Comparison of arthropod communities between high and low input maize farms in Mexico

Abstract Background Animal communities are vulnerable to agricultural practices. Intensive farming considerably reduces overall arthropod diversity, but not necessarily pest abundance. Natural control of herbivores in agroecosystems is accomplished by predators and parasitoids, but in intensified agricultural regimes, the chemical control used to reduce pest abundances also affects pests’ natural enemies. To achieve more sustainable agriculture, there is a need to better understand the susceptibility of predators to conventional management. Methods In order to quantify the arthropod diversity associated with different schemes of agricultural management of maize, we evaluated agricultural fields under two contrasting management regimens in Michoacán, México during the spring–summer cycle of 2011. Arthropod communities were evaluated in plots with conventional high-input versus low-input agriculture in two sites—one rainfed and one with irrigation. The experimental units consisted of twelve 1 ha agricultural plots. To sample arthropods, we used 9 pitfall traps per agricultural plot. Results During the sampling period, we detected a total of 14,315 arthropods belonging to 12 Orders and 253 morphospecies. Arthropod community composition was significantly different between the sites, and in the rain-fed site, we also found differences between management practices. Predators, particularly ants, were more abundant in low-input sites. Herbivory levels were similar in all fields, with an average of 18% of leaf area lost per plant. Conclusions Our results suggest that conventional farming is not reducing herbivore abundances or damage inflicted to plants, but is affecting arthropod predators. We discuss repercussions for sustainable agriculture.

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Low-Input Sustainable Agriculture Using Ecological Management Practices

Agricultural Ecology and Environment ◽

10.1016/b978-0-444-88610-1.50004-8 ◽

1989 ◽

pp. 3-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

DAVID PIMENTEL ◽

THOMAS W. CULLINEY ◽

IMO W. BUTTLER ◽

DOUGLAS J. REINEMANN ◽

KENNETH B. BECKMAN

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Management Practices ◽

Ecological Management ◽

Low Input

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Organic matter decomposition and microarthropod community structure in corn fields under low input and intensive management in Guaíra (SP)

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90161997000100010 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 54 (1-2) ◽

pp. 69-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

G.S Rodrigues ◽

M.A.V Ligo ◽

J.L. de C Mineiro

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Management Practices ◽

Growing Season ◽

Organic Matter Decomposition ◽

Abrupt Decrease ◽

Low Input ◽

Input Field ◽

Intensive Farming ◽

Corn Fields ◽

Intensively Managed

The rate of organic matter decomposition and the structure of the communities of microarthropods were compared between two corn fields receiving contrasting agricultural management practices (low input and intensive farming). The rate of decomposition tended to be higher in the intensively managed field in the beginning of the growing season, but decreased to a level significantly lower than the observed in the low input field by the end of the growing season. This suggested that the biological community associated with the decomposition process could be negatively influenced in the intensively managed field. Analyses of the structure of microarthropod communities indicated differences between the two areas. The microarthropod populations present in the intensively managed field suffered abrupt decrease in numbers as the season progressed.

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Low-input sustainable agriculture using ecological management practices

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment ◽

10.1016/0167-8809(89)90068-6 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 27 (1-4) ◽

pp. 3-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

David Pimentel ◽

Thomas W. Culliney ◽

Imo W. Buttler ◽

Douglas J. Reinemann ◽

Kenneth B. Beckman

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Management Practices ◽

Ecological Management ◽

Low Input

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Nitrate Leaching to a Shallow Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain Aquifer as Influenced by Conventional No-Till and Low-Input Sustainable Grain Production Systems

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1993.0475 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 28 (3-5) ◽

pp. 691-700 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J. P. Craig ◽

R. R. Weil

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Atlantic Coastal Plain ◽

Grain Production ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Mineral N ◽

Low Input ◽

No Till

In December, 1987, the states in the Chesapeake Bay region, along with the federal government, signed an agreement which called for a 40% reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus loadings to the Bay by the year 2000. To accomplish this goal, major reductions in nutrient loadings associated with agricultural management practices were deemed necessary. The objective of this study was to determine if reducing fertilizer inputs to the NT system would result in a reduction in nitrogen contamination of groundwater. In this study, groundwater, soil, and percolate samples were collected from two cropping systems. The first system was a conventional no-till (NT) grain production system with a two-year rotation of corn/winter wheat/double crop soybean. The second system, denoted low-input sustainable agriculture (LISA), produced the same crops using a winter legume and relay-cropped soybeans into standing wheat to reduce nitrogen and herbicide inputs. Nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in groundwater were significantly lower under the LISA system. Over 80% of the NT groundwater samples had NO3-N concentrations greater than 10 mgl-1, compared to only 4% for the LISA cropping system. Significantly lower soil mineral N to a depth of 180 cm was also observed. The NT soil had nearly twice as much mineral N present in the 90-180 cm portion than the LISA cropping system.

