Herbicide-free cropping management supported by mineral fertilisation achieves substantial yield recovery relative to that in organic farming, despite showing limited interannual agronomic stability

• 2% of winter bread wheat and 3% of barley areas are managed without herbicide while maintaining mineral fertilisation. • This intermediate cropping management achieves performance levels close to conventional farming. • Average yield losses in bread wheat and barley are offset by lower input costs (n = 51 bread wheat; n = 14 barley). • Time-series analysis indicates that this management strategy lacks long-term stability. • Once experimental, this practice is now used by some farmers, allowing assessment under real conditions.