An Old Pest, a New Solution

Bangladesh is essentially self-sufficient in rice as a result of the successful adoption of new high-yielding varieties and irrigated summer production over traditional deep-water cultivation practices. The sustainability of the cropping system depends on farmers adopting integrated pest management (IPM) practices in preference to relying solely on insecticides for pest and disease control. Yet insecticide consumption in rice is increasing, in common with other crop-production systems in Bangladesh. It is probably only the poor economic returns from rice cultivation that prevent more widespread use of pesticides. Enlightened agrochemical companies such as Syngenta Bangladesh Limited have recognized that insecticide use in rice should be discouraged, and promote IPM options through their farmer field school (FFS) programme. This paper describes the results of a collaborative project to assist Syngenta to develop and incorporate mass trapping with sex pheromones into their FFS programme as an environmentally benign method of controlling the predominant insect pests of rice, stem borers.

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iHSD Mill Efficacy on the Seeds of Australian Cropping System Weeds

Weed Technology ◽

10.1017/wet.2017.95 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 103-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Michael J. Walsh ◽

John C. Broster ◽

Stephen B. Powles

Keyword(s):

Moisture Content ◽

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

High Efficacy ◽

Weed Seed ◽

Rigid Ryegrass ◽

Mill Speed ◽

Wheat Chaff

AbstractIn Australia, widespread evolution of multi-resistant weed populations has driven the development and adoption of harvest weed seed control (HWSC). However, due to incompatibility of commonly used HWSC systems with highly productive conservation cropping systems, better HWSC systems are in demand. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the integrated Harrington Seed Destructor (iHSD) mill on the seeds of Australia’s major crop weeds during wheat chaff processing. Also examined were the impacts of chaff type and moisture content on weed seed destruction efficacy. Initially, the iHSD mill speed of 3,000 rpm was identified as the most effective at destroying rigid ryegrass seeds present in wheat chaff. Subsequent testing determined that the iHSD mill was highly effective (>95% seed kill) on all Australian crop weeds examined. Rigid ryegrass seed kill was found to be highest for lupin chaff and lowest in barley, with wheat and canola chaff intermediate. Similarly, wheat chaff moisture reduced rigid ryegrass seed kill when moisture level exceeded 12%. The broad potential of the iHSD mill was evident, in that the reductions in efficacy due to wide-ranging differences in chaff type and moisture content were relatively small (≤10%). The results from these studies confirm the high efficacy and widespread suitability of the iHSD for use in Australian crop production systems. Additionally, as this system allows the conservation of all harvest residues, it is the best HWSC technique for conservation cropping systems.

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Russian Thistle (Salsola iberica) and Kochia (Kochia scoparia) Control in Dryland Corn (Zea mays)

Weed Technology ◽

10.1017/s0890037x00026117 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 631-634 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

R. E. Blackshaw

Keyword(s):

Zea Mays ◽

Weed Control ◽

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Field Studies ◽

Kochia Scoparia ◽

Field Corn ◽

Salsola Iberica

Field studies were conducted in 1987, 1988, and 1989 at Lethbridge, Alberta to determine suitable herbicides for the control of Russian thistle and kochia in field corn grown in a dryland cropping system. Soil-applied atrazine or cyanazine provided inconsistent control of these weeds under dryland conditions. Combining inter-row tillage or 2,4-D applied postemergence with soil-applied atrazine improved the consistency of weed control over years. Postemergence atrazine and dicamba plus 2,4-D controlled Russian thistle and kochia in all years. Corn yields reflected the level of weed control attained with each treatment. The suitability of the various treatments for weed control in corn grown under dryland crop production systems is discussed.

