces Piave and Gamba di Ferro, as well as the old variety Verna, showed high stability with above-average means for numerous quality parameters of interest. Additionally, relative stability combined with above-average mean for quality parameters was also demonstrated for the high-yielding Gentil Bianco and Guà 113. Aside from Verna, these “unrecognized” resilient genotypes were also shown to meet the requisites for suitable germplasm in sustainable agroecosystems. Future potential utilization of these more stable landraces in addressing climate change would also ultimately facilitate the survival of valuable genetic resources.

Effective pathogen management, as an aspect of agroecological crop protection (ACP) necessitates the replacement of copper (Cu) fungicides, but there is little knowledge relating to the performance of potentially suitable alternatives in large-scale, open-field agricultural settings. The present study was aimed at investigating the potential of Equisetum arvense (horsetail macerate) compared to Cu-based treatments for the control of Solanum lycopersicum. and Triticum turgidum ssp. durum fungal pathogens in established organic commercial farms located in Emilia Romagna (Italy) over a three-year period (2017–2019). Both the Cu-based and horsetail foliar sprays were routinely applied as preventative treatments and in the event of pathogen establishment as curative treatments. The Cu-based and horsetail macerate treatments were both equally effective at significantly reducing Phytophthora infestans (late blight) and increasing yield in tomato compared to the untreated control. For durum wheat, the horsetail macerate and Cu-based treatments were successful at significantly reducing Puccinia triticina (brown rust) infection and increasing yield under moderate infection, but unsuccessful under unfavorable meteorological conditions resulting in the combined and severe spread of Puccinia triticina, Fusarium graminearum, and Zymoseptoria tritici. From the present results, horsetail macerate is a promising and suitable Cu-free ACP alternative for late blight management of tomato.

Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a cereal well known for its ability to be successfully grown under drought and intense heat conditions, thus sustaining food security in arid regions. Considering that a trend of increasing drought severity is expected in the future in Southern Europe, solutions need to be found to enhance the resilience of agroecosystems to the effects of climate change. From this perspective, proso millet re-introduction could represent an interesting tool in reducing water consumption for grain production and in providing a new resource to farmers. The aim of this study was to characterize proso millet adaptability to drought and low-input field conditions in the Mediterranean environment, especially considering water-related traits, such as water use efficiency. Limited water-demanding crops and yield stability can contribute to the resilience of agroecosystems and their adaptation to climate change. A three-year field crop experiment was conducted in northern Italy to assess proso millet’s performance in terms of productivity and water status in rainfed agriculture conditions. It was compared to a conventional irrigated corn, a typical summer cereal of the area. All years of experimentation were characterized by adverse meteorological trends, in the full manifestation of the uncertainties of climate change. Despite such different conditions from an agro-meteorological point of view, proso millet showed, in non-irrigated conditions, stable yield and water use efficiency (on average 0.30 kg/m² and 1.83 kg/m³, respectively), and good agronomic performance. Proso millet, therefore, seems to offer interesting traits for reintroduction on the European side of the Mediterranean Basin, representing a resource for farmers. Moreover, the shortness of the proso millet life cycle (on average 108 days) allows it to be used as a catch crop in the event of major crop failure, an event becoming more likely in the climate change scenario. Furthermore, the possibility of producing grain while saving water (and other production inputs), even in very hot and dry years, increases the sustainability of agricultural production and the resilience of agroecosystems.