Weed Biology and Management

Weed Biology and Management
Author: Inderjit
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 550
Release: 2013-11-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401705526

Weeds hold an enigmatic and sometimes-controversial place in agriculture, where they are generally reviled, grudgingly tolerated, and occasionally admired. In most cases, growers make considerable effort to reduce the negative economic impact of weeds because they compete with crops for resources and hinder field operations, thereby affecting crop productivity and quality, and ultimately the sustainability of agriculture. Weed control in production agriculture is commonly achieved through the integration of chemical, biological, and mechanical management methods. Chemicals (herbicides) usually inhibit the growth and establishment of weed plants by interfering with various physiological and biochemical pathways. Biological methods include crop competition, smother crops, rotation crops, and allelopathy, as well as specific insect predators and plant pathogens. Mechanical methods encompass an array of tools from short handled hoes to sophisticated video-guided robotic machines. Integrating these technologies, in order to relieve the negative impacts of weeds on crop production in a way that allows growers to optimize profits and preserve human health and the environment, is the science of weed management.

Advances in Agronomy

Advances in Agronomy
Author:
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2009-08-31
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0080888623

Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source for the latest research in agronomy. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad of subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial. - Maintains the highest impact factor among serial publications in agriculture - Presents timely reviews on important agronomy issues - Enjoys a long-standing reputation for excellence in the field

Recent Advances in Weed Management

Recent Advances in Weed Management
Author: Bhagirath S. Chauhan
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2014-07-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1493910191

This volume addresses recent developments in weed science. These developments include conservation agriculture and conservation tillage, climate change, environmental concerns about the runoff of agrochemicals, resistance of weeds and crops to herbicides, and the need for a vastly improved understanding of weed ecology and herbicide use. The book provides details on harnessing knowledge of weed ecology to improve weed management in different crops and presents information on opportunities in weed management in different crops. Current management practices are also covered, along with guidance for selecting herbicides and using them effectively. Written by experts in the field and supplemented with instructive illustrations and tables, Recent Advances in Weed Management is an essential reference for agricultural specialists and researchers, government agents, extension specialists, and professionals throughout the agrochemical industry, as well as a foundation for advanced students taking courses in weed science.

Root Interactions and Evaluation of Agroforestry and Intercropping Systems in Benin, West Africa

Root Interactions and Evaluation of Agroforestry and Intercropping Systems in Benin, West Africa
Author: Sigmund Johannes Lose
Publisher:
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2003
Genre: Agroforestry
ISBN:

About the book In West Africa, traditional smallholder fallow systems urgently need sustainable intensification while maintaining soil fertility. Agroforestry systems were propagated to attain these targets. Earlier work, however, had not shown the expected positive effects on yield of the interplanted staple crops due to shading as well as root competition for nutrients and water. From 1995 until 1999, within the frame of the special research programme 308 (1985-1999) "Adapted farming in West Africa" of the University of Hohenheim, root studies were carried out in Southern Benin using the profile wall method for direct root observation and destructive soil monolith sampling. To estimate sustainability of the various treatments, i.e. fertilised, annual and perennial alley cropping in comparison to local practice, and production systems, i.e. maize-cassava intercropping, cassava sole-cropping as well as alley vs. block arrangement of perennial leguminous trees, yield trends were calculated for the three central trial sites at different edapho-climatical ecozones. Additionally, to quantify the complex interactions in agroforestry as well as in intercropping systems, data were used in system process modelling to give quantification of sustainable land management.

The Granulovirus of the Potato Tuber Moth Phthorimaea Operculella (Zeller)

The Granulovirus of the Potato Tuber Moth Phthorimaea Operculella (Zeller)
Author: Marc Sporleder
Publisher:
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2003
Genre: Potato tuberworm
ISBN:

The potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is the most important pest in potato production in the tropics and subtropics. Faced with serious and increasing problems due to the extensive use of chemical pesticides to control this pest, safer alternatives such as the use of entomopathogens are of growing interest. The research presented here focus on the efficient integration of the endemic granulovirus infecting the potato tuber moth (PoGV) as biopesticide into IPM strategies. The investigations include basic research on the granulovirus-host interaction and ecology which allows a comprehensive understanding of the system and how the system is influenced by environmental factors, and applied research to improve the virus mass propagation technique and the UV-stability of the virus. The results presented allow differentiation between conditions occurring in different agroecological regions for appropriate management of the virus.

Integrating New Technologies for Striga Control

Integrating New Technologies for Striga Control
Author: Gebisa Ejeta
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2007
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9812707085

Witchweeds (Striga species) decimate agriculture in much of Africa and parts of Asia, attacking the major cereal grains and legumes, and halving the already very low yields of subsistence farmers. Several years of research have provided promising technologies, based on the fundamental biology of the parasite?host associations, for dealing with this scourge. However, there is an apparent realization that these technologies will fail because highly successful weeds such as Striga evolve resistance to all types of controls unless proven methods are integrated with each other for a more sustainable solution.Integration is often an anathema to basic scientists who typically deal with single variables and solutions. However, key leaders in the development of the new knowledge-based control strategies, already in the field and under development, recently joined forces to develop strategies and projects in order to integrate the technologies in a symposium in Ethiopia in November 2006. The encouraging results are described in this peer-reviewed book, authored by leaders in the field who have been supplying the basic biology, genetics, biochemistry, and molecular information that have offered insights and generated technologies in how to deal with Striga.