Agroecological potential of einkorn (Triticum monococcum L.) in conventional, organic and biodynamic farming systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61308/SRGF7962Keywords:
Einkorn (Triticum monococcum L.), farming systems, physiological plasticity, water-use efficiency, yield resilienceAbstract
The agroecological potential of einkorn (Triticum monococcum L.) was evaluated under three farming systems - conventional, organic, and biodynamic, over two contrasting growing seasons (2020 - 2022) in Southeastern Bulgaria. The study assessed the physiological plasticity, yield components, and natural resistance to the cereal aphid Sitobion avenae. Results indicated that while the conventional system showed higher photosynthetic rates and spike length under favorable conditions, the organic and biodynamic systems exhibited superior resilience during drought. Biodynamic farming consistently achieved the highest instantaneous water-use efficiency (iWUE), increasing from 5.57 in 2021 to 6.48 in 2022, and maintained significantly higher thousand kernel weight (TKW) (33.00 - 36.35 g). Yield dynamics revealed that under stress, the organic system outperformed the conventional one, which suffered a 28% yield decline. Aphid infestation remained well below the economic threshold across all cultivation systems, with the lowest densities recorded in biodynamic and organic plots. These findings position einkorn as a strategic crop for agroecological intensification, capable of sustaining stable yields and enhancing ecological regulation under climate variability.
References
Atanasova, D. & Maneva, V. (2024). Influence of two farming systems on the productivity and biochemical characteristics of einkorn and rye. Bulgarian Journal of Crop Science, 61(5), 3 - 12. https://doi.org/10.61308/GKDO3810. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61308/GKDO3810
Birkhofer, K., Schaefer, M. & Scheu, S. (2008). Aphid suppression on barley as affected by different organic and conventional farming systems: Effects of farming systems on aphids. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 123(1–3), 235 - 240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2007.06.004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2007.06.004
Damyanova, S. (2016). Nutritional properties of einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum L.) – Review. Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Design, 14, 17 - 23.
Dinu, M., Whittaker, A., Pagliai, G., Benedettelli, S. & Sofi, F. (2021). Ancient wheat species and human health: Biochemical and clinical implications. Nutrients, 13, 1230. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041230
Evans, T. A., Johnson, S. N. & Gurr, G. M. (2020). Agroecological strategies to enhance aphid pest suppression: The role of field scale vegetation diversity. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 296, 106898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2020.106898. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2020.106898
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2020). The state of the world’s biodiversity for food and agriculture. FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Assessments. http://www.fao.org/3/CA3129EN/ca3129en.pdf.
Gálová, Z., Lacko Bartošová, M. & Vollmann, J. (2021). Nutritional potential and agronomic characteristics of ancient wheat species in organic farming. Plants, 10(9), 1903. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091903. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091903
Garratt, M. P. D., Wright, D. J. & Leather, S. R. (2010). The effects of farming system and fertilisers on pests and natural enemies: A synthesis of current research. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 141(3–4), 261 - 270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2011.03.014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2011.03.014
Heller, S., Gruber, S. & Bruns, C. (2022). Biodynamic agriculture: Scientific status and perspectives for future research. Agronomy, 12(1), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12010133. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12010133
Hristov, T., Manolova, V. & Petrov, D. (2022). Influence of insect pests on yield and quality parameters in ancient cereals. Journal of Plant Protection Research, 62(2), 165 - 174. https://doi.org/10.24425/jppr.2022.141358. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24425/jppr.2022.141358
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Climate change 2022: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Cambridge University Press. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844
Maneva, V., Atanasova, D. & Naydenov, M. (2019). Condition of soil, phytosanitary monitoring and yield of einkorn and wheat in conventional, organic and biodynamic farming. Bulgarian Journal of Soil Science, Agrochemistry and Ecology, 53(3–4), 63 - 75.
Nawaz, A., Farooq, M. & Cheema, S. A. (2020). Water use efficiency and physiological performance of wheat under contrasting management systems. Field Crops Research, 252, 107794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2020.107794. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2020.107794
Olesen, J. E. & Børgesen, C. D. (2021). Agricultural practices for climate adaptation and soil health improvement in cereal systems. Climate, 9(5), 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9050082. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9050082
Ponisio, L. C., M’Gonigle, L. K., Mace, K. C., Palomino, J., de Valpine, P. & Kremen, C. (2015). Diversification practices reduce organic to conventional yield gap. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282, 20141396. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1396. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1396
Poudel, M. R., Thapa, B., Dahal, K. R., Ghimire, Y. N., McDonald, A. J. & Devkota, K. P. (2021). Resource use efficiency in organic and conventional wheat systems. Field Crops Research, 262, 108033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2021.108033. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2020.108033
Pretty, J. & Bharucha, Z. P. (2014). Sustainable intensification in agricultural systems. Annals of Botany, 114(8), 1571 - 1596. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu205. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu205
Raupp, J. & König, U. J. (2017). Biodynamic agriculture today: An overview. Organic Agriculture, 7(2), 121 - 124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-013-0051-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-013-0051-1
Reganold, J. P. & Wachter, J. M. (2016). Organic agriculture in the twenty-first century. Nature Plants, 2(2), 15221. https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.221. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.221
Ronga, D., Catellani, A., Francia, E., Milc, J., Pecchioni, N. & Francia, E. (2023). Genetic and agronomic potential of ancient wheat species in sustainable agriculture. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 112345. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.112345.
Seufert, V., Ramankutty, N. & Mayerhofer, T. (2022). What is the yield gap between conventional and organic agriculture? Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 47, 341 - 375. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-120920-023825.
Tilman, D., Cassman, K. G., Matson, P. A., Naylor, R. & Polasky, S. (2002). Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices. Nature, 418(6898), 671 - 677. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01014
Tschumi, M., Albrecht, M., Entling, M. H. & Jacot, K. (2022). Flower strips and natural pest control in wheat fields. Biological Conservation, 265, 109406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109406. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109406
Van Emden, H. F. & Harrington, R. (Eds.). (2017). Aphids as crop pests (2nd ed.). CAB International. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781780647098.0000. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/9781780647098.0000
Zaharieva, M., Ayana, N., Al Hakimi, A., Monneveux, P. & Nachit, M. M. (2010). Cultivated emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum Schrank): An old crop with a promising future. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 57, 937 - 962. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-010-9538-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-010-9572-6
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
