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Agro-Forestry

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Agro-ecological Approaches to Pest Management for Sustainable Agriculture

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Abstract

The pest incidence and abundance are influenced by agro-forestry practices through both top-down regulation (by increased natural enemies) and bottom-up factors (moderation of microclimate, soil nutrients and water content). In general, the higher abundances of natural enemies and lower abundances of pests are brought about by agro-forestry practices. The crop type decides the effects of agro-forestry on invertebrate pests and diseases. Agro forestry was associated with lower pest abundances and less plant damage in perennial crops such as coffee, cocoa and plantain, while these effects were not significant in annual crops like maize, rice and beans. In conclusion, agro-forestry is beneficial in terms of pest, disease and weed management because the combination of trees and crops provides greater niche diversity and complexity in both time and space than polyculture of annual crops.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

    P. Parvatha Reddy (Former Director)

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  1. P. Parvatha Reddy
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Reddy, P.P. (2017). Agro-Forestry. In: Agro-ecological Approaches to Pest Management for Sustainable Agriculture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4325-3_6

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