scholarly journals Plant Insect Interaction And Crop Protection: A Dynamic Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-71
Author(s):  
Bharathi P ◽  
Dylin Raja Sheribha

Integrating supporting and regulating ecosystem functions provided by several components of biodiversity into cropping systems has been prepared as a promising way to decrease agrochemical inputs and negative environmental impacts while maximizing crop productivity and food security. The co-evolutionof plants and insects in very intriguing and plays vital role in the crop protection. Plants have developed efficient mechanisms to protect them against herbivore while insects have found diverse ways of avoiding negative effects of their host plant defense mechanism. Even though many workers have attempted to studyplant - insect interaction, still our knowledge is limited. A changing climate, growing pest have given uncertain impacts on crop protection so, the present study address the key question that Is it possible to find alternative to meet these challenges by studying the plant-insect interaction and formulating integrated pestmanagement? The study was conducted at Dharapuram, Dindugal district as this area is riched with the variety of crop cultivation. The study concludes that the biological control of insect pests with natural products by the development of new plant varieties with enhanced chemical defenses should be followed forthe better crop protection.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hawes ◽  
Young ◽  
Banks ◽  
Begg ◽  
Christie ◽  
...  

The long-term sustainability of crop production depends on the complex network of interactions and trade-offs between biotic, abiotic and economic components of agroecosystems. An integrated arable management system was designed to maintain yields, whilst enhancing biodiversity and minimising environmental impact. Management interventions included conservation tillage and organic matter incorporation for soil biophysical health, reduced crop protection inputs and integrated pest management strategies for enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem functions, and intercropping, cover cropping and under-sowing to achieve more sustainable nutrient management. This system was compared directly with standard commercial practice in a split-field experimental design over a six-year crop rotation. The effect of the cropping treatment was assessed according to the responses of a suite of indicators, which were used to parameterise a qualitative multi-attribute model. Scenarios were run to test whether the integrated cropping system achieved greater levels of overall sustainability relative to standard commercial practice. Overall sustainability was rated high for both integrated and conventional management of bean, barley and wheat crops. Winter oilseed crops scored medium for both cropping systems and potatoes scored very low under standard management but achieved a medium level of sustainability with integrated management. In general, high scores for environmental sustainability in integrated cropping systems were offset by low scores for economic sustainability relative to standard commercial practice. This case study demonstrates the value of a ‘whole cropping systems’ approach using qualitative multi-attribute modelling for the assessment of existing cropping systems and for predicting the likely impact of new management interventions on arable sustainability.



2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Macedo ◽  
Caio de Oliveira ◽  
Poliene Costa ◽  
Elaine Castelhano ◽  
Marcio Silva-Filho


2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Zanetti ◽  
Barbara Alberghini ◽  
Ana Marjanović Jeromela ◽  
Nada Grahovac ◽  
Dragana Rajković ◽  
...  

AbstractPromoting crop diversification in European agriculture is a key pillar of the agroecological transition. Diversifying crops generally enhances crop productivity, quality, soil health and fertility, and resilience to pests and diseases and reduces environmental stresses. Moreover, crop diversification provides an alternative means of enhancing farmers’ income. Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) reemerged in the background of European agriculture approximately three decades ago, when the first studies on this ancient native oilseed species were published. Since then, a considerable number of studies on this species has been carried out in Europe. The main interest in camelina is related to its (1) broad environmental adaptability, (2) low-input requirements, (3) resistance to multiple pests and diseases, and (4) multiple uses in food, feed, and biobased applications. The present article is a comprehensive and critical review of research carried out in Europe (compared with the rest of the world) on camelina in the last three decades, including genetics and breeding, agronomy and cropping systems, and end-uses, with the aim of making camelina an attractive new candidate crop for European farming systems. Furthermore, a critical evaluation of what is still missing to scale camelina up from a promising oilseed to a commonly cultivated crop in Europe is also provided (1) to motivate scientists to promote their studies and (2) to show farmers and end-users the real potential of this interesting species.



2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2992
Author(s):  
Jens Schirmel

The COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions strongly affect the higher education community and require diverse teaching strategies. We designed a course where we combined online teaching with independently conducted ecological data collections by students using a “citizen science” approach. The aim was to analyze the impact of urbanization on biota by comparing urban and rural grasslands. Seventy-five students successfully conducted the data collections and the results provide evidence for prevailing negative effects of urbanization. Individual numbers of ground-dwelling invertebrates (−25%) and pollinating insects (−33%) were generally lower in urban sites. Moreover, animal and seed predation were reduced in urban grasslands, indicating the potential of urbanization to alter ecosystem functions. Despite the general limitations of online teaching and citizen science approaches, outcomes of this course showed this combination can be a useful teaching strategy, which is why this approach could be used to more actively involve students in scientific research.



2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-393
Author(s):  
Patient Farsia Djidjonri ◽  
Nukenine Elias Nchiwan ◽  
Hartmut Koehler

The present study investigates the effect of intercropping (maize-cowpea, maize-okra, maize-okra-cowpea, okra-cowpea) compared to insecticide application on the level of infestation of insect pests and the final yield of maize, cowpea and okra. Field experiments were conducted during the 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons in the Guinean Savannah (Dang-Ngaoundere) and Sudano Sahelian (Gouna-Garoua) agro-ecological zones in Cameroon. Our experimental design was a split plot arrangement in a randomized complete block with four replications. The main factor was assigned to the use of insecticide (Cypermethrin) and sub plots were devoted for cropping systems. We compared the efficiency of intercropping to that of Cypermethrin application on the Yield of maize, cowpea and okra as influenced by insect pest damages. The comparison of monocropped sprayed by Cypermethrin to unsprayed showed that, in Dang, insect pests reduced maize yield by 37% and 24% in 2016 and 2017, respectively, whereas in Gouna, it was lower than 8% during the both years. Reduction in seed yield by insect pests on cowpea in Dang represented 47% and 50% in 2016 and 2017, respectively, whereas in Gouna, it was 55% and 63% in 2016 and 2017, respectively. For okra, insect pests reduced okra fruit yield by 25% and 44% in Dang and 23% and 28% in Gouna, respectively, in 2016 and 2017. Crop yield was lower in intercropping compared to monoculture due to competition of plants in association on different resources. Considering the total yields obtained from each intercropping, intercropping trials resulted generally in higher yields compared to mono-culture (LER > 1) in both sites and years but the respective yields were quite different. On the basis of the results obtained, we recommend maize-cowpea intercropping as a sustainable solution to reduce the infestation level of their pest insects.



2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saba Baba Mohammed ◽  
Daniel Kwadjo Dzidzienyo ◽  
Muhammad Lawan Umar ◽  
Mohammad Faguji Ishiyaku ◽  
Pangirayi Bernard Tongoona ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Low plant density and wide intra-plant spacing in traditional cowpea cropping systems are among the factors responsible for low yield on farmers’ fields. Sole cropping and improved intercropping systems have been advocated in the last few years to increase yield in the dry savannah areas of Nigeria. This study investigated the level of adoption of high yielding cowpea cropping systems including factors that influenced their use and farmers’ perceived production constraints and preferences. A total of 420 farmers across 36 villages of northern Nigeria were interviewed, and data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics to appraise farmers predominant cowpea cropping systems and factors that determine the use of sole versus intercropping were identified with the aid of binary logit regression. Furthermore, pairwise comparison ranking was deployed to understand farmers’ view of cowpea production constraints and preferred traits. Results The results revealed that, many of the farmers (42%) still grow cowpeas in the traditional intercropping and a good number (25%) cultivate the crop as a sole crop, while 23% had fields of cowpeas in both sole and intercropping systems. Farmers reported the incidence of high insect pests, limited access to land, desire to have multiple benefits, and assurance in the event of crop failure as reasons for preference for intercropping over sole planting. The pairwise comparison ranking of constraints and preferences revealed insect pests, Striga, drought and poor access to fertilizers as major constraints to increased productivity. Many farmers indicated high yield as the most preferred trait. Conclusions Findings indicate a need for increased education and training of cowpea farmers on the importance of growing cowpeas in sole cropping and or improved intercropping systems. Genetic improvement efforts should focus on developing cowpea varieties that address farmers production constraints and reflect the diversity of consumers’ preferences for the crop. Hence, breeding for resistance to insect pests and high yield is recommended as an important priority of cowpea breeding programmes in the region.



2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Colbach ◽  
Sandrine Petit ◽  
Bruno Chauvel ◽  
Violaine Deytieux ◽  
Martin Lechenet ◽  
...  