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Rain-fed Crop Production Systems of Upland Balochistan: Wheat (Triticum aestivum), Barley (Hordeum vulgare) and Forage Legumes (Vicia species)

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479700019207 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 53-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

D. J. Rees ◽

M. Islam ◽

A. Samiullah ◽

Fahema Rehman ◽

S. H. Raza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Rhizobium Leguminosarum ◽

Production Systems ◽

Phosphate Fertilizer ◽

Economic Returns ◽

Forage Legumes ◽

Crop Failure ◽

Local Variety ◽

Large Yield ◽

Livestock System

SUMMARYThe effects of variety and fertilizer on wheat and barley production, and of inoculation with rhizobium on Vicia crop production under rain-fed conditions were observed in farmers' fields in Balochistan from 1985 to 1988. Weeding and application of phosphate fertilizer had little effect on wheat yields, but in the ‘good‘ rainfall year, 1986/87, application of nitrogen fertilizer resulted in increased economic yields. Barley varieties from Syria generally produced better grain yields and, with the exception of Arabi abiad, poorer straw yields than a local variety. Genotype–environment analyses indicated that Arabi abiad could be expected to produce more grain, similar amounts of straw and larger gross benefits than the local variety in all except the most severe environments, when crop failure was inevitable. V. villosa ssp. dasycarpa showed negligible amounts of cold damage, and produced greater herbage and straw yields than the other legume crops. Inoculation with Rhizobium leguminosarum produced large yield increases in 1986/87.The economic returns from crop production were poor and variable, but the results suggest that the productivity of the crop–livestock system could be increased by greater emphasis on barley, and by the introduction of Arabi abiad barley and V. villosa ssp. dasycarpa.D. J. Rees et al.: Cultivos regadospor la lluvia de las tierras altas de Balochistan.

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Weed management: fact or fable?

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.1981.0132 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 295 (1076) ◽

pp. 185-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Keyword(s):

Weed Control ◽

Growth Regulators ◽

Weed Management ◽

Crop Production ◽

Management Practices ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Ground Cover ◽

Management Approach ◽

Leguminous Crops

Weed management is a new term for the age-old practice of employing all available means, in a planned way, to keep weed populations under control. It seeks to distinguish the systematic approach to weed control, based on scientific knowledge and rational strategies, from the pragmatic destruction of weeds. The remarkable efficiency of herbicides has in recent years emphasized the latter and allowed revolutionary methods of crop production to be practised. These have, however, led to serious new weed problems which in turn require more intensive herbicide use. The need for a weed management approach is increasingly recognized. New opportunities for this are provided by the availability of numerous herbicides and plant growth regulators and a growing understanding of the biology, ecology and population dynamics of weeds in relation to crop production systems. Examples discussed include: systematic control of grass weeds in intensive cereals in Britain, weed control in rice and in soybeans, the control of aquatic weeds by biological and chemical methods and an experimental zero-tillage cropping system for the humid tropics based on herbicides, growth regulators and ground-cover leguminous crops. In such management systems, interference of weed behaviour by exogenous growth regulators is likely to be of increasing significance. Constraints on the adoption of weed management practices include lack of support for weed science as a discipline, limited appeal to the agrochemical industry and inadequate extension services in many countries.

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Use of covariance structures for temporal errors in the analysis of a three-course wheat rotation and tillage trial

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859604004174 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 142 (2) ◽

pp. 193-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. SINGH ◽

M. PALA

Keyword(s):

Crop Rotation ◽

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

Covariance Structure ◽

Cropping System ◽

Information Criterion ◽

Covariance Structures ◽

Yield Data ◽

Over Time

Crop rotation serves as a mechanism for developing sustainable crop production systems. Crop-rotation trials are used to identify agronomic input factors suitable for use in a cropping system. In crop-rotation trials, experimental errors within the same plot over time are correlated. The form of the covariance structure of the plot errors may be specific to the data from a rotation trial, but is unknown and is generally assumed. Statistical analyses are usually based on the assumption that plot errors are independent, or have constant covariance. An experiment was conducted using wheat-based, three-course rotations containing tillage treatment subplots over 12 years at ICARDA's experimental station at Tel Hadya, a moderately dry area in northern Syria. This study examined several covariance structures for temporal errors arising over the rotation plots and tillage subplots, in order to model wheat yield data. Eighteen covariance structures were examined, and the best pair was selected using the Akaike Information Criterion. The best pair comprised first-order autocorrelation and homogeneous variance for temporal errors in rotation plots, and uniform correlation with heterogeneous variances for temporal errors in tillage subplots. Using the 12 years of data obtained for wheat yield and the best pair of covariance structures, the tillage and rotation effects were found to be statistically significant and to have significant interactions with the cycle of rotation. The precision of the means calculated differed from those calculated using a control structure based on homogeneous error variances and constant correlation. The cumulative yield build-up over time differed significantly over the rotations and the tillage methods. An increasing yield trend was observed for the bread wheat rotation, while a yield decline was observed in durum wheat when the rotation was repeated. When evaluating the effects of input factors in crop rotations, we therefore recommend that the covariance structures be examined and that a suitably chosen structure be used.