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Increasing the Productivity and Profitability of Paddy through Front Line Demonstrations in Irrigated Agro Ecosystem of Kaymore Platue and Satpura Hills

Journal of AgriSearch ◽

10.21921/jas.v3i3.11377 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

Author(s):

DHANANJAI SINGH ◽

A.K. PATEL ◽

S.K. SINGH ◽

M.S. BAGHEL

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Cost Ratio ◽

Scientific Practices ◽

Economic Returns ◽

Front Line ◽

Yield Increase ◽

Benefit Cost Ratio ◽

Sustainable Agricultural Practices ◽

Improved Technology

Krishi Vigyan Kendra laid down Front Line Demonstration in the year 2010-11 and 2011-12 introducing new, high yielding and scented variety “Pusa Sugandha-3” and applying scientific practices in their cultivation. The FLDs were carried out in village “Dainiha” of Sidhi district in supervision of KVK scientist. The productivity and economic returns of paddy in improved technologies were calculated and compared with the corresponding farmer's practices (local check). Improved practices recorded higher yield as compared to farmer's practices. The improved technology recorded higher yield of 30.83 q/ha and 32.65 q/ha in the year 2010-11 and 2011-12, respectively than 22.13 and 24.21 q/ha. The average yield increase was observed 37.15 per cent. In spite of increase in yield of paddy, technology gap, extension gap and technology index existed. The improved technology gave higher gross return (37020 and 39180 Rs./ha), net return (16820 and 18920 Rs./ha) with higher benefit cost ratio (1.83 and 1.93) as compared to farmer's practices. The variation in per cent increase in the yield was found due to the poor management practices, lack of knowledge and poor socio economic condition. Under sustainable agricultural practices, with this study it is concluded that the FLDs programmes were effective in changing attitude, skill and knowledge of improved package and practices of HYV of paddy adoption.

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Assessment of alternative land management practices using hydrological simulation and a decision support tool: Arborea agricultural region, Sardinia

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-11-1811-2007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1811-1823 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

P. Cau ◽

C. Paniconi

Keyword(s):

Decision Support ◽

Land Management ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Management Practices ◽

Water Movement ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Hydrological Simulation ◽

Support Tool ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Quantifying the impact of land use on water supply and quality is a primary focus of environmental management. In this work we apply a semidistributed hydrological model (SWAT) to predict the impact of different land management practices on water and agricultural chemical yield over a long period of time for a study site situated in the Arborea region of central Sardinia, Italy. The physical processes associated with water movement, crop growth, and nutrient cycling are directly modeled by SWAT. The model simulations are used to identify indicators that reflect critical processes related to the integrity and sustainability of the ecosystem. Specifically we focus on stream quality and quantity indicators associated with anthropogenic and natural sources of pollution. A multicriteria decision support system is then used to develop the analysis matrix where water quality and quantity indicators for the rivers, lagoons, and soil are combined with socio-economic variables. The DSS is used to assess four options involving alternative watersheds designated for intensive agriculture and dairy farming and the use or not of treated wastewater for irrigation. Our analysis suggests that of the four options, the most widely acceptable consists in the transfer of intensive agricultural practices to the larger watershed, which is less vulnerable, in tandem with wastewater reuse, which rates highly due to water scarcity in this region of the Mediterranean. More generally, the work demonstrates how both qualitative and quantitative methods and information can assist decision making in complex settings.

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Sustainable agriculture: The study on farmers’ perception and practices regarding nutrient management and limiting losses

Journal of Water and Land Development ◽

10.2478/jwld-2018-0007 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 67-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Barbara Kiełbasa ◽

