Author
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Chellemi, Daniel |
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Submitted to: Phytoparasitica
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 12/14/2008 Publication Date: 6/1/2009 Citation: Chellemi, D.O. 2009. Incorporating pest management into the design of multiple goal-oriented cropping systems. Phytoparasitica 37:101-103. Interpretive Summary: Several suggestions are offered to facilitate future efforts to incorporate pest management goals into the design of crop production systems. The scope of research programs should be expanded to ensure broad multidisciplinary cooperation. Inclusion of farmers, production specialists and researchers from disciplines outside of pest management during the conception and initial formation of research projects would help ensure the consideration of multiple goals during the design and execution of the research experiments. Funding agencies should be cognizant of the advantages of this approach and reward such efforts. Scientists from specific disciplines such as plant pathology, entomology and nematology must think outside the box during the selection and evaluation of alternative pest management practices. For example, the selection and evaluation of candidates for cover crops. Future trends impacting farmers financially include carbon sequestering and trading, increasing demand for biofuels and conservation of natural resources. Thus, evaluation of cover crops and rotation crops should be expanded to consider their ability to improve soil quality, mitigate damaging pest outbreaks, improve the quantity and quality of future yields, increase soil carbon sequestration and provide sources of renewable energy. Energy constraints will be a primary concern as well as the most efficient use of non-renewable and on-farm resources and enhancement of biological cycles and controls. Long-term, high risk ecosystems-based research must continue to be supported as pest populations are regulated by complex interactions involving edaphic factors, biological and microbial communities at several trophic levels, and plant hosts. Thus, a further understanding of ecological theories including diversity/stability relationships is required to predict damaging outbreaks, obtain consistent, reliable achievement of desired biological balance requires a continuation of scientific efforts to linking soil microbial community structure to ecosystem function and identifying crop management practices that promote the establishment and resilience/stability of desirable soil microbial communities. For example, in the southeastern U.S., high seed oil producing plants are being integrated into methyl bromide dependent vegetable production systems as a beneficial cover crop that also meets environmental and social goals as a source of biofuels that does not impact food supply and economic goals by generating immediate revenue . Another example is the integration of nitrogen fixing cover crops into methyl bromide dependent vegetable production systems to offset the escalating costs and environmental consequences of petroleum-based synthetic sources of N. Technical Abstract: Suggestions are offered to facilitate efforts to incorporate pest management goals into the design of crop production systems. The scope of research programs should be expanded to ensure broad multidisciplinary cooperation. Inclusion of farmers, production specialists and researchers from disciplines outside of pest management during the conception and initial formation of research projects would help ensure the consideration of multiple goals during the design and execution of the research experiments. Funding agencies should be cognizant of the advantages of this approach and reward such efforts. Scientists from specific disciplines such as plant pathology, entomology and nematology must think outside the box during the selection and evaluation of alternative pest management practices. For example, the selection and evaluation of candidates for cover crops. Future trends impacting farmers financially include carbon sequestering and trading, increasing demand for biofuels and conservation of natural resources. Thus, evaluation of cover crops and rotation crops should be expanded to consider their ability to improve soil quality, mitigate damaging pest outbreaks, improve the quantity and quality of future yields, increase soil carbon sequestration and provide sources of renewable energy. Energy constraints will be a primary concern as well as the most efficient use of non-renewable and on-farm resources and enhancement of biological cycles and controls. Long-term, high risk ecosystems-based research must continue to be supported as pest populations are regulated by complex interactions involving edaphic factors, biological and microbial communities at several trophic levels, and plant hosts. Thus, a further understanding of ecological theories including diversity/stability relationships is required to predict damaging outbreaks, obtain consistent, reliable achievement of desired biological balance requires a continuation of scientific efforts to linking soil microbial community structure to ecosystem function and identifying crop management practices that promote the establishment and resilience/stability of desirable soil microbial communities. For example, in the southeastern U.S., high seed oil producing plants are being integrated into methyl bromide dependent vegetable production systems as a beneficial cover crop that also meets environmental and social goals as a source of biofuels that does not impact food supply and economic goals by generating immediate revenue . Another example is the integration of nitrogen fixing cover crops into methyl bromide dependent vegetable production systems to offset the escalating costs and environmental consequences of petroleum-based synthetic sources of N. |