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EAU ET CHANGEMENT CLIMATIQUE : QUELLES STRATÉGIES D’ADAPTATION POUR LA GESTION DE L’EAU D’IRRIGATION DANS LE SUD-EST TUNISIEN

New Medit ◽

10.30682/nm1901b ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 15-28

Author(s):

Naceur Mahdhi ◽

Mongi Sghaier ◽

Ayoub Fouzai ◽

Nesrine Kadri

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Production Systems ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Winter Season ◽

Cropping System ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Economic Returns ◽

Defensive Strategy ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Defensive Strategies

The objective of this study was to identify the different irrigators’ strategies and to analyze the economic profitability of irrigated production systems in relation to adaptations to the scarcity of groundwater resources in a context of climate change in the South east of Tunisian. Based on surveys of 190 irrigated farms, this research shows that eighty-five percent (85%) of respondents clearly perceive climate change in southeastern Tunisia. These changes result in a decrease and an increasing irregularity of the rains, a disruption of the winter season, a greater frequency of pockets of drought and the decrease of the piezometric level of the water tables. In response to these changes, irrigators have adopted adaptation strategies, the most common of which are: offensive strategy or “chasing”, defensive strategy and contractive strategy. These strategies include various adaptation measures such as annual cleaning and deepening of wells, the use of water saving, the change of the cropping system and the reduction of irrigated area. These readjustments for most of the measures adopted by the irrigators have an impact on the elements of their operating account. In addition, offensive and defensive strategies appear to be the most economically profitable types of adaptation at the 1% level. Knowledge of different adaptation strategies and their economic returns enables adaptation options to be identified that are both realistic in terms of implementation and ambitious in terms of their objectives, and help develop priorities for adaptation of water resources for irrigation.

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Crop Diversification for Improved Weed Management: A Review

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11050461 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 461

Author(s):

Gourav Sharma ◽

Swati Shrestha ◽

Sudip Kunwar ◽

Te-Ming Tseng

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Weed Management ◽

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Crop Diversification ◽

Herbicide Resistant ◽

Technology Innovations ◽

Diversified Farming Systems

Weeds are among the major constraints to any crop production system, reducing productivity and profitability. Herbicides are among the most effective methods to control weeds, and reliance on herbicides for weed control has increased significantly with the advent of herbicide-resistant crops. Unfortunately, over-reliance on herbicides leads to environmental-health issues and herbicide-resistant weeds, causing human health and ecological concerns. Crop diversification can help manage weeds sustainably in major crop production systems. It acts as an organizing principle under which technological innovations and ecological insights can be combined to manage weeds sustainably. Diversified cropping can be defined as the conscious inclusion of functional biodiversity at temporal and/or spatial levels to improve the productivity and stability of ecosystem services. Crop diversification helps to reduce weed density by negatively impacting weed seed germination and weed growth. Additionally, diversified farming systems are more resilient to climate change than monoculture systems and provide better crop yield. However, there are a few challenges to adopting a diversified cropping system, ranging from technology innovations, government policies, farm-level decisions, climate change, and market conditions. In this review, we discuss how crop diversification supports sustainable weed management, the challenges associated with it, and the future of weed management with respect to the diversification concept.

