Long-Term Trial in Mediterranean Climate: Results and Opportunities to Build Sustainability and Resilience.

The Century experiment was established in 1993 at Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility (UCDavis) to measure productivity, sustainability and resource use efficiency of multiple irrigated and rainfed cropping systems in Mediterranean climate. We will first provide an overview of the long-term impacts of crop rotation and inputs of water, nitrogen and carbon on yields and agroecosystem functioning. We will then summarize 22 years of interdisciplinary research and published data to pinpoint ecological drivers of sustainability and potential mechanisms to enhance resource use efficiency and resilience to climate change in Mediterranean climate. We will use an ecosystem services framework to discuss the implications of long-term trends in yield, soil biological and physiochemical properties, and nutrient and carbon cycling for agricultural sustainability and human nutrition. We will also discuss the support provided by long-term trials for extension, outreach and education activities.