6 research outputs found
Integrated Production of Different Types of Bioenergy from Oil Palm Through Biorefinery Concept
Biorefinery of Safflower Seeds in a Sequential Process for Effective Use of the Substrate for Biofuel Production
Analysis of the Coffee Cut Stems as Raw Material for the Production of Sugars for AcetoneâButanolâEthanol (ABE) Fermentation: Techno-Economic Analysis
Rice straw as a feedstock for biofuels: Availability, recalcitrance, and chemical properties
Manipulation of Agricultural Habitats to Improve Conservation Biological Control in South America
International audienceStable and diversified agroecosystems provide farmers with important ecosystem services, which are unfortunately being lost at an alarming rate under the current conventional agriculture framework. Nevertheless, this concern can be tackled by using ecological intensification as an alternative strategy to recuperate ecosystem services (e.g., biological control of pests). To this end, the manipulation of agricultural habitats to enhance natural enemy conservation has been widely explored and reported in Western Europe and North America, whereas in other parts of the world, the investigation of such topic is lagging behind (e.g., South America). In this forum, we gathered published and unpublished information on the different ecological habitat management strategies that have been implemented in South America and their effects on pest control. Additionally, we identify the various challenges and analyze the outlook for the science of conservation biological control in South America. More specifically, we reviewed how different agricultural practices and habitat manipulation in South America have influenced pest management through natural enemy conservation. The main habitat manipulations reported include plant diversification (intercropping, insectary plants, agroforestry), conservation and management of non-crop vegetation, and application of artificial foods. Overall, we noticed that there is a significant discrepancy in the amount of research on conservation biological control among South American countries, and we found that, although intercropping, polycultures, and crop rotation have been reported in agroecosystems since pre-Inca times, more systematic studies are required to evaluate the true effects of habitat management to implement conservation biological control for pest control in South America