RESUMO
Fall armyworm (FAW), a voracious agricultural pest native to North and South America, was first detected on the African continent in 2016 and has subsequently spread throughout the continent and across Asia. It has been predicted that FAW could cause up to $US13 billion per annum in crop losses throughout sub-Saharan Africa, thereby threatening the livelihoods of millions of poor farmers. In their haste to respond to FAW governments may promote indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides which, aside from human health and environmental risks, could undermine smallholder pest management strategies that depend to a large degree on natural enemies. Agro-ecological approaches offer culturally appropriate low-cost pest control strategies that can be readily integrated into existing efforts to improve smallholder incomes and resilience through sustainable intensification. Such approaches should therefore be promoted as a core component of integrated pest management (IPM) programmes for FAW in combination with crop breeding for pest resistance, classical biological control and selective use of safe pesticides. Nonetheless, the suitability of agro-ecological measures for reducing FAW densities and impact need to be carefully assessed across varied environmental and socio-economic conditions before they can be proposed for wide-scale implementation. To support this process, we review evidence for the efficacy of potential agro-ecological measures for controlling FAW and other pests, consider the associated risks, and draw attention to critical knowledge gaps. The evidence indicates that several measures can be adopted immediately. These include (i) sustainable soil fertility management, especially measures that maintain or restore soil organic carbon; (ii) intercropping with appropriately selected companion plants; and (iii) diversifying the farm environment through management of (semi)natural habitats at multiple spatial scales. Nevertheless, we recommend embedding trials into upscaling programmes so that the costs and benefits of these interventions may be determined across the diverse biophysical and socio-economic contexts that are found in the invaded range.
Assuntos
Ecologia , Controle de Pragas , Agricultura , Animais , Ásia , Humanos , América do Sul , SpodopteraRESUMO
El mayor y mejor uso de las tierras en El Estor, Izabal, está determinado por los regímenes de precipitación, topografía y manejo de los suelos. La erosión es el principal proceso de degradación de los suelos en esta región del país, por lo que se evaluó el efecto de diferentes usos de la tierra sobre la erosión y sedimentación media. Se utilizó el método de las varillas de erosión para estimar las variables primarias de erosión y sedimentación media; y posteriormente, las variables derivadas erosión neta y movilidad del suelo, durante los meses de febrero a noviembre del año 2014. Los resultados de los valores de erosión media y movilidad del suelo en plantaciones de hule y tierra en barbecho presentaron relaciones directas r = 0.63 y r = 0.77 respectivamente. Los valores de sedimentación media y movilidad del suelo en bosque secundario y tierra en barbecho presentaron relaciones inversas r = -0.88 y r = -0.79 respectivamente, en ambos casos con 5% de significancia. Además, los resultados del análisis estadístico de la evaluación experimental del uso de la tierra sobre las variables de respuesta, indicaron efecto del uso de la tierra sobre la erosión media de los suelos en la época lluviosa, con 5% de significancia. En su orden, las plantaciones de hule, tierra en barbecho, agricultura anual y bosque secundario, causaron mayor erosión del suelo. Se concluyó que las plantaciones de hule causaron tasas de erosión del doble en relación a las reportadas en el bosque secundario.
The mayor and best land use in El Estor, Izabal is determined by rainfall patterns, topography and soil management. The erosion is the main process of soil degradation in this region, so the effect of different land uses on mean soil erosion and sedimentation were evaluated. The method of erosion rods was used to estimate the mean soil erosion and sedimentation, as primary variables, and then the resulting net soil erosion and soil mobility, as secondary variables, during the months of February to November 2014. The results of mean values of soil erosion and soil mobility in rubber plantations and fallow land had direct relations r = 0.63 and r = 0.77 respectively. The mean values of sedimentation and soil mobility in secondary forest and fallow land had inverse relationships r = -0.88 and r = -0.79 respectively, both with 5% significance. In addition, the statistical analysis of the experimental evaluation of the land use effect on the response variables, indicated effect of land use on mean soil erosion during the rainy season, with 5% significance. In its order, the rubber plantations, fallow land, agriculture and secondary forest causing increased soil erosion. It was concluded that rubber plantations caused double erosion rate compared to those reported in the secondary forest.