Göran Bergkvist

Since July 2021, I am responsible for the subject area of weed ecology and weed managment at the Department of Crop Production Ecology. I have a history as associate professor and senior lecturer in crop production science, with focus on cropping systems at the same department. I am Vice Dean of Agricultural Sciences at the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences (NJ), chairman of the SLU Cropping System Platform, chairman of the Field Research Unit, a joint venture between SLU and stakeholders in agricultural field research, chairman of the Management board for long-term experiments, chairman of the steering group for Lövsta Field Rersearch Station and chairman of Regional Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden. 

I teach at all levels on courses related to crop production ecology on topics such as crop production in relation to environmental conditions, cultivation of annual crops, competition in short lived plant stands, crop rotations, cropping systems etc. I  supervise four PhD-students.

I do research on service crops and their functions in cropping systems, e.g. to manage weeds and support crops, particularly in the context of the need to develop cropping systems that are adapted to and help mitigate climate change, are less dependent on chemicals and heavy tillage to preserve their function, reduce risk of pollution, as well as enhance and take benefit from biodiversity. I also do research on crops and how to growth them for increased ecological and economical value with the aim to diversify farming for increased resilience and make it less dependent on external inputs. I take advantage of farmer knowledge and on farm conditions, as well as testing hypotheses in short and long term field experiments. Much of the research is inter- and/or trans-disciplinary.

I am assistant supervisor of  Rafaelle Reumaux, Pham Huu Thuong, Miguel Romero, Fatima El Koscht and Mahmoud Suliman. The following PhD-students gained their PhD degree under my supervision: Rafaelle Reumaux (2024, assistant supervisor), Tove Ortman (2024, main supervisor), Elsa Lagerquist (2023, main supervisor), Tarirai Muoni (2019, assistant), Moritz Reckling (2018, main supervisor), Raj Chongtham (2016, assistant), Björn Ringselle (2015, assistant), Linnea Asplund (2014, assistant), Shakhawat Hossain (2013, assistant) och Lena Engström (2010, assistant). Post docs under my supervision:  Darwin Hickman (2022-), Eirini Daouti (2022-2024), James Ajal (2022-), Pierre Chopin (2017-2020), Marcos Lana (2017-2019) and Björn Ringselle (2015-2017).

In peer reviewed journals

Some publications directed to stakholders in Swedish agriculture are presented on the Swedish web site (in Swedish).

Do, V.H., La, N.,  Bergkvist, G., Dahlin, A.S., Mulia, R. and Öborn, I (2025) Spatial and temporal variation in crop productivity and relation with soil fertility within upland agroforestry. Field Crops Research 320, 109675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109675.

Pham, H.T., Nguyen, L., Öborn, I.,  Bergkvist, G.,  Mulia, R. and  Dahlin S. (2024) Light distribution at the fruit tree-crop interface and consequences for yield in sloping upland agroforestry. Heliyon 10:e38655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38655

Sandström, E., Ortman, T., Watson, C., Bengtsson, J,  ·  Gustafsson, C. & Bergkvist, G. (2024) Saving, sharing and shaping landrace seeds in commons: unravelling seed commoning norms for furthering agrobiodiversity. Agric Hum Values. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-024-10581-4

Lagerquist, E., Vogeler, I., Kumar, U., Bergkvist, G., Lana, M., Watson, C.A., Parsons,D. (2024) Assessing the effect of intercropped leguminous service crops on main crops and soil processes using APSIM NG. Agricultural Systems 216,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103884.

Reumaux, R., Chopin, P. Bergkvist, G.,  Watson, C.A. and Öborn, I. (2023) Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) data allows identification of crop sequence patterns and diversity in organic and conventional farming systems. European Journal of Agronomy 149 126916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2023.126916

Johan Nilsson, J., El Khosht, F.F., Bergkvist, G., Öborn, I. and Tidåker, P. (2023) Effect of short-term perennial leys on life cycle environmental performance of cropping systems: An assessment based on data from a long-term field experiment, European Journal of Agronomy, 149, 126888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2023.126888.

