Practices for the management of biodiversity
(Edited)
In the last two articles we have developed a topic related to sustainable agriculture and the role of biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems, to achieve the aforementioned (sustainability/biodiversity) some production alternatives can be implemented that guarantee functional biodiversity in these productive systems and the control of some agents such as insect pests in agroeocystems. Some of these alternatives are mentioned below de acuerdo a Altieri y Nicholls 2007
- Crop Rotation: Among the cultural practices that can be implemented in order to create a less favorable environment for the development of harmful organisms is crop rotation. It is known that the establishment of a crop for long periods of time can cause an increase in pest populations, to avoid this it is recommended to rotate with other crops of different botanical family. The greater the botanical differences between crops in a rotation sequence, the better cultural pest control can be expected.
In the rotation the main regulatory factor to consider is the food, the seasonal change of the food source (the crop) produces changes in the phytophagous population and prevents high population levels from being reached by the breakdown of the biological cycle of these.
- Mixing of varieties: increasing the genetic diversity in the field by introducing mixtures of varieties and/or multilines increases genetic heterogeneity, reducing the vulnerability to diseases typical of monocultures.
- Polycultures: complex systems, where two or more species are planted close enough so that there is competition or complementarity, allow yields to be increased and risks to be minimized.
- Agroforestry systems: systems in which trees are grown together with annual crops and/or animals; this offers the benefits of perennial crops and strengthens the complementarity relationships between the components, while promoting a multiple use of agroecosystems.
- Cover crops: pure or mixed crops of legumes or other annual plant species allow to obtain a soil cover and improve its fertility, increase biological pest control and modify the microclimate.
All the diversification strategies mentioned above share the following characteristics:
- They maintain an abundant vegetation cover as an effective measure to conserve soil and water. This is achieved through minimum tillage practices, producing mulch and using cover crops and other appropriate methods.
- They provide a regular supply of organic matter to the soil by adding plant biomass, manure, or compost, which serve as a source of nutrients and energy for microbial populations.
- Improve the mechanisms of nutrient recycling, using systems based on legumes, trees and the incorporation of animals.
- They promote the regulation of pests, thanks to the increased activity of biological control agents that is obtained by conserving natural enemies and antagonists of pests, through the establishment of an ecological infrastructure associated with diversified crops.
Contextualizing the above, the productive base of the agricultural systems in the Southern area of Lake Maracaibo Venezuela is based on monocultures, conventional agricultural practices, fertilization and pest control with synthetic products, without considering important elements of biodiversity such as animal and plant species native to the area.
One of the conventional practices used in this area is conventional tillage, which provides some benefits to the soil, that is, it breaks the aggregates into desired sizes, thus providing greater porous spaces for aeration and water retention, but at the same time damages the biota thereof, with a high frequency of heavy implement passes, and then the secondary operations consisting of spraying the soil. As alternatives, various conservation tillage systems have been proposed (zero tillage, minimum tillage, among others) to preserve the soil structure in a productive state, reduce erosion and conserve moisture.
As for established monocultures prevail in livestock systems with grasslands, the majority being introduced, of African origin, which translates into increased production costs, since they require intensive management involving reseeding, fertilization and weed control, which causes producers to adopt extensive and semi-extensive systems, being able to use sustainable alternatives such as the introduction of shrub legumes to increase biodiversity in agroecosystems.
Some potentialities of the area, is the presence of creeping legumes naturally among which are those of the genus: Centrosema and Arachis. Taking into account that they can introduce advantages into agricultural systems, providing positive contributions to the crops present with them in association and the benefits they grant to the improvement and conservation of the environment.
Dear readers, this is why these local resources are so important economically, socially and environmentally, because they are little exploited in the agricultural systems of the area and are easily accessible to producers, in addition to incorporating practices and techniques that fulfill a dual purpose, to improve the quality of pastures and conserve natural resources through the conservation of natural species that help maintain biodiversity.
| Bibliographic references |
|---|
Altieri, M. and Nicholls, C. 2007. Agroecological conversion of conventional production systems: theories, strategies and evaluation. Ecosystems Magazine. Vol. 16 (1) p 3-12.
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