Role of Organic Amendments in Sustainable Agriculture

Author(s):  
K. Sankar Ganesh ◽  
P. Sundaramoorthy ◽  
M. Nagarajan ◽  
R. Lawrence Xavier
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Wang ◽  
Xuehong Ma ◽  
Gang Wang ◽  
Guitong Li ◽  
Kun Zhu

AbstractSoil O2 dynamics have significant influences on greenhouse gas emissions during soil management practice. In this study, we deployed O2-specific planar optodes to visualize spatiotemporal distribution of O2 in soils treated with biological soil disinfestation (BSD). This study aimed to reveal the role of anoxia development on emissions of N2O and CH4 from soil amended with crop residues during BSD period. The incorporation of crop residues includes wheat straw only, wheat straw with biochar and early straw incorporation. The anoxia in soil developed very fast within 3 days, while the O2 in headspace decreased much slower and it became anaerobic after 5 days, which was significantly affected by straw and biochar additions. The N2O emissions were positively correlated with soil hypoxic fraction. The CH4 emissions were not significant until the anoxia dominated in both soil and headspace. The co-application of biochar with straw delayed the anoxia development and extended the hypoxic area in soil, resulting in lower emissions of N2O and CH4. Those results highlight that the soil O2 dynamic was the key variable triggering the N2O and CH4 productions. Therefore, detailed information of soil O2 availability could be highly beneficial for optimizing the strategies of organic amendments incorporation in the BSD technique.


Author(s):  
Amjad Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Hamayun ◽  
Farooq Shah ◽  
Anwar Hussain

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-77
Author(s):  
Nguyen Ngoc Bao Chau ◽  
Le Thuy To Nhu

Big-eyed bugs Geocoris spp. (Lygaeidae, Hemiptera) are small insects that is found in many parts of the world. They are beneficial because they eat a multitude of insect pests in agriculture. Big-eyed bugs Geocoris spp. are insects that receive research attention in Florida and elsewhere because of the benefits that this species give to plants (Mead, 2001). Big-eyed bugs reproduce many generations in a year on weeds, perennial crops, bushes. In spring the female big-eyed bugs start laying eggs on the bud, the leaves of the host plant. Understanding the biology and the role of predator Geocoris spp. in ecosystem will provide an alternative method in sustainable agriculture development. In this short review, we discuss some convenient diets for the application of mass rearing Geocoris spp.


2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-209
Author(s):  
Oscar Melo ◽  
◽  
Nadia Báez ◽  
Daniela Acuña ◽  
◽  
...  

Given the increasing demand for agricultural products and the environmental degradation that current agricultural practices generate, there is an urgent need to change the activity. Sustainable agriculture emerges as an attractive alternative to mitigate the adverse effects of the activity on the environment, increase its resilience to global change, and increase the current population’s quality of life without sacrificing that of future generations. However, identifying effective policies that can achieve these goals remains elusive. In Chile, this sector has been one of the drivers of growth and poverty reduction but still faces many environmental and social challenges, and there is a growing public demand for achieving sustainability from an economic, environmental, and social perspective. Public and private institutions have made relevant efforts to increase Chilean agriculture sustainability. However, the need to transition towards sustainable agriculture is still not recognized by all stakeholders. In this article, we review current challenges and policies to achieve a more sustainable agriculture in Chile.


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