Ringselle, B.,Brandsæter, L.O., Mangerud, K. and Bergkvist, G. (2023) Vertical rhizome disking to reduce Elymus repens (quackgrass) abundance in grass-clover leys. Crop Protection 172, 106301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2023.106301

Ortman, T., Sandström, E., Bengtsson, J., Watson, C. A. and Bergkvist, G. (2023) Farmers’ motivations for landrace cereal cultivation in Sweden. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture. doi.org/10.1080/01448765.2023.2207081

Chopin, P., Menegat, A., Bergkvist, G., Dahlke, S., ·  Jäck, O., ·  Karlsson, I.,·Lana, M.,·  Ortman, T., ·  Reumaux, R., ·  Öborn, I. and · Watson, C.A. (2023) The reflection of principles and values in worldwide organic agricultural research viewed through a crop diversification lens. A bibliometric review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 43, 23 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-023-00875-y

Boetzl, F. A., Douhan Sundahl, A., Friberg, H., Viketoft, M., Bergkvist, G., & Lundin, O. (2023). Undersowing oats with clovers supports pollinators and suppresses arable weeds without reducing yields. Journal of Applied Ecology, 00, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14361

Do, V.H., La, N., Bergkvist, G., Dahlin, A.S., Mulia, R.,  Nguyen, V.T., Öborn, I. (2023) Agroforestry with contour planting of grass contributes to terrace formation and conservation of soil and nutrients on sloping land, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 345, 108323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.108323.

Reckling, M., Albertsson, J., Vermue, A., Carlsson, G., Watson, C. A., Justes, E., Bergkvist, G., Jensen, E.S., Topp, C. F. E. (2022) Diversification improves the performance of cereals in European cropping systems. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 42, 118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-022-00850-z

Taab, A., Khazaie, M.,  Andersson, L., Bergkvist, G. & Radicetti, E. (2023) Ecological intensification using Persian clover to support weed management in winter wheat under semiarid conditions. Crop Protection 164, 106142.

Ulukan, D., Bergkvist, G., Lana, M., Fasse, A., Mager, G., Öborn, I. & Chopin, P. (2022) Combining sustainable livelihood and farm sustainability approaches to identify relevant intensification options: Implications for households with crop-based and gathering-based livelihoods in Tanzania. Ecological Indicators 144 (2022) 109518. doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109518.

Lagerquist, E., Menegat, A., Dahlin, A.S., Parsons, D., Watson, C., Ståhl, P., Gunnarsson, A., Bergkvist, G. (2022)Temporal and Spatial Positioning of Service Crops in Cereals Affects Yield andWeed Control. Agriculture 12, 1398. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/agriculture12091398

Kumar U., Halling, M., Parsons , D., Bergkvist, G., Morel, J.,  Vogeler, I., Geladi, P. and  Hetta, M. (2022) Dynamics and plasticity of agronomic performance and nutritive quality traits in forage maize at high latitudes. European Journal of Agronomy 138, 126532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2022.126532

Muoni, T., Jonsson, M., Duncan, A.J., Watson, C.A., Bergkvist, G., Barnes, A.P., Öborn, I. (2022) Effects of management practices on legume productivity in smallholder farming systems in sub‐Saharan Africa. Food and Energy Security. doi:10.1002/fes3.366

Morel, J., Kumar, U., Ahmed, M., Bergkvist, G., Lana, M., Halling, M., Parsons, D. (2021) Quantification of the Impact of Temperature, CO2, and Rainfall Changes on Swedish Annual Crops Production Using the APSIM Model. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 5. doi:10.3389/fsufs.2021.665025

A. P. Barnes, T. Muoni, I. Öborn, G. Bergkvist, G. Nziguheba, C. A. Watson, B. Vanlauwe & A. J. Duncan (2021) Measuring household legume cultivation intensity in sub-Saharan Africa, International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, DOI: 10.1080/14735903.2021.1910418

Chopin, P., Mubaya, C.P., Descheemaeker, K. Öborn, I and Bergkvist, G. (2021) Avenues for improving farming sustainability assessment with upgraded tools, sustainability framing and indicators. A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 41, 19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-021-00674-3

Kumar, U., Morel, J., Bergkvist, G., Palosuo, T., Gustavsson, A.-M., Peake, A., Brown, H., Ahmed, M.; and Parsons, D. (2021)Comparative analysis of phenology algorithms of the spring barley model in APSIM 7.9 and APSIM Next Generation: a case study for high latitudes. Plants 10, 443. https://doi.org/10.3390/ plants10030443

Do, V.H, La, N., Mulia, R., Bergkvist, G., Dahlin, A.S. , Nguyen, V.T,  Pham, H.T. and Öborn, I. (2020) Fruit tree-based agroforestry systems for smallholder farmers in northwest Vietnam—a quantitative and qualitative assessment. Land 9, 451; doi:10.3390/land9110451

Morel, J., Parsons, D., Halling, M.A., Kumar, U., Peake , A., Bergkvist, G. Brown, H. and Hetta , M. (2020) Challenges for Simulating Growth and Phenology of Silage Maize in a Nordic Climate with APSIM. Agronomy 2020, 10, 645; doi:10.3390/agronomy10050645

Nkurunziza, L., Watson, C.A., Öborn, I, Smith, H.G., Bergkvist, G., Bengtsson, J. (2020) Socio-ecological factors determine crop performance in agricultural systems. Scientific Reports 10:4232. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60927-1

Dahlin, I., Kiær, L.P., Bergkvist, G., Weih, M. &  Ninkovic, V. (2020) Plasticity of barley in response to plant neighbors in cultivar mixtures. Plant and Soil  447, 537–551. doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04406-1

Reckling, M., Bergkvist, G., Watson, C.A., Stoddard, F.L. and  Bachinger, J. (2020) Re-designing organic grain legume cropping systems using systems agronomy. European Journal of Agronomy 112. doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2019.125951

Friberg, H., Persson, P., Funck Jensen, D. and  Bergkvist, G. (2019) Preceding crop and tillage system affect winter survival of wheat and the fungal communities on young wheat roots and in soil. FEMS Microbiology Letters, fnz189, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fnz189

Muoni, T.,  Koomson, E., Öborn, Marohn, C., Watson, C.A., Bergkvist, G.,   Barnes, A.P.,  Cadisch, G. and Duncan, A.J. (2019) Reducing soil erosion in smallholder farming systems in east Africa through the introduction of different crop types.  Experimental Agriculture, 1–13. doi:10.1017/S0014479719000280

Reimer, M.,  Ringselle, B., Bergkvist, G., Westaway, S, Wittwer, R., Baresel, J.P., 7, van der Heijden, M.G.A., Mangerud, K., Finckh, M.R. and Brandsæter, L.O. (2019) Interactive effects of subsidiary crops and weed pressure in the transition period to non-inversion tillage, a case study of six sites across northern and central Europe.  Agronomy  9, 495. doi:10.3390/agronomy9090495

Muoni, T.,  Barnes, A.P., Öborn, I., Watson, C.A., Bergkvist, G.,  Shiluli, M. & Duncan, A.J. (2019) Farmer perceptions of legumes and their functions in smallholder farming systems in east Africa, International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, DOI: 10.1080/14735903.2019.1609166

Chopin, P, Bergkvist, G., Hossard, L. (2019) Modelling biodiversity change in agricultural landscape scenarios - A review and prospects for future research. Biological Conservation 235, 1-17. doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.03.046

Reckling, M, Döring, T. F., Bergkvist, G., Stoddard, F. L., Watson, C. A., Seddig, S., Chmielewski, F.-M., and Bachinger, J. (2018). Grain legume yields are as stable as other spring crops in long-term experiments across northern Europe. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 38:63.

Zhou, Z., Palmborg, C., Ericson, L., Dryler, K., Lindgren, K., Bergkvist, G., Parsons, D. (2018) A 60-years old field experiment demonstrates the benefit of leys in the crop rotation, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science . 69, 36–42. DOI: 10.1080/09064710.2018.1492010

Chopin, P., Guindé, L.,  Causeret, F., Bergkvist, G.,  Blazy, J.M. (2018) Integrating stakeholder preferences into assessment of scenarios for electricity production from locally produced biomass on a small island. Renewable Energy (2018), doi:10.1016/j.renene.2018.06.031

Pappa, R., Marinaria, S., Moscatelli, M.C., van der Heijden, M.G.A., Wittwer, R., Campiglia, E., Radicetti, E., Mancinelli, R., Fradgley, N., Pearce, B., Bergkvist, G., Finckh, M.R. (2018) Short-term changes in soil biochemical properties as affected by subsidiary crop cultivation in four European pedo-climatic zones. Soil & Tillage Research 180, 126–136. doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2018.02.019

Ringselle, B., Bertholtz, Magnuski, E., Mangerud, K., Brandsæter, L.O. & Bergkvist, G. (2018)Rhizome fragmentation by vertical discs reduces Elymus repens growth and benefits Italian ryegrass-white clover crops. Front. Plant Sci. 8:2243. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.02243

