Impacts of Crop Residue on Damage by Sugarcane Pests during the Tillering Phase in Argentina

One of the most important recent changes in sugarcane cultural practices in Tucumán, Argentina, is the adoption of the practice of green-cane harvesting, which involves harvesting the sugarcane crop in the absence of burning. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the post-harvest crop residue (also sometimes known as "trash blanket") on Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Pseudaletia unipuncta Haworth (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) population dynamics in sugarcane. The study was conducted in ratoon crops for 3 growing seasons (2011, 2012, and 2013) and at 3 locations in the state of Tucumán, Argentina. The treatments consisted of rows with the crop residue burned and the crop residue retained. Removal of the crop residue by burning, compared with retention, resulted in significantly greater crop damage by E. lignosellus in all locations and years. In contrast, damage by P. unipuncta was observed exclusively on plots where crop residue was retained. Comparing the pest status of 2 insects, E. lignosellus seems to be more consistently deleterious to sugarcane yield than P. unipuncta, and chemical control of this species is not very effective. Therefore, leaving the crop residue in place seems to be the most appropriate crop management approach, although it is important also to monitor P. unipuncta populations in order to implement control should it be necessary.Fil: Isas, Marcos Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Maria Lucia del Pilar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Salvatore, Analia. Gobierno de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres; ArgentinaFil: Gastaminza, Gerardo. Gobierno de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres; ArgentinaFil: Willink, Eduardo. Gobierno de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres; ArgentinaFil: White, William. United States Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Research Service; Estados Unido

Effect of tillage and residue retention on maize productivity

In Bangladesh, maize is generally sown after extensive tilth and minimum residue retention. Conservation agriculture (CA) systems reduce the input costs, machinery use, CO2 emissions; and improve soil health (Raper et al., 1994). Crop residues are known to affect soil physical properties (Hulugalle et al., 1986), availability of nutrients (Wade and Sanchez, 1983; Asghar et al., 2006) and soil biological activity (Tian et al., 1993). Crop residue retention has been suggested to improve overall soil fertility and to support sustainable crop production. Crop residue retention under no tillage system reduce soil erosion, increase soil organic matter (SOM), and reduce requirement of labour and fuel under cereal grain and row crop culture (Salinas-Garcia et al., 1997). Kumar and Goh (2000) reported that incorporation of crop residues is essential for sustaining soil productivity through replenishing SOM that not only a key indicator of soil quality, but it also supplies essential nutrients upon mineralization (N, P, and S) and improves soil physical, chemical, and biological properties (Kumar et al., 2001). In our country, the crop residue is used mostly for cattle feed (Saadullah et al., 1991), fuel for stove and some cases burning. It is essential to estimate the amount of crop residue that should be retained in field to get the benefits. Therefore, the present research investigated to find out the minimum tillage with residue retention could be an effective element for maize production

Estimating Percent Residue Cover Using the Line-Transect Method

Leaving crop residue on the soil surface is one of the easiest and most cost-effective methods of reducing soil erosion. Research in Nebraska and other midwestern states has shown that leaving as little as 20 percent of the soil surface covered with crop residue can reduce soil erosion by one-half of what it would be from residue-free conditions. Greater amounts of residue cover will further reduce erosion. Many Conservation Plans specify crop residue management or residue left on the soil surface as the primary erosion control method. Generally, the amount of cover required after planting ranges from 30 percent to as much as 85 percent. Thus, it is important to accurately determine percent residue cover to verify effective erosion control and compliance with a Conservation Plan. Residue cover cannot be estimated merely by looking across a field. Such estimates, often attempted from the road or edge of the field, grossly overestimate the actual amount of cover. Accurate estimates of residue cover can only be obtained from measurements taken within the field, while looking straight down at the soil and residue. Crop residue management, or leaving residue on the soil surface, is the most cost-effective method of reducing soil erosion available to Nebraska farmers. Accurate measurements of percent residue cover are needed to determine if enough cover is present to adequately reduce erosion and to comply with a Conservation Plan. The line-transect method is one of the easiest and most accurate methods of determining percent residue cover

The Bioeconomics of Conservation Agriculture and Soil Carbon Sequestration in Developing Countries

Improving soil carbon through conservation agriculture in developing countries may generate some private benefits to farmers, as well as sequester carbon emissions, which is a positive externality to society. Leaving crop residue on the farm has become an important option in conservation agriculture practice. However, in developing countries, using crop residue for conservation agriculture has the opportunity cost of feed for livestock. In this paper, we model and develop an expression for an optimum economic incentive that is necessary to internalize the positive externality. A crude value of the tax is calculated using data from Kenya. We also empirically investigated the determinants of the crop residue left on the farm and found that it depends on the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soil, the prices of maize, whether extension officers visit the plot or not, household size, the level of education of the household head, and alternative cost of soil conservation.conservation agriculture, soil carbon, climate change, bioeconomics, Kenya

Measure your crop residue

By now, many producers have completed a great deal of this year\u27s planting, and that means it is a good time to measure crop residues--the stems and stalks remaining from last year\u27s crop. Last year\u27s crop residue provides the most important cover for the soil during this critical time of year, shielding soil particles from erosion until crops can produce a protective canopy

Strategic management of nitrogen within an organic cropping system using digestate from biogas production of recirculated crop residues

This project investigates strategic management of nitrogen by integrating crop residue management with biogas production. The approach offers potential for diversified farmer income, as food crops, feedstock for biogas and digestate for nutrient cycling are produced simultaneously. This type of diversification provides multifunctional solutions in organic farming, especially in production without access to animal manure. Biogas production from crop residues offers the possibility of reducing both emissions and leaching of nutrients to the surrounding ecosystems, as compared to the case where crop residue is incorporated into the soil for decomposition (Baggs et al. 2000; Velthof et al. 2002). This type of multifunctional cropping system provides solutions that can also help to solve issues on conventional farms, such as N emissions, and can also provide local production of biogas

CQESTR Simulation of Management Practice Effects on Long-Term Soil Organic Carbon

Management of soil organic matter (SOM) is important for soil productivity and responsible utilization of crop residues for additional uses. CQESTR, pronounced “sequester,” a contraction of “C sequestration” (meaning C storage), is a C balance model that relates organic residue additions, crop management, and soil tillage to SOM accretion or loss. Our objective was to simulate SOM changes in agricultural soils under a range of climate and management systems using the CQESTR model. Four long-term experiments (Champaign, IL, \u3e100 yr; Columbia, MO, \u3e100 yr; Lincoln, NE, 20 yr; Sidney, NE, 20 yr) in the United States under various crop rotations, tillage practices, organic amendments, and crop residue removal treatments were selected for their documented history of the long-term effects of management practice on SOM dynamics. CQESTR successfully simulated a substantial decline in SOM with 50 yr of crop residue removal under various rotations at Columbia and Champaign. The increase in SOM following addition of manure was simulated well; however, the model underestimated SOM for a fertilized treatment at Columbia. Predicted and observed values from the four sites were signifi cantly related (r2 = 0.94, n = 113, P \u3c 0.001), with slope not signifi cantly different from 1. Given the high correlation of simulated and observed SOM changes, CQESTR can be used as a reliable tool to predict SOM changes from management practices and offers the potential for estimating soil C storage required for C credits. It can also be an important tool to estimate the impacts of crop residue removal for bioenergy production on SOM level and soil production capacity