Potato late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is one of the main diseases in potato production, causing major losses in yield. Potato late blight is presently controlled by toxic fungicides. There is therefore a need for safer strategies. Agronomists Pacilly et al. used fuzzy cognitive mapping, a modeling technique, to understand the biological, physical and social factors influencing late blight development, and, in turn, to propose the best management scenario.
The olive moth is a major pest of olive trees, causing up to 40% fruit fall. A potential solution is to use the common green lacewing because its larvae is a voracious predator of the eggs of the olive moth. But how to favour the abundance of green lacewings? Scientists González et al. found that flowering plants such as pignut, wild fennel, honeysuckle and wild asparagus are food resources that increase the longevity and fecondity of green lacewings.
Is production of coffee, tea and cocoa sustainable in smallholder farms? Mukashema et al. studied the sustainability of smallholder coffee fields in Rwanda. They found that 60% of coffee farms have suitable socio-economic and environmental locations.
Biochar is a charcoal made by pyrolysis of biomass. Biochar is applied to soils to enhance fertility, carbon sequestration and water retention. Biochar may thus solve actual issues of soil erosion and nutrient depletion. Agronomists Ding et al. review published literature on the use of biochar for soil fertility.
Tropical deforestation for grass plantations for livestock production is responsible for about 30% of CO2 emissions. Life fencing, which is the use of trees for fences, may help to decrease and balance CO2 emissions. Villanueva-López et al. studied the impact of live fences of Gliricidia Sepium trees in livestock systems on soil CO2 emissions. They found that CO2 emissions did not differ with or without tree fences, but they also evidenced that tree fences reduced the diurnal and seasonal variability of soil CO2 emissions.
Genetically modified crops have been banned in Switzerland for many years. Yet the potential impact of these crops on farmers, consumers, biodiversity, resources and agribusiness remains unclear. Wohlfender-Bühler et al. designed a model that integrates both scientific literature and expert opinions to give a quick and reliable diagnostic on the impact of genetically modified crops on Swiss agriculture.
Conservation tillage is any method of soil cultivation that leaves the previous year’s crop residue, such as corn stalks or wheat stubble, on fields before and after planting the next crop, to reduce soil erosion and runoff. Presently, little is known about the effect of conservation tillage on soil microbes. Wang et al. show that conservation tillage increases the amount of bacteria species that are beneficial to crop production.
Accurate yield forecasts can improve sustainability in the sugarcane industry by delivering better environmental and economic outcomes. Foreknowledge of the size of the upcoming crop can influence fertilizer management, mill planning and maintenance and marketing decisions. Everingham et al. developed statistical models to accurately forecast sugarcane yield in Tully, Australia. These models used random forest datamining techniques to find relationships between yield, climatic indices and crop model outputs. They found that accurate yield forecasts were possible 8 – 14 months before the end of the harvest season.
Grain legumes like lupin, pea and faba bean are disappearing from European landscapes. Zander et al. seeked why farmers are losing interest in cultivating legume crops. They found that unfavorable market conditions, failure to appreciate environmental benefits, changes in subsidy policies, disadvantageous trade agreements and some biological disadvantages that reduce the farm profitability are driving legumes out of the continent. The authors suggest introducing payments for ecosystem services, building awareness on the benefits of these crops among farming community, reforming trade policies, facilitating changes in consumption patterns, investing in research and developing new value chains to bring them back into European landscapes. This may restore the diversity of cropping systems, provide ecosystem services and reduce the European production deficit of plant proteins.
Smartphones are an important part of daily life in all sections of society. They are also increasingly used for citizen science projects. Dehnen-Schmutz et al. investigate how farmers in Britain and France use smartphones for farm management. They found that farmers were very supportive of citizen science projects in agricultural research and highly willing to participate in such projects.