The growing recognition of the environmental and health issues associated to pesticide use requires to investigate how to manage weeds with less or no herbicides in arable farming while maintaining crop productivity. The questions of weed harmfulness, herbicide efficacy, the effects of herbicide use on crop yields, and the effect of reducing herbicides on crop production have been addressed over the years but results and interpretations often appear contradictory. In this paper, we critically analyze studies that have focused on the herbicide use, weeds and crop yield nexus. We identified many inconsistencies in the published results and demonstrate that these often stem from differences in the methodologies used and in the choice of the conceptual model that links the three items. Our main findings are: (1) although our review confirms that herbicide reduction increases weed infestation if not compensated by other cultural techniques, there are many shortcomings in the different methods used to assess the impact of weeds on crop production; (2) Reducing herbicide use rarely results in increased crop yield loss due to weeds if farmers compensate low herbicide use by other efficient cultural practices; (3) There is a need for comprehensive studies describing the effect of cropping systems on crop production that explicitly include weeds and disentangle the impact of herbicides from the effect of other practices on weeds and on crop production. We propose a framework that presents all the links and feed-backs that must be considered when analyzing the herbicide-weed-crop yield nexus. We then provide a number of methodological recommendations for future studies. We conclude that, since weeds are causing yield loss, reduced herbicide use and maintained crop productivity necessarily requires a redesign of cropping systems. These new systems should include both agronomic and biodiversity-based levers acting in concert to deliver sustainable weed management.



2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-63
Author(s):  
K Pariyar ◽  
A Chaudhary ◽  
P Sapkota ◽  
S Sharma ◽  
CB Rana ◽  
...  

The effects of two tillage methods (zero tillage and conventional tillage), two residue managements (residue kept and residue removed) and two levels of cropping system (maize + soybean and sole maize) were studied over 3 years (2015-2017) at Dailekh district of Nepal. Arun-2 and Puja were the varieties of maize and soybean used respectively, followed by winter wheat. The results revealed that the maize + soybean system had significantly higher plant population and ear population (34.83 thousands ha-1 and 34.35 thousands ha-1, respectively), grains per row (37.1), ear length (16.6 cm) and 20.5% higher grain yield as compared to sole maize. The highest maize equivalent yield (7.92 t ha-1) was recorded in maize + soybean as compared to the lower grain yield equivalent (7.06 t ha-1) in sole maize. Zero tillage accounted relatively higher benefits (high net income and B:C ratio) as compared to conventional tillage. The residue kept plot resulted significantly higher B:C ratio (2.41) than the residue removed (2.11) and the maize + soybean recorded 82.5% greater B:C ratio compared to sole maize. Net annual income was significantly higher in zero tillage, residue kept and maize + soybean system (NRs. 223072.00, 222958.00 and 269016.00 ha-1 respectively). Such combinations are recommended for Dailekh district of Nepal to have profitable crop productivity. SAARC J. Agri., 17(1): 49-63 (2019)



2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ákos Mojzes ◽  
Barnabás Tóth ◽  
Péter Csavajda

Abstract Since the beginning of the 20th century, logistics has undergone a huge technological development, which has, however, resulted in many negative effects as well. The industry, particularly in the packaging industry has been a massive waste producer, although recently it has forced the use of new materials and it started to focus on environmentally friendly technologies. During the transportation of finished and semi-finished Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) sensitive products, the product packaging system has a vital role. These kind of packaging materials must be suitable to both logistic (protection against mechanical and environmental stresses) and special ESD protection requirements. During the transportation of printed-circuit electronic products, ESD defense is then of primary significance. However there is a huge disadvantage for the use of various shield bags. Namely, this kind of associated packaging is particularly pollutant, it causes a lot of inconvenience in the form of waste. In order to rule out these materials from the packaging system, new innovative solutions have to be found. The investigated TPS (thermoplastic starch biodegradable foam) is subjected to a validation, a long process to certify that this material unites properties of two types of packaging materials at the same time. On the one hand, this packaging foam has to meet the requirements product defense. On the other hand, the material must be anti-static under the logistic stress effects. In case it is found suitable, it can be an alternative of the conventional materials. In this article, we investigate the ESD characteristic of TPS foam. As this material sensitive for environmental parameters during transportation, we make the relevant Surface Resistance (Rs) tests on different temperature and humidity conditions. Based on result, the decision of the application can be done, as an ESD packaging material.





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