Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1.1.5. Ecological impact
The results show a markedly reduced ecological footprint of the organic systems (icluding
biodynamic) in production of wheat (
Triticum aestivum
L. 'Antonius') and spelt (
Triticum
spelta
L. 'Ebners rotkorn'), mainly due to the absence of external production factors. When
yields were also considered, the organic systems again had a reduced overall footprint per
product unit and increased ecological efficiency of production. Thus, this farming systems
present viable alternatives for reducing the impact of agriculture on environmental degrada‐
tion and climate change. Nevertheless, room for improvement exists in the area of machinery
use in all systems studied and yield improvement in the organic farming system [33].
2. Organic production of pseudocereals
2.1. General characteristics
Pseudocereals described in this topic include dicotyledonous field crops of various botanical
families i.e. common buckwheat (
Fagopyrum esulentum
Moench) family
Polygonancae,
quinoa
(
Chenopodium quinoa
Willd
.)
family
Chenopodiace
and grain amaranths (
Amaranthus caudatus,
A. cruentus, A. hypohondriacus
) family
Amaranthaceae
, which were traditional food in Asia from
10
th
to11
th
BC, of Inca's and Aztec civilization, respectively. Their production (Table 2) has
become more and more interesting, due to grains nutritional and healthy value, especially if
they are gown organically. For those the own experiences at the farm and in research are again
evaluated within the scope of new findings cited in research databases.
These crops have an extensive diversification among genotypes, which were utilized and
adapted under specific environments; consequently their increasing introductions in the new
environments differ in expression of genetic potential of yield and duration of vegetation
period to reach full maturity. The main limitations for production under European temperate
climate and its above sea altitudes are frost free days during vegetation period and necessary
effective temperatures for active photosynthesis (assimilation), except in buckwheat where the
temperatures exceeding 24
o
C cease pollination and stop growth due to short day-length in
some genotypes. The main preferences are well adaptation of quinoa and amaranths to dry
conditions, soil pH and salinity, and also C
4
pathway in amaranths.
The grains vary in morphological characteristics, shape and weight; for example 1000-g seed
weight in buckwheat varies from 18 to 32 (38) g, in quinoa from 2 to 6 g, and in grain amaranths
from 0.3 to 1 g. These pseudocereals have a great possibility of niches organic products with
high nutritional and healthy value, suitable to diabetics and people with celiac disease, and
prohibited milk proteins, etc. In comparison with cereals, grains of these pseudocereals are
gluten free food, suitable for people with celiac disease, with higher protein content and their
rich amino acid composition, rich in fibers, polisaturated (gamma) fatty acids incl. squalene in
amaranths and minerals, etc. (Table 3), however composition depends also on milling fractions
and food processing. All three pseudocereals are rich in lysine (the first limiting essential amino
acid in cereals); quinoa also in histidine, isoleucine and metionine + cystine, its' consumption