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Legumes: Their potential role in agricultural production

American Journal of Alternative Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0889189300001600 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 69-73 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

James F. Power

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Economic Value ◽

Cropping System ◽

Primary Source ◽

N Availability ◽

Total Production ◽

Physical Conditions ◽

Continuous Corn ◽

N Use

AbstractThe energy crisis of the late 1970's has raised the question of the wisdom of depending upon fertilizer nitrogen as the primary source of N input into crop production systems. While present and past price structures have favored fertilizer-N over biologically fixed N, there are a number of other benefits of legumes in a cropping system in addition to their effects on N availability. Among these are less potential for environmental degradation and improved soil physical conditions and water relations, but it is difficult to assign economic value to many such benefits. In addition to the economics of the present price structure, disadvantages of using legumes could include reduced total production and increased need for livestock in a farming enterprise (these could be considered assets from some aspects). Legumes are presently used in shortterm rotation, such as corn-soybean, or in continuous corn with a legume winter cover crop. These systems are finding widespread use and offer the producer many benefits, as well as helping to solve several major environmental problems associated with N use in agriculture.

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Crop Diversification for Improved Weed Management: A Review

10.20944/preprints202104.0386.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gourav Sharma ◽

Swati Shrestha ◽

Kunwar Sudip ◽

Te Ming Tseng

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Weed Management ◽

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Crop Diversification ◽

Herbicide Resistant ◽

Technology Innovations ◽

Diversified Farming Systems

Weeds are among the major constraints to any crop production system, reducing productivity and profitability. Herbicides are among the most effective methods to control weeds, and reliance on herbicides for weed control has increased significantly with the advent of herbicide-resistant crops. Unfortunately, over-reliance on herbicides leads to environmental-health issues and herbicide-resistant weeds, causing human-health and ecological concerns. Crop diversification can help manage weeds sustainably in major crop production systems. It acts as an organizing principle under which technological innovations and ecological insights can be combined to manage weeds sustainably. Diversified cropping can be defined as the conscious inclusion of functional biodiversity at temporal and/or spatial levels to improve the productivity and stability of ecosystem services. Crop diversification helps to reduce weed density by negatively impacting weed seed germination and weed growth. Additionally, diversified farming systems are more resilient to climate change than monoculture systems and provide better crop yield. However, there are a few challenges to adopting a diversified cropping system, which ranges from technology innovations, government policies, farm-level decisions, climate change, and market conditions. In this review, we discuss how crop diversification supports sustainable weed management, the challenges associated with it, and the future of weed management with respect to the diversification concept.

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Diversified agroforestry systems improve carbon foot printand farmer’s livelihood under limited irrigation conditions

10.1101/2020.07.17.208405 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sanjay Singh Rathore ◽

Kapila Shekhawat ◽

VK Singh ◽

Subhash Babu ◽

RK Singh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Footprint ◽

Mung Bean ◽

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Fruit Trees ◽

Agroforestry System ◽

Agroforestry Systems ◽

Carbon Equivalent ◽

Crop Failure

AbstractIncreasing weather aberrations cause frequent crop failure in monoculture cropping system. Specialized crop production systems, where few seasonal crops occupy vast arable lands, resulting in more biotic and abiotic stresses in agri-ecosystem. Therefore a diversified agroforestry systemwas evaluated to ensure resilience underlimited water conditions, with an aim to augment carbon footprint with enhanced productivity and profitability. The study hypothesised that integration of perennial fruits trees with seasonal crops will have benign effect for sequestering more carbon and improving livelihood of the farmers. This is one of the first timesthat arid fruits tress along with leguminous,and other low water requiring crops were studied for improved carbon sequestration, livelihood of the farmers andfor better resilience in production system. The experimental findings showed that arid fruit trees along with leguminous, oilseeds and cash crops resulted in higher profitability and thus improved livelihood of the farmersin arid and semi-arid areas of South Asia. Diversified phalsa-mung bean-potato and moringa-mung bean-potato were the most productive agroforestry system (36.7t/ha and 36.2 t/ha respectively. Under limited irrigation conditions, Karonda (Carisa spp.)-mung bean potato system was found best in improving livelihood with maximum net return of $ 3529.1/ha with higher profitability/day ($ 19.9/day). Phalsa -MB-potato system was also recorded maximum water use efficiency (33.0 kg/ha-mm), whereas density of SOC was in Phalsa-cowpea-mustard (9.10 Mg/ha) and moringa-mung bean -potato AFS (9.16 Mg/ha). Carbon footprint analysis revealed that maximum net C gain was in Phalsa-mung bean -potato system (7030 Carbon equivalent kg CE/ha/year).

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