Regenerative Agronomic Practices in Cereal Production: Implications for Soil Health, Disease Management, Water-Use Efficiency, and Yield Stability

Abstract

Cereal production is increasingly constrained by soil degradation, water scarcity, climate variability, and rising disease and weed pressure. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the role of regenerative agronomic practices in cereal production, with particular emphasis on soil health, plant disease management, water-use efficiency, and yield stability. Available evidence consistently indicates that the greatest benefits arise not from individual practices but from integrated systems combining reduced tillage, crop residue retention, diversified crop rotations including legumes, cover crops, organic fertilization, and biologically based pest management. Such practices can increase soil biological activity and its ability to limit disease by enriching functionally beneficial microbial communities and limiting pathogens through competition for resources and niches, antibiosis, hyperparasitism, and the induction of plant resistance. They can also improve soil structure, water infiltration, water retention, and crop resilience to drought stress and, under certain conditions, reduce erosion, nutrient losses, and yield variability. However, the effects of regenerative practices are strongly dependent on soil type, climate, nitrogen balance, pest pressure, and the extent of adoption of regenerative practices. Risks may arise during the transition period, including yield declines, nitrogen immobilization, weed infestation, and increased disease pressure. Evaluation of these systems should encompass not only yield but also the grain quality and phytosanitary status, soil organic carbon stocks throughout the soil profile, N2O emissions, and production profitability. The review covers cereal systems from temperate, humid, arid and semi-arid zones, and the results were interpreted considering climate, soil quality, water availability, and agronomic practices, as the same practice can produce different effects in different agroecological zones. Further research should prioritize long-term, multifactorial experiments conducted across diverse agroecological environments that integrate agronomic performance, environmental sustainability, and crop quality.