Introduction: Conservative agriculture with minimal adverse effects on the environment has been the subject of great interest recently as a means of promoting sustainable crop production and food security (Nkala et al., 2011). The approach is practiced in large-scale commercial agriculture. Conservative agriculture also encourages the optimal utilization of resources such as soil and water and helps the sustainability of products in the AGROECOSYSTEM (Stavi et al., 2016). Nonetheless, due to the diversity of conservation farming operations around the world, it is critical to prioritize different tillage methods according to cultivation conditions and climatic conditions (Miller et al., 2012). The main objective of this study was i) to assess the efficacy of different conservative soil tillage (minimum and/or zero tillage) in combination with crop residue and fertilizer management in achieving maximum crop production; and ii) to assess the effects of management practices on AGROECOSYSTEM PERFORMANCE using agronomic and environmental data and scoring function descriptions.Materials and methods: To achieve the goals, a field experiment was carried out involving 7 treatments with varying combinations of different tillage methods, crop residues and fertilizer management on a field of maize which was planted after the cultivation of a wheat crop. At the end of the growing season, the chemical and physical soil properties as well as the total yield of corn were measured. The physical and chemical parameters measured in the soil included electrical conductivity, field capacity, available water, porosity, pH, soil organic carbon, total crop biomass and maize yield. AGROECOSYSTEM PERFORMANCE was assessed using a computer program entitled the AGROECOSYSTEM PERFORMANCE Assessment Tool (AEPAT). It utilizes PERFORMANCE-based index methodology to derive a relative ranking of AGROECOSYSTEM PERFORMANCE among management practices for functions and indicators included in the procedure. Data measured by the software AEPAT are rated from 0-100 to calculate two AGROECOSYSTEM functions including conservation agriculture and food production.Results and discussion: The results showed that “stalk chopper+disc+100 kg N-fertilizer+ditcher” treatment resulted in the maximum amounts for field capacity (25.63%), available water (15.63%), porosity (49.2%) and organic carbon (0.73%). The highest total biomass (87.3 th-1) and ear yield (23.8 tha-1) was also obtained using this treatment. In contrast, the lowest amounts for these parameters were obtained with the “stubble burning + disc + ditcher” treatment. This was due to the stubble burning which increased the soil electrical conductivity and reduced the physical and chemical soil quality. On the other hand, leaving the on-farm residue in place plays an important role in regulating electrical conductivity and soil salinity. It can be concluded that the type of agriculture practiced affects the soil physicochemical properties to a high extent. Leaving crop residue in the field may increase the soil biological activity resulting in soil porosity and aggregation. The analysis on sustainability of agricultural practices showed that “stalk chopper+disc+100 kg N-fertilizer+ditcher” treatment had the highest score for AGROECOSYSTEM PERFORMANCE (61.21) in terms of both optimum yield and sustainability. The lowest score of 7.63 was obtained with “stubble burning+disc+ditcher” treatment.Conclusion: In conclusion, it was demonstrated that conservative tillage in combination with crop residue not only led to a higher maize yield but also improved the soil quality. Nonetheless, for conservative tillage to be effective adequate N-fertilizer, as a starter to provide needed crop growth nutrients, must be applied. In addition, the efficiency of the indexing score is critical in discriminating between different agricultural practices within and across AGROECOSYSTEM functions. The agricultural practices had a direct effect on AGROECOSYSTEM PERFORMANCE and the soil physicochemical properties can be used as an index to assess AGROECOSYSTEM function and PERFORMANCE.

Introduction The conventional agricultural ecosystems (AGROECOSYSTEMs) are the complex systems which in order to produce the higher amount of food, fiber, feed and fuel have been significantly manipulated. Rapid growth of world population and demand for agricultural products resulted in higher pressure on AGROECOSYSTEMs. In recent decades achieving to maximum production was the main goal of conventional agriculture. In order to increase yield on production usually these AGROECOSYSTEMs need to external inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides which have the negative effects on human health and also environment. Sustainable and healthy AGROECOSYSTEMs are based on profitable farms that use fewer external inputs, integrate animal and plant production where appropriate, maintain a higher biotic diversity, emphasize eco friendly technologies that are appropriate to the scale of production, and efficiently use the renewable forms of energy. For example diversifying the farm with several crops or using appropriate rotation helps to reduce the risk of biotic and abiotic stresses. The complex nature of AGROECOSYSTEM implies that any evaluation of AGROECOSYSTEM health must consider the dynamics of multiple components. The current paper presents an applied method to evaluate AGROECOSYSTEM health using a number of main indicators. Materials and Methods In order to study the AGROECOSYSTEM health in four eastern provinces of Iran (i. e. Sistan and Baluchestan, South khorasan, Razavi Khorasan and North Khorasan) during 2002-2011 the current survey was conducted. The required data and information obtained from statistical database and also questionnaires. For each year the total value of AGROECOSYSTEM health calculated using 29 different indices. Different indices calculated based on their scientific definitions. For example property distribution index calculated by dividing the total area of agricultural lands on number of farmer in each city. Because of different nature of selected indicesand also wide range of them, in order to facilitate comparison all of the calculated indicesnormalized using the equation (1), in this equation Xnorm is the normalized value of each index, Xmax and Xmin are the highest and lowest value of X, respectively. Equation (1):    max min min X X Xnorm X X    Results and Discussion Based on results the highest value of structural health was calculated for Sistan and Baluchestan province and the lowest value was for Razavi KhorasanIt seems that in Sistan and Baluchestan the higher values for some of the indicessuch as area under cultivation of forage and perennial crops, appropriate use of agricultural machinery and also plant diversity improved the structural health. The similar results also observed for organizational health. Lower use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers are the main reason for better conditions of organizational health in Sistan and Baluchestan province. The result for functional health was different and the best condition of functional health observed in Razavi Khorasan whereas the worst condition observed in South Khorasan. The higher value of functional health of AGROECOSYSTEM in Razavi Khorasan province mainly is because of good conditions of soil structure and higher yield of different crops such as forage, vegetables, industrial crops and cereals. Considering the total AGROECOSYSTEM health the highest value observed in Razavi Khorasan followed by Sistan and Baluchestan, North Khorasan and South Khorasan. Based on our classification total AGROECOSYSTEM health in South Khorasan province was very poor and in other provinces was poor. The main reasons for the low value of AGROECOSYSTEM health in all of the studied provinces are: soil compaction, low rainfall, using traditional methods of irrigation, insufficient cultivation of forage and perennial crops and also nitrogen fixing legumes. The fertilizer use efficiency in all of the provinces is low and these conditions could be harmful either for human and environment health. Conclusion Based on results the total AGROECOSYSTEM health in South Khorasan province was very poor whereas in other three provinces total AGROECOSYSTEM health was poor. The main reasons for bad condition of AGROECOSYSTEM health in these provinces are: soil compaction because of unsuitable use of agricultural machinery, the low amount of precipitations, nitrogen use efficiency and area under cultivation of perennial, forage and nitrogen fixing crops. It seems that solving these problem using different methods such as increasing agrochemical use efficiency, applying good rotation and increasing water use efficiency could improve the total AGROECOSYSTEM health in the eastern provinces of Iran. Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the financial support of the project by Vice President for Research and Technology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran.

In order to develop a sustainability index (SI) for quantifying the sustainability of a wheat-cotton AGROECOSYSTEM, a study was conducted in 2003 in the Khorassan province. Data of socio-economic, agronomic and ecological indicators were collected using 518 questionnaires. Results showed that only 18.6 percent of farmers gained the half or more of SI scores. The mean SI score was 44.0 which indicate that these agro ecosystems are not sustainable. Results of this study are in consistent with other reports in other regions of the country. Livestock production, crop production, and water and irrigation indicators had the lowest score (6, 31, and 37, respectively). The backward stepwise regression analysis indicated that SI can be predicted from a linear combination of field size, wheat yield, crop residue management, crop income and education and extension services, while application of chemical fertilizers did not add to the prediction ability of SI. Results also showed that any progress in farmers' education, economic viability, crop production management and water use efficiency could improve overall sustainability of these AGROECOSYSTEMs substantially.

Introduction: In the last century, AGROECOSYSTEMs have been considered as production units despite their range of functions. The variety of methods used to maximize production have had a negative impact on the dimensions and functions of the AGROECOSYSTEM (Alkorta et al., 2004). Industrial agriculture methods have resulted in a series of negative environmental effects such as contamination of surface drainage and groundwater with pesticides and highly-soluble chemical fertilizers, soil compaction by excessive use of machinery, reduction in biodiversity, overexploitation of natural resources, and high rates of carbon emission due to direct or indirect consumption of petroleum. In different parts of the world, especially in developed countries, the expansion of agricultural lands and the intensification of production methods reach their socioeconomic and environmental limitations. Therefore sustainable agriculture with its holistic principles have a key role in finding solutions for these challenges. The correct management of soil, water and fertilizer is critical for sustainable agriculture, because such management can increase food production and enhance the quality of the environment. Evaluation of different aspects of AGROECOSYSTEM health (i. e. structural, functional, and organizational) is an acceptable method for monitoring and comparing systems (Xu and Mage, 2001). The current study has been performed to determine the trend of changes in AGROECOSYSTEM health in the three northern provinces of Iran. Materials and methods: The current survey was conducted in order to compare the health status of AGROECOSYSTEMs in three important Northern provinces of Iran (Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan) during the period of 2002-11. The required data and information was obtained from a formal statistical database. Different indicators selected and calculated based on their scientific definitions (Mohammadi et al., 2016; Vafabakhsh et al., 2007) and for each year the total numerical value for health conditions was calculated using different indicators. Because of the different nature of selected indicators and also their wide range, in order to facilitate a comparison of all the calculated indicators normalized using the appropriate equations. Results and discussion: Based on results in all of the studied years, the highest value of structural health calculated was for Mazandaran Province and the lowest value was for Gilan Province. In all three provinces, the trend of changes in structural health during the study period was incremental. It seems that in Mazandaran, the higher values for some of the calculated indicators such as area pressurized irrigation, machinery applications, cropping intensity, and agronomic diversity improved the structural health compared to other provinces under study. The same results were also observed for functional health and in all years of study except 2004, the highest values of functional health calculated for Mazandaran agro-ecosystems. The main reasons for better conditions of functional health in Mazandaran were higher values of different indicators such as yield of irrigated and dryland cereals, yield of pulses and kitchen garden plants, production costs and nitrogen use efficiency. The organizational health status was somewhat different. During the first six years the organizational health in Golestan was higher, while in the rest of the years Mazandaran had better organizational health status than the other two provinces. The higher organizational health in Golestan was due to the higher value of different indicators such as dryland cropping intensity, dryland area/irrigated land area, application of chemical fertilizers and application of chemical pesticides. Conclusion: Based on the results during the years of study, the total AGROECOSYSTEM health in Mazandaran was higher than in the two other provinces. Golestan ranked second and Gilan third. The structural and organizational health of AGROECOSYSTEMs in Mazandaran had a more effective role in its higher health. AGROECOSYSTEMs of Gilan were weakest in all three criteria. In Golestan, the organizational health of AGROECOSYSTEMs was better than functional and structural health.

Introduction: Investigating the potential global warming, greenhouse gas emissions and energy flow is one of the methods for comparing the agricultural systems in terms of environmental hazards. This research examines the energy flow and greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, N2O and CH4) in rapeseed (Brassica Napus L) in North Khorasan province of Iran. Material and Methods: This research was studied separately in three regions of East, West and South in North Khorasan Province. Energy input values of rapeseed fields were collected using a face-to-face questionnaire in the 2020-2019 crop years. Results: The results showed that the total input energy was 35809. 68 MJ. ha-1 and the total output energy was 128545. 05 MJ. ha-1. Energy use efficiency was 1. 34 and energy productivity was 0. 055 kg/MJ. ha-1. Among the studied areas, the highest energy efficiency with an average of 1. 54 and the highest energy productivity of 0. 064 kg/MJ. ha-1 was related to the western region. Direct and indirect input energies were 61. 77% and 38. 23%, respectively, the study of greenhouse gas emissions showed that CO2, N2O and CH4 emissions were estimated to be 1417. 04, 3. 09 and 1. 90 kg. ha-1, respectively. The global warming potential was calculated as 2413. 38 kg equivalent of carbon dioxide per hectare, with the share of CH4 1%, CO2 58% and N2O 41%. Conclusion: The best area for rapeseed production in this province is the western area and the southern area is not a suitable area for the development of this crop. However, by managing energy consumption, planting date and managing the use of chemical fertilizers, energy efficiency in canola production in the southern region of North Khorasan province can be improved.

