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An ecologically intensive approach to the sustainable management of crop pests and diseases in tropical agrosystems
Farmers in the tropics are faced with crop protection issues such as adverse impacts of pesticides on human health and on the environment in intensive agrosystems (particularly those of the French overseas islands).
Food insecurity and low income in low-input traditional systems due for a large part to pest-induced crop losses are also a major concern, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa
To tackle these problems, Cirad is developing an IPM component to its « ecological intensification » paradigm, through an institution-commissioned and funded project titled « Omega3 ». This project aims at studying the effects of the planned introduction of plant species diversity (PSD) in agrosystems, as a potential alternative to conventional practices based on pesticide use, via 3 major research questions:
- What PSD effects can be mobilized to manage pests and pathogens at the field level, according to typologies of plants (functional traits) and PSD deployment modalities, and typologies of pests and pathogens (life history traits)?
- How to optimize/generalize the principles of pest/pathogen population and damage regulation by “assisting” processes of the “push-pull” type
- How to reconcile conflicting effects of field and landscape layouts as observed in some agrosystems, for the optimal regulation of the spectra of pests and pathogens they are faced to?
Expected outcomes of the project at its completion late 2011 are : An improved scientific knowledge of pest and pathogen regulating processes linked to PSD; Tools & methods (e.g. models) to evaluate and develop innovating cropping systems based on the agroecology principle; capacity building in tropical countries via training of scientists, students, development agents and farmers.
Regulating pests and diseases in tropical agrosystems