Kolberg, D., Brandsæter, L., Bergkvist, G., Solhaug, K., Melander, B., & Ringselle, B. (2017). Effect of Rhizome Fragmentation, Clover Competition, Shoot-Cutting Frequency, and Cutting Height on Quackgrass (Elymus repens). Weed Science, 1-11. doi:10.1017/wsc.2017.65

Schmidt, J.H., Bergkvist, G., Campiglia, E., Radicetti, E. Wittwer, R.A., Finckh, M.R. & Hallmann, J. (2017) Effect of tillage, subsidiary crops, and fertilization on plant-parasitic nematodes in a range of agro-environmental conditions within Europé. Annals of Applied Biology 171, 477–489. DOI: 10.1111/aab.12389

Nkurunziza, L., Chongtham, I.R.,  Watson, C.A., Marstorp,H., Öborn, I., Bergkvist, G., Bengtsson, J. (2017) Understanding effects of multiple farm management practices on barley performance. European Journal of Agronomy 90, 43–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2017.07.003

St-Martin, A., Vico, G.,  Bergkvist, G. & Bommarco, R. (2017) Diverse cropping systems enhanced yield but did not improve yield stability in a 52-year long experiment. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 247 (2017) 337–34.

Watson, C.A., Reckling, M., Preissel, S., Bachinger, J., Bergkvist, G., Tom Kuhlman, T., Lindström, K.,  Nemecek, T.,  Topp, C.F.E., Vanhatalo, A., Zander, P.M., Murphy-Bokern, D. & Stoddard, F.L (2017) Grain legume production and use in European agricultural systems. Advances in Agronomy 144, 235-303. doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2017.03.003

Bergkvist, G., Ringselle, B.,  Magnuski, E., Mangerud, K. & Brandsaeter, L.O. (2017) Control of Elymus repens by rhizome fragmentation and repeated mowing in a newly established white clover sward. Weed Research 57, 172–181. DOI: 10.1111/wre.12246

Ringselle, B., Prieto-Ruiz, .I,  Andersson, L.,   Aronsson, H.,  Bergkvist, G. (2017) Elymus repens biomass allocation and acquisition as affected by light and nutrient supply and companion crop competition. Annals of Botany 119, 477-485. doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcw228 

Chongtham, I.R.,  Bergkvist, G.,  Watson, C.A., Sandström, E., Bengtsson, J. &  Öborn, I. (2017) Factors influencing crop rotation strategies on organic farms with different time periods since conversion to organic production, Biological Agriculture & Horticulture 33, 14-27. DOI: 10.1080/01448765.2016.1174884

Iannetta PP, Young M, Bachinger J, Bergkvist G, Lopez-Bellido RJ, Doltra J, Monti M, Pappa V, Reckling M, Topp CF, Walker R, Rees RM, Watson CA, James EK, Squire GR and Begg GS (2016). A comparative nitrogen balance and productivity analysis of legume and non-legume supported cropping systems: the potential role of biological nitrogen fixation. Front. Plant Sci. 7:1700. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01700 

Tidåker, P., Bergkvist, G., Bolinder, M., Eckersten, H., Johnsson, H., Kätterer, T., Weih, M. (2016)  Estimating the environmental footprint of barley with improvednitrogen uptake efficiency—a Swedish scenario study. European Journal of Agronomy 80, 45–54.

Reckling, M., Bergkvist, G., Watson, C.A., Stoddard, F.L.,Zander, P.M.,Walker, RL., Pristeri, A.,Toncea, I. and BachingerJ. (2016) Trade-offs between economic and environmental impacts of introducing legumes into cropping systems. Frontiers in Plant Science 7:669. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00669

Reckling, M., Hecker, J-M., Bergkvist, G., Watson, C.,  Zander, P., Schläfke, N.,  Stoddard, F.L.,  Eory, V.,  Topp, C.F.E.,  Maire, J. & Bachinger, J.  (2016) A cropping system assessment framework: Assessing legumes at the cropping system scale. European Journal of Agronomy 76, 186–197. doi:10.1016/j.eja.2015.11.005

Ringselle, B., Bergkvist, G., Aronsson, H. & Andersson. L. (2016) Importance of timing and repetition of stubble cultivation for post-harvest control of Elymus repens. Weed Research 56, 41-49.

Asplund, L., Bergkvist, G. &  Weih, M. (2016) Functional traits associated with nitrogen use efficiency in wheat.  Acta Agriculture Scandinavica, Section B, Soil and Plant Science 66, 153-169. DOI: 10.1080/09064710.2015.1087586

Göran Bergkvist publications according to Google scholar