scholarly journals Comparative Assessment of Vegetable Crop Performances and Ecological Indicators during Transition from Conventional to Ecological Agriculture

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
L. H. P. Gunaratne ◽  
K. S. Hemachandra ◽  
Y. M. K. Kumudumali ◽  
N. K. G. K. R. Manawasinghe ◽  
H. G. A. S. Sathischandra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Vegetable Crop ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Ecological Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Agriculture ◽  
Land Equivalent Ratio ◽  
Tropical Conditions

Selected field vegetable crop combinations and increasing dosage of bio-char application, together with other alternative agronomic components of ecological agriculture (EA) were compared with conventional agriculture (CA) during the first three seasons of transition from CA to EA under hot-humid tropical conditions and sandy regasolic soils in Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka. The recommendations of the Department of Agriculture (Sri Lanka) was followed for managing conventional agriculture plots while alternative ecological options were followed for plant nutrient and pest managements. Capsicum-beet, Okra-beet and mae-spinach and radish-onion crop combinations could be selected for intercropping under ecological as well as conventional cropping systems based on their yield performances (Land Equivalent Ratio -LER) or other yield components. Even though plant growth rates and crop yields were lower at the beginning, EA was able to outrank CA by the third consecutive season. A bio-char amendment of 2 kg m-2 could be identified as the best among the different dosages tested. Soil N, P and K contents were increased while accumulation of Cd and Hg were reduced at the end of a three season long ecological agriculture practices. Insect pest/natural enemy incidence were not different between two cropping systems.

scholarly journals Yield and Economic Assessments of Five Cowpea Varieties in Cowpea-Maize Strip Intercropping in Limpopo Province, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (01) ◽  
pp. 27-32
Author(s):  
Joseph Nwafor Akanwe Asiwe
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Species Competition ◽  
Land Equivalent Ratio ◽  
Net Profit ◽  
Cowpea Varieties ◽  
Strip Intercropping

Farmers‟ traditional cropping practice in Limpopo Province is to mix and broadcast crops at planting without definite row arrangement. Although this practice is very easy and cost-saving, it leads to low plant density, hinders farm input application, and results in low crop yields and poor return on investment. Strip intercropping, where crops are planted with definite row arrangement, reduces inter-species competition, optimises plant population, and increases crop yield. Five cowpea varieties i.e. „TVu 13464‟, „IT86D-1010‟, „Glenda‟, „IT82E-16‟ and „IT87K-499-35‟ and maize was grown under strip intercropping, monocropping, and mixed intercropping as a control during two seasons. During both years, significant interactions were obtained between the cowpea varieties and the cropping systems in most of the variables measured. Cowpea sown in the strip intercropping performed better compared those sown in mixed intercropping. Cowpea varieties „IT86D-1010‟, „IT82E-16‟ and „IT87K-499-35‟ harvested more grain yield under monocropping and strip intercropping than under mixed intercropping. The land equivalent ratio (LER) of strip intercropping during the two seasons ranged between 1.25 and 2.29 and was higher compared to mixed intercropping, which ranged between 0.50 and 1.32. In conclusion, cowpea varieties „IT86D-1010‟, „IT82E-16‟ and „IT87K-499-35‟ sown with maize as strip intercropping resulted more profits under intercropping systems and were recommended for cultivation by farmers in the Limpopo region with low rainfall. Moreover, grain yield, LER, and net profit achieved by strip intercropping was three-fold more than mixed intercropping. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers

Corrigendum to: Conservation agriculture effects on soil properties and crop productivity in a semiarid region of India

Soil Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Somasundaram ◽  
M. Salikram ◽  
N. K. Sinha ◽  
M. Mohanty ◽  
R. S. Chaudhary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Residue Retention

Conservation agriculture (CA) including reduced or no-tillage and crop residue retention, is known to be a self–sustainable system as well as an alternative to residue burning. The present study evaluated the effect of reduced tillage coupled with residue retention under different cropping systems on soil properties and crop yields in a Vertisol of a semiarid region of central India. Two tillage systems – conventional tillage (CT) with residue removed, and reduced tillage (RT) with residue retained – and six major cropping systems of this region were examined after 3 years of experimentation. Results demonstrated that soil moisture content, mean weight diameter, percent water stable aggregates (>0.25mm) for the 0–15cm soil layer were significantly (Pmoderately labile>less labile. At the 0–15cm depth, the contributions of moderately labile, less labile and non-labile C fractions to total organic C were 39.3%, 10.3% and 50.4% respectively in RT and corresponding values for CT were 38.9%, 11.7% and 49.4%. Significant differences in different C fractions were observed between RT and CT. Soil microbial biomass C concentration was significantly higher in RT than CT at 0–15cm depth. The maize–chickpea cropping system had significantly (P–1 followed by soybean+pigeon pea (2:1) intercropping (3.50 t ha–1) and soybean–wheat cropping systems (2.97 t ha–1). Thus, CA practices could be sustainable management practices for improving soil health and crop yields of rainfed Vertisols in these semiarid regions.