Introduction: Due to its multifunctional nature agriculture play important roles in ecological processes such as carbon sequestration, flood control, groundwater recharge, nutrient cycling, and purifying water, soil and air in addition to providing food, feed and fiber. These cover almost all ecological services provided by natural ecosystems, including provisioning services, regulating services, supporting services and cultural services (MEA, 2005).Provisioning services are the products obtained from ecosystems, including food, fiber and fuel. Regulating services are the benefits arising from the regulation of ecosystem processes, such as climate regulation, water purification, pollination and the control of pests and diseases. Cultural services are the non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems, as spiritual enrichment, recreation and aesthetic experiences. Supporting services are those services necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services, such as soil formation and nutrient cycling (Norris et al., 2010). However, most of these services are not recognized and their values are hidden to the society. On the other hand, unlike natural ecosystems that only produce positive ecological services, agro-ecosystems also contribute to some negative externalities e.g. emission of greenhouse gases, leaching of chemicals into soil and water resources and reduction of biodiversity that should be taken into account (Norris et al., 2010). Economic valuation of these services makes them attractive for the society and policymakers to pay more attention towards conservation of ecosystem services. In Iran, studies on ecosystem services are scared and in global scale researches are mainly focused on natural ecosystems. In this study the economic value of ecological services as well as negative environmental externalities of wheat fields were estimated in the Khorasan Razavi province.Materials and methods Information was extracted from questionnaires collected from 40 fields varying in area, management and inputs level. Using these data economic value of feed and food, carbon sequestration, oxygen production, biodiversity, water retention and tourism together with greenhouse gas emission and nitrogen and phosphorous leakage as environmental externalities was quantified. Calculations were based on standard methods described by Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Economic values were estimated as international dollar as proposed by De Groot et al. (2012) and reported as equivalent national price.Results and discussion The mean value of the total agroeco system services of wheat fields excluding externalities, were estimated as 66.85×106 Rls.ha-1.y-1. The value of non-marketable services was 3.46 times more than food and feed and on average atmospheric services (oxygen production and carbon sequestration) contributed up to 62% of total value while biodiversity and provisional services included 9.3 and 21% of total, respectively and the other services below 5%. Net value of services was increased with increasing field size. However, doubling field size resulted in 50% increase in net value because larger fields were more intensified leading to higher negative impacts.Economic value of services was significantly dependent on wheat total dry matter and yield. Nonlinear relationwas found between wheat yield and total value of services where a break point was found at yields above 4 t.ha-1. However, negative externalities were increased linearly with increasing both total dry matter and grain yield.Conclusion Results of this study indicated that despite to intensive management wheat production systems of Khorasan province are able to provide several regulating and supporting services and their economic value is 3-4 folds higher than provisional services harvested as grain and feed. However, negative externalities will be increased in more intensified fields with higher yield. Feeding a growing human population is obviously critically important and can only be done by recognizing and embracing the concept that food production systems are embedded within ecosystems. They depend on ecosystem services and have ecosystem impacts. Promotion of multifunctional characteristics of AGROECOSYSTEMs to maintain high yield together with ecological services, should be considered as an alternative for conventional management practices.

