摘要:

Legume-based technologies have potential to contribute to crop and livestock productivity, to improved human nutrition and to resource conservation in low input agriculture. Adoption of such technologies, however, lags far behind claimed potentials. There is a need to review present technical and methodological approaches to the design and transfer of these technologies by research and development organizations. Research needs to shift from detailed experimentation with a few promising technologies towards developing a basket of a large number of prototype technologies which match the diversity of target conditions in farmers' fields. Preparing the resulting information in a user-friendly database or expert system can guide the choice of appropriate technologies for target sites. Development needs to improve its technical capacity to characterize target sites and the underlying causes of constraints and its ability to identify appropriate prototype technologies for farmers. The evolving research-development scenario with a large number of non-governmental organizations operating at the local scale provides an opportunity to experiment with more appropriate legume-based technologies for a large number of diverse farming systems, if those involved in research and development respond to the new challenge.

ISSN:0144-8765    

DOI:10.1080/01448765.1996.9754790

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

For three consecutive cropping seasons, plantain (MusaAAB), established at 1667 plants ha−1, was intercropped with melons: egusi melon (Citrullus lanatus) followed by water melon (Citrullus lanatus) followed by egusi melon. The aim was to assess the compatibility of plantain with melons. The populations of melon used were 3333, 5000 and 6666 plants ha−1. Leaf area of plantain was significantly decreased by intercropping with 5000 and 6666 melon plants ha−1. Intercropping did not significantly influence bunch yield of plantain but it caused a 2–7 and 20% yield decrease in egusi melon and water melon respectively. Land Equivalent Ratios (LER) of the intercropped plots were 1.67, 1.69 and 1.74 respectively. Cash advantage due to intercropping (CAI) values for plantain intercropped with 3333, 5000 and 6666 melon plants ha−1were N61400, N65700 and N72100 ha−1respectively. The plantain-melon mixture is proferred as an alternative sustainable mixture to existing plantain-based mixed cropping systems.

ISSN:0144-8765    

DOI:10.1080/01448765.1996.9754791

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Three field experiments on West African eggplant {Solanumspp.) responses to rates of poultry manure conducted in a weathered tropical Ultisol between 1990 and 1991 are reported. The poultry manures collected from different locations differed markedly especially in their contents of the major fertilizer elements of N (16–36%), P (17–43%), K (6–56%) and Mg (13–51%). A manure rate of 15 t ha−1appeared satisfactory for eggplant production, although no quadratic response on eggplant fruit yield was observed at the highest rate of 20 t ha−1. Yield responses to manure application were best predicted by a linear function within the range of 0 to 20 t ha−1manure. Fruit yield increases with increased manure application came essentially from more fruits harvested per plant and from higher average fruit weights. The leaf and fruit elemental concentrations were not increased in relation to increasing quantities of the elements supplied with increasing manure rates, in part due to possible dilution effects.

ISSN:0144-8765    

DOI:10.1080/01448765.1996.9754792

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

This paper reports the results of a study of organic milk production in Germany, based on a sample of 268 organic dairy farms with 7,990 cows. The average milk yield of these farms was 4,941 kg per cow per lactation. The organic cows on average were only 5.7 years old, and were milked for only 3.2 years. Concentrate feeding was moderate (average of 580 kg per cow per year). The diets consisted mainly of silages, hay, and fodder beets. On 60% of the sample farms, the cows were housed in tie stalls and 26% were confined all year round. The order of importance of herd health problems was the same as in conventional agriculture: mastitis, fertility disorders, and hoof diseases were the main problems (in descending order). Metabolic disorders, such as acetonaemia and milk fever were less frequent. Most commonly, diseases were treated by a mixture of methods, including conventional veterinary medicine (53%), homeopathy (27%), and other alternative methods, such as herb medicine and home remedies (20%).

ISSN:0144-8765    

DOI:10.1080/01448765.1996.9754793

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

The results of several years of study in Sweden on intercropping in carrots as a method for reducing damage caused by carrot fly,Psila rosae, are evaluated. Lucerne,Medicago littoralis, was used as a living mulch intercrop. The yield decrease due to competition from the intercrop was quantified and weighed against the benefits of the intercrop in terms of reduced damage caused by the carrot fly, soil nitrogen enhancement through N-fixation, and decreased weed germination and development. The negative effects of competition were less pronounced in years with a high carrot fly population. In years when yield losses caused by the fly were low, the competition effect remained. Cultural methods for decreasing competition are discussed.

ISSN:0144-8765    

DOI:10.1080/01448765.1996.9754794

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Three different farming systems for Ontario, Canada were compared from technical and economic standpoints. The conventional system farms relied upon government-prescribed rates of synthetic herbicides for weed management. Reduced-input system farms used crop rotations and tillage systems as partial substitutes for synthetic herbicide inputs. Organic system farms proscribed the use of synthetic herbicide treatments entirely, relying instead on crop choices and sequences, tillage methods, animal manure composting, and other management tools for weed control. All farm types had similar natural resource endowments, but conventional farms were the most specialized and operated the largest land base, while organic farms were the most diversified and smallest.

ISSN:0144-8765    

DOI:10.1080/01448765.1996.9754795

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

ISSN:0144-8765    

DOI:10.1080/01448765.1996.9754796

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

ISSN:0144-8765    

DOI:10.1080/01448765.1996.9754797

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

ISSN:0144-8765    

DOI:10.1080/01448765.1996.9754789

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor