Integrated Pest Management in Cocoa Agroforests in Southern Cameroon: Constraints and Overview

Imports of pesticides have long been subsidised for use in the cocoa agroforests of the humid forest zone of southern Cameroon. With the liberalisation of the cocoa and pesticides sectors and the devaluation of the local currency (CFA franc), farmers are facing fluctuations in the price paid for cocoa and the high cost of farm inputs. Without the support of the extension services, they themselves have developed traditional integrated control methods based on the use of plant extracts mixed with conventional pesticides. From a survey of 300 cocoa farmers, the study assesses the farmers' command of these methods, the pests controlled, the problems encountered and the institutional constraints in the definition and dissemination of integrated control methods. The study concludes with recommendations for research and development towards the better definition and dissemination of integrated control methods. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Responding to Economic Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa: New Farmer-Developed Pest Management Strategies in Cocoa-Based Plantations in Southern Cameroon

Cocoa is a key or source of income and poverty reduction in the humid forest of Southern Cameroon. Cameroon like other African countries went through a major economic crisis in the early 1980s with a decline in international commodity prices and significant changes in macroeconomic policies. Structural adjustment reforms following the economic crisis led to removal of fertilizers and pesticides subsidies, cocoa price liberalization and the overall withdraw of Government interventions from the cocoa sub-sector. Cocoa input price increases have been compounded by the devaluation of the CFA Franc, which doubled the prices of the imported pesticides which were considered key to the control of cocoa pests. This overall economic shock led to changes in cocoa producer's production decisions as a response to minimize cost. Among the changes the use of alternatives to imported chemicals for cocoa pest control. Farmers responded to the high prices of pesticides by developing, from local botanical knowledge and pest management strategies, which include plant extracts and plant extracts mixed with pesticides at different proportions. This is a major decision given the importance of imported chemical in the cost of production of cocoa. Valuable indigenous knowledge from farmers could be used also as an effective support system for communicating and diffusing modern knowledge and technologies to farmers. The paper describes the farmer knowledge-based alternatives to chemical pesticides for pest control in cocoa fields as a response to high pest control costs. Pest management specialists are urged to take advantage of this shift in practice and assess their effectiveness for further use. Two sets of questions are posed: (1) were the conventional insecticides, with all their problems, really necessary? and (2) are the materials derived from locally grown plants effective pest management agents or are they, in some way, placebos?     

高山夏秋黄瓜配套技术研究初报

通过对高山夏秋黄瓜适宜种植地的选择,品种的筛选,播种期,密植程度及病虫防治等技术的试验研究,提出一套有效的高山夏秋黄瓜栽培技术,以便在同类地区推广应用。     

Simulating evolution of glyphosate resistance in Lolium rigidum II: past, present and future glyphosate use in Australian cropping

Glyphosate is a key component of weed control strategies in Australia and worldwide. Despite widespread and frequent use, evolved resistance to glyphosate is rare. A herbicide resistance model, parameterized for Lolium rigidum has been used to perform a number of simulations to compare predicted rates of evolution of glyphosate resistance under past, present and projected future use strategies. In a 30‐year wheat, lupin, wheat, oilseed rape crop rotation with minimum tillage (100% shallow depth soil disturbance at sowing) and annual use of glyphosate pre‐sowing, L. rigidum control was sustainable with no predicted glyphosate resistance. When the crop establishment system was changed to annual no‐tillage (15% soil disturbance at sowing), glyphosate resistance was predicted in 90% of populations, with resistance becoming apparent after between 10 and 18 years when sowing was delayed. Resistance was predicted in 20% of populations after 25–30 years with early sowing. Risks of glyphosate resistance could be reduced by rotating between no‐tillage and minimum‐tillage establishment systems, or by rotating between glyphosate and paraquat for pre‐sowing weed control. The double knockdown strategy (sequential full rate applications of glyphosate and paraquat) reduced risks of glyphosate and paraquat resistance to <2%. Introduction of glyphosate‐resistant oilseed rape significantly increased predicted risks of glyphosate resistance in no‐tillage systems even when the double knockdown was practised. These increased risks could be offset by high crop sowing rates and weed seed collection at harvest. When no selective herbicides were available in wheat crops, the introduction of glyphosate‐resistant oilseed rape necessitated a return to a minimum‐tillage crop establishment system.     

旅游地空间竞争与弱势旅游地的发展研究

本文在介绍旅游地空间竞争的基础上 ,导入弱势旅游地的概念。并以游客吸引半径为尺度 ,对西安和宝鸡的客源市场竞争进行分析。最后总结了发展弱势旅游地的契机和方法。     

双季稻区稻水象甲的生物学特性研究

稻水象甲在浙江双季稻区每年发生２代，以成虫滞育越冬。春季越冬成虫迁入早稻田繁殖，形成１代致害种群；夏季１代成虫生殖滞育，绝大部分个体（９５％以上）迁出早稻田行夏蛰并越冬；秋季２代成虫羽化后，大部分迁飞山上草地越冬。     

盐池半荒漠风沙区土地沙漠化发生发展规律的研究

本文耐盐池半荒漠风沙区土地沙漠化发生发展规律进行了探讨，主要分析了在土地沙漠化的过程中土壤和植被的变化过程及其成因。     

内蒙古旱作农区农业干旱灾害度初步研究

本文通过对旱作农区旱灾的孕实环境、旱灾特征及灾情分析，提出了一种综合评价旱灾对农业生产危害程度的定量化方法，并在此基础上对旱作农区各旗（县）进行灾情分区，从而为抗旱减灾提供理论依据。     

刚察县实施"无鼠害示范区"项目调查

刚察县在2001～2003年实施了“无鼠害示范区“项目,通过项目的实施天然草地的生态环境得到了明显改善,草原鼠害得到了有效控制,草地植被得到恢复,产草量明显增加,为刚察县畜牧业可持续发展打下了良好的基础.     

(土娄)土区不同蔬菜对钾肥的肥效反应

在陕西省关中土娄土区布置线辣椒、甘蓝、白菜、芹菜钾肥大田试验,研究不同蔬菜对钾肥的肥效反应。结果表明,增施钾肥可使蔬菜硝态氮含量降低11.8%～116.0%,维生素C含量增加0.4～147.4mg/kg;产量增加9.3%～33.8%;明显促进营养生长和生殖生长;400cm深土壤剖面硝态氮累积量减少22.7～48.0kg/hm2,尤其在80～220cm剖面减少最为明显。