IntroductionEcosystem services are usually divided into four categories: (a) provision services, (b) regulating services, (C) cultural services and (d) supporting services. Ecosystem services are managed in AGROECOSYSTEMs primarily for food production. But, agricultural ecosystems provide provision, regulating and cultural services for human society. These services respond strongly to human socio-economic needs. Quantifying the various services and functions of AGROECOSYSTEMs is one of the most important effective strategies in order to increase attention pay to these services. Therefore, the purpose of this study was evaluation and quantification of ecosystem services in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) AGROECOSYSTEMs of Dasht-e-Naz, Sari.Materials and MethodsThis experiment was performed as an unbalanced completely design in wheat AGROECOSYSTEMs of Dasht-e-Naz, Sari (Mazandaran province), during 2019-2020. In this study, 9 wheat plots with 4 cultivars including Tirgan, Ehsan, Collector and N-92-9 were surveyed and monitored. In this study, some ecosystem services such as insect and weed biodiversity (using Shannon-Weiner, Simpson, Margalf, Uniformity and Menhinick indices), soil microbial respiration, carbon sequestration, organic matter, abundance of earthworms, grain yield, protein content oxygen production, and soil protection (by the stability of aggregates) were evaluated and quantified. Soil samples were taken from a depth of 0-30 cm before wheat planting in November 2019 and after harvest in June 2020 for assessment of rate of microbial respiration, organic matter and carbon sequestration. Also, oxygen production was estimated based on net primary production. Sampling of yield and plant biodiversity was harvested based on W pattern and with quadrate 0.5 × 0.5 m2. All samples were moved to the crop research laboratory of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the plant flora was determined by genus and species names.Results and DiscussionThe results showed that crop management and PERFORMANCE of intensive agricultural system were effective on providing many services of ecosystems in wheat fields of Dasht-e-Naz, Sari. These services are influenced by several factors such as cultivar type, crop rotation, tillage, etc. The results showed that the effect of different cultivars was significant on grain yield and protein percentage. The highest percentage of grain protein as a provision service was obtained from Ehsan cultivar (12.15%) and the lowest content was obtained about 11.42% from N-92-9 cultivar. The highest wheat grain yield and oxygen production were calculated from plots under Collector cultivar. In additional, the highest amount of carbon sequestration (2.33 ton/ha) and microbial respiration rate in before planting and after harvest (76.46 and 38.52 mg CO2 per kg of soil per day, respectively) belonged to plot 15. Also, it was determined that plot 15 was better than other plots from soil protection service view based on the diameter mean weight index (MWD) and the geometric mean diameter index (GMD). In this research, three beneficial insects (biodiversity assessment) were observed such as Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus and Aphidius matricariae, and Chrysoperla carnea. The highest values of Shannon-Weiner and uniformity indices of weeds were as 2.63 and 0.82 in plots 23 and 15, respectively. Furthermore, Shannon-Weiner and uniformity indices of insect communities were obtained as 2.07 and 0.94 from plot 22, respectively.Conclusion Generally, carbon sequestration, organic matter, microbial respiration, earthworm abundance, aggregate stability index, average weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter index (GMD) were better in plots 14 and 15 under wheat cultivation  than other plots. The results of this study showed that crop management and implementation of intensive agricultural system were effective in providing many ecosystem services in wheat fields in Dasht-e Naz region of Sari. So that, these services were affected by several factors such as cultivar, crop rotation and tillage methods.AcknowledgmentThe authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and Dr. Hamid Sakinin for his help.

Monetary valuation of agroecoystem services makes them attractive for the society and policy makers should pay more attention to conservation of these services. In this study, the economic value of services as well as negative environmental externalities of saffron fields were estimated in the Khorasan Razavi province during 2015. Information was extracted from questionnaires collected from 75 fields. Using these data, economic values (such as O2 production, food, biodiversity and tourism) together with environmental externalities (including greenhouse gas emission and N and P leakage) were computed based on international value of dollar. Based on the results of the study, the mean values of the AGROECOSYSTEM services of saffron field such as O2 production, food, biodiversity and cultural services were estimated to be 54. 21×106, 266. 84×106, 60. 24×106, 29. 6×106 and 10. 58×106 Rls ha-1. y-1, respectively. The shares of these services were up to 39, 35, 19 and 7 percent of total value, respectively. The ranges of environmental externalities such as greenhouse gas emission and N and P leakage were estimated to be-18. 54×106 to-8. 18×106 and-5. 18×106 to-4. 07×106 Rls ha-1. y-1. The mean value of the total AGROECOSYSTEM services of saffron fields excluding externalities, were estimated to be 136. 57×106 Rls ha-1 y-1.