Coconut-gliricidia mixed cropping systems improve soil nutrients in dry and wet regions of Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. S. T. Raveendra ◽  
Sarath P. Nissanka ◽  
Deepakrishna Somasundaram ◽  
Anjana J. Atapattu ◽  
Sylvanus Mensah
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Mixed Cropping

scholarly journals Comparative Experimental Effects of Intercropping and Cypermethrin on Insect Pest Infestation and Yield of Maize, Cowpea and Okra in Two Cameroonian Agro-Ecological Zones

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-393
Author(s):  
Patient Farsia Djidjonri ◽  
Nukenine Elias Nchiwan ◽  
Hartmut Koehler
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
Pest Infestation ◽  
Final Yield ◽  
Cropping Seasons ◽  
Agro Ecological Zones

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.

scholarly journals The Pitfalls of Relating Weeds, Herbicide Use, and Crop Yield: Don't Fall Into the Trap! A Critical Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Colbach ◽  
Sandrine Petit ◽  
Bruno Chauvel ◽  
Violaine Deytieux ◽  
Martin Lechenet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yield ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Yield Loss ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Arable Farming ◽  
Herbicide Use ◽  
The Impact

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.

Rearing the wheat stem sawfly on an artificial diet

2005 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuilo B. Macedo ◽  
Paula A. Macedo ◽  
Robert K.D. Peterson ◽  
David K. Weaver ◽  
Wendell L. Morrill
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
The United States ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Yield Losses ◽  
Canadian Prairies ◽  
Wheat Stem Sawfly ◽  
Head Weight ◽  
Harvest Efficiency

The wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymenoptera: Cephidae), is an insect pest in dryland wheat cropping systems in the southern Canadian Prairies and the northern Great Plains of the United States (Morrill 1997). Yield losses caused by C. cinctus are due to reduced head weight (Holmes 1977; Morrill et al. 1992) and lodging, which decreases harvest efficiency. Estimates of yield losses in Montana alone are about US$25 million per year.

scholarly journals A short-term comparison of organic v. conventional agriculture in a silty loam soil using two organic amendments

2008 ◽  
Vol 146 (6) ◽  
pp. 677-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. HERENCIA ◽  
J. C. RUIZ ◽  
S. MELERO ◽  
P. A. GARCIA GALAVÍS ◽  
C. MAQUEDA
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Organic System ◽  
Conventional Agriculture ◽  
Silty Loam ◽  
Loam Soil

SUMMARYThe transition from conventional to organic farming is accompanied by changes in soil chemical properties and processes that could affect soil fertility. The organic system is very complex and the present work carries out a short-term comparison of the effects of organic and conventional agriculture on the chemical properties of a silty loam soil (Xerofluvent) located in the Guadalquivir River Valley, Seville, Spain, through a succession of five crop cycles over a 3-year period. Crop rotation and varieties were compared in a conventional system using inorganic fertilizer and two organic systems using either plant compost or manure. At the end of the study, organic farming management resulted in higher soil organic carbon (OC), N and available P, K, Fe and Zn. The available Mn and especially Cu values did not show significant differences. In general, treatment with manure resulted in more rapid increases in soil nutrient values than did plant compost, which had an effect on several crop cycles later. The present study demonstrated that the use of organic composts results in an increase in OC and the storage of nutrients, which can provide long-term fertility benefits. Nevertheless, at least 2–3 years of organic management are necessary, depending on compost characteristics, to observe significant differences. Average crop yields were 23% lower in organic crops. Nevertheless, only two crops showed statistically significant differences.

scholarly journals Application of Trap Cropping as Companion Plants for the Management of Agricultural Pests: A Review

Insects ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shovon Chandra Sarkar ◽  
Endong Wang ◽  
Shengyong Wu ◽  
Zhongren Lei
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Natural Enemy ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Trap Crops ◽  
Companion Plant ◽  
Trap Cropping

Companion planting is a well-known strategy to manage insect pests and support a natural enemy population through vegetative diversification. Trap cropping is one such type of special companion planting strategy that is traditionally used for insect pest management through vegetative diversification used to attract insect pests away from the main crops during a critical time period by providing them an alternative preferred choice. Trap crops not only attract the insects for feeding and oviposition, but also act as a sink for any pathogen that may be a vector. Considerable research has been conducted on different trap crops as companion plant species to develop improved pest management strategies. Despite this, little consensus exists regarding optimal trap cropping systems for diverse pest management situations. An advantage of trap cropping over an artificially released natural enemy-based biological control could be an attractive remedy for natural enemies in cropping systems. Besides, many trap crop species can conserve natural enemies. This secondary effect of attracting natural enemies may be an advantage compared to the conventional means of pest control. However, this additional consideration requires a more knowledge-intensive background to designing an effective trap cropping system. We have provided information based on different trap crops as companion plant, their functions and an updated list of trap cropping applications to attract insect pests and natural enemies that should be proven as helpful in future trap cropping endeavors.

scholarly journals Outcomes of Long-Term Conservation Tillage Research in Northern China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Azumah Chimsah ◽  
Liqun Cai ◽  
Jun Wu ◽  
Renzhi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yields ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Total N

Sustainable food production has long been a priority for mankind and this is being challenged by limited arable land, challenged landscapes, and higher human population growth. China started conservation farming around the 1950’s. However, main Conservation Tillage (CT) research started in 1992. Using a systematic meta-analysis approach, this review aims at examining China’s approach to CT and to characterize the main outcomes of long-term CT research across northern China. Data from organizations in charge of CT research in China showed an improvement in crop yield of at least 4% under double cropping systems and 6% under single cropping systems in dry areas of northern China. Furthermore, long-term CT practices were reported to have improved soil physical properties (soil structure, bulk density, pore size, and aggregate stability), soil nutrient levels, and reduction in greenhouse gas emission. Other benefits include significant increase in income levels and protection of the environment. Limitations to CT practice highlighted in this study include occasional reduction in crop yields during initial years of cropping, significant reduction in total N of soils, increase in N2O emission, and the need for customized machinery for its implementation. Outcomes of CT practice are ecologically and economically beneficial though its limitations are worth cogitating.

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