Stefan Pietrzak ◽

Barbro Ulén ◽

Jan-Olof Drangert ◽

Karin Tonderski

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Nutrient Management ◽

Low Cost ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Farm Management ◽

General Idea ◽

Limiting Nutrient ◽

Scientific Project ◽

Sustainable Agricultural Practices

AbstractThe paper presents the results of a scientific project focused on limiting nutrient losses from farms by introducing measures to apply fertilizers in a more sustainable way. It is a case study of selected aspects of farm management, focussing on the issue of sustainable agriculture and their tools. The main aim of the study was to analyse and evaluate farmers’ knowledge of the fertilizing process and its aspects, as well as applying sustainable agricultural activities on farms. The study emphasised the importance of nutrient management, as very important for sustainable farming. Also, the links between farmers’ opinions and their activities were analysed. The important issue concerned measures for sustainable farm management introduced on the farms, as well as measures to limit nutrient leaching into groundwater. Twenty-eight farmers from two regions in Poland were interviewed about their perceptions for the case study. In general, the farmers considered their farm activities to be more sustainable than in the past. They demonstrated an understanding of the general idea of sustainable agriculture. However, many farmers still demonstrated a poor grasp of nutrient flows and nutrient balances on farms. Their knowledge and perception was based on general, rather than specific knowledge gleaned from an academic/vocational course. The farmers demonstrated a realization that there were some new, or low-cost measures that could be introduced to make management more sustainable and pro-environmental, but there was still a need for wider adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.

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Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture for Restoring the Soil Health and Increasing Rice Productivity as Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change in Indonesia

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/748/1/012039 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 748 (1) ◽

pp. 012039

Author(s):

Tualar Simarmata ◽

M Khais Proyoga ◽

Diyan Herdiyantoro ◽

Mieke R Setiawati ◽

Kustiwa Adinata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Soil Health ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Adaptation Strategy ◽

Water Efficiency ◽

Rice Productivity ◽

Rice Intensification ◽

Significant Yield

Abstract Climate change (CC) is real and threatens the livelihood of most smallholder farmers who reside along the coastal area. The CC causes the rise of temperature (0.2-0.3°C/decade) and sea level (SRL = 5 mm/year), drought and floods to occur more frequently, the change of rainfall intensity and pattern and shifting of planting season and leads to the decreasing of crop yield or yield loss. Most of the paddy soil has been exhausted and degraded. About 50% of the rice field along the coastline is effected by high salinity and causes significant yield losses. The research was aimed to summarize the results of the system of organic based aerobic rice intensification (known as IPATBO) and of two climate filed school (CFS) in Cinganjeng and Rawapu that situated along the coastline of Pangandaran and Cilacap. Both IPATBO and CFS have adopted the strategy of climate-resilient sustainable agriculture (CRSA) for restoring the soil health and increasing rice productivity, and as well as to empower the farmer community. The implementation of IPATBO (2010-2020) in the different areas has increased the soil health, fertilizers, and water efficiency (reduce inorganic by 25-50%, and water by 30-40%) and increased rice productivity by at least 25-50%. Both CFS in Ciganjeng and Rawaapu were able to improve soil fertility, increase rice productivity, and farmer capacity. This result concludes the agro-ecological based CRSA and CFS can be adopted for the increasing the resilient of agricultural practices and farmers in adapting to climate change

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Mitigación de daños provocados por fauna silvestre en cultivos agrícolas en un bosque montano de Bolivia

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v62i4.12983 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 62 (4) ◽

pp. 1495 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Eddy Pérez L. ◽

Luis F. Pacheco

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Integrated Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Species Conservation ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Dasypus Novemcinctus ◽

Natural Area ◽

Rural People ◽

Sapajus Apella ◽

Pecari Tajacu

Wildlife is often blamed for causing damage to human activities, including agricultural practices and the result may be a conflict between human interests and species conservation. A formal assessment of the magnitude of damage is necessary to adequately conduct management practices and an assessment of the efficiency of different management practices, is necessary to enable managers to mitigate the conflict with rural people. This study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of agricultural management practices and controlled hunting in reducing damage to subsistence annual crops at the Cotapata National Park and Natural Area of Integrated Management. The design included seven fields with modified agricultural practices, four fields subjected to control hunting, and five fields held as controls. We registered cultivar type, density, frequency of visiting species to the field, crops lost to wildlife, species responsible for damage, and crop biomass. Most frequent species in the fields were Dasyprocta punctata and Dasypus novemcinctus. Hunted plots were visited 1.6 times more frequently than agriculturally managed plots. Crop lost to wildlife averaged 7.28% at agriculturally managed plots, 4.59% in plots subjected to hunting, and 27.61% in control plots. Species mainly responsible for damage were Pecari tajacu, D. punctata, and Sapajus apella. We concluded that both management strategies were effective to reduce damage by >50% as compared to unmanaged crop plots.

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Towards Sustainable Agriculture in Chile, Reflections on the Role of Public Policy

10.7764/ijanr.v48i3.2359 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 186-209

Author(s):

Oscar Melo ◽

◽

Nadia Báez ◽

Daniela Acuña ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Poverty Reduction ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Attractive Alternative ◽

Private Institutions ◽

Public And Private ◽

Social Challenges ◽

Agriculture Sustainability ◽

Increasing Demand

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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