Post by Farmer Nestor on Sept 1, 2010 5:21:01 GMT -8
Natural Crop Protection
By: Engr. Winfried Scheewe
Natural Crop Protection (NCP) makes use of traditionally known botanical pesticides derived from fruits, seeds, leaves, stems or roots of plants. These plants either grow in the wild or are specially planted. In the Philippines, those used traditionally are madre de cacao, derris, and makabuhay and more recently the neem tree which originates from India.
Some organic pesticides are poisonous to insects while others are act as a repellant. Generally, they are easily degradable in the soil. Yet, the sprays prepared from this kind of plant can also have negative impact on the soil organisms although not as seriously as synthetic pesticides. It needs knowledge and skills to prepare the sprays and it is difficult to store enough raw materials for future use. Some biological pesticides can also be toxic for aquatic life, bees and even humans.
IPM (Integrated Pest Mgmt.), and partially NCP includes the use of bacteria as predators to pest. These bacteria are produced in laboratories. Scientist can also produce sterilized males of some insects. The distribution of these infertile males leads to a reduction of the population of a particular insect pest.
Scientist involved in NCP research focus on methods to “fight back” pests and diseases. Question on why the pests or the disease occurs are relegated to the background. Yet, even if one can control one pest through biological pesticides or through some other techniques, it is likely that other problems will turn upas long as farmers do not improve theor cultivation practices.
Alternative Pest Management
Cultivation practices or cultural control are precisely the core of an approach called Ecological or Alternative Pest Management (APM). Among others, some scientists from the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, are promoting this concept which intends to prevent or to limit damages by pests or diseases. The no confrontation involves:
The choice of crops and varieties resistant to most pests and diseases
The improvement of the soil fertility to make the plants less susceptible
Appropriate water management in lowland rice
Cultivation practices which reduce the danger of pests and diseases, like correct timing, proper spacing, and intercropping or crop rotation and a more diversified environment to shelter more species which can help regulate pests.
Fertilizers and pesticides are considered as a disturbance to the internal balance within an ecosystem. Further, farmers are advised to tolerate minor damages by insects, especially on leaves, since this does not necessarily mean yield losses.
Multiple cropping provides an important tool to regulate pests. Corn intercrop with beans minimizes the damage by leafhoppers and leaf beetle. The number of predators increased. Besides the beans interfered in the leafhopper movement and hampered the invasion. The most common effect in multiple cropping is an enhanced abundance of predators. Sometimes one of the crops act as trap for the pest of the companion crop. It has also been observed that the visual searching behavior of aphids is impaired through wheat or corn.
Strengthening plants health
Healthy plants are the key to a reduction of pesticide use. This can observed in many organic farms surrounded by farms where farmers use huge amounts of fertilizers and regularly spray insecticides. While their neighbor’s crop is often in danger of being attacked by insect pests, only a small number of pests resides in the unfertilized crop. Even in conventional farms it is not uncommon that the population of a pest in one field is one thousand times larger than the adjacent field. Basically, the presence of pests is an indication that the metabolism of the affected plants is disturbed.
Once soil fertility has improved and the crop is cultivated with minimal or nil synthetic fertilizers, damages by insects decrease. Similarly, the risk of diseases is reduced. Very important is a high microbial activity of the soil. If plants are supported by mycorrhizae and various micro organisms, they will likely be more resistant to insect pests and diseases. Plant health will be additionally supported by various substances like growth promoting hormones and antibiotics released by micro organisms.
Aside from improving the plant health by way of ameliorating the soil there is the option of using foliar spray which can improve the metabolism of plants and strengthen their resistance against pest and diseases. Many of this foliar sprays are most effective if plants are in stress situation.
By: Engr. Winfried Scheewe
Natural Crop Protection (NCP) makes use of traditionally known botanical pesticides derived from fruits, seeds, leaves, stems or roots of plants. These plants either grow in the wild or are specially planted. In the Philippines, those used traditionally are madre de cacao, derris, and makabuhay and more recently the neem tree which originates from India.
Some organic pesticides are poisonous to insects while others are act as a repellant. Generally, they are easily degradable in the soil. Yet, the sprays prepared from this kind of plant can also have negative impact on the soil organisms although not as seriously as synthetic pesticides. It needs knowledge and skills to prepare the sprays and it is difficult to store enough raw materials for future use. Some biological pesticides can also be toxic for aquatic life, bees and even humans.
IPM (Integrated Pest Mgmt.), and partially NCP includes the use of bacteria as predators to pest. These bacteria are produced in laboratories. Scientist can also produce sterilized males of some insects. The distribution of these infertile males leads to a reduction of the population of a particular insect pest.
Scientist involved in NCP research focus on methods to “fight back” pests and diseases. Question on why the pests or the disease occurs are relegated to the background. Yet, even if one can control one pest through biological pesticides or through some other techniques, it is likely that other problems will turn upas long as farmers do not improve theor cultivation practices.
Alternative Pest Management
Cultivation practices or cultural control are precisely the core of an approach called Ecological or Alternative Pest Management (APM). Among others, some scientists from the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, are promoting this concept which intends to prevent or to limit damages by pests or diseases. The no confrontation involves:
The choice of crops and varieties resistant to most pests and diseases
The improvement of the soil fertility to make the plants less susceptible
Appropriate water management in lowland rice
Cultivation practices which reduce the danger of pests and diseases, like correct timing, proper spacing, and intercropping or crop rotation and a more diversified environment to shelter more species which can help regulate pests.
Fertilizers and pesticides are considered as a disturbance to the internal balance within an ecosystem. Further, farmers are advised to tolerate minor damages by insects, especially on leaves, since this does not necessarily mean yield losses.
Multiple cropping provides an important tool to regulate pests. Corn intercrop with beans minimizes the damage by leafhoppers and leaf beetle. The number of predators increased. Besides the beans interfered in the leafhopper movement and hampered the invasion. The most common effect in multiple cropping is an enhanced abundance of predators. Sometimes one of the crops act as trap for the pest of the companion crop. It has also been observed that the visual searching behavior of aphids is impaired through wheat or corn.
Strengthening plants health
Healthy plants are the key to a reduction of pesticide use. This can observed in many organic farms surrounded by farms where farmers use huge amounts of fertilizers and regularly spray insecticides. While their neighbor’s crop is often in danger of being attacked by insect pests, only a small number of pests resides in the unfertilized crop. Even in conventional farms it is not uncommon that the population of a pest in one field is one thousand times larger than the adjacent field. Basically, the presence of pests is an indication that the metabolism of the affected plants is disturbed.
Once soil fertility has improved and the crop is cultivated with minimal or nil synthetic fertilizers, damages by insects decrease. Similarly, the risk of diseases is reduced. Very important is a high microbial activity of the soil. If plants are supported by mycorrhizae and various micro organisms, they will likely be more resistant to insect pests and diseases. Plant health will be additionally supported by various substances like growth promoting hormones and antibiotics released by micro organisms.
Aside from improving the plant health by way of ameliorating the soil there is the option of using foliar spray which can improve the metabolism of plants and strengthen their resistance against pest and diseases. Many of this foliar sprays are most effective if plants are in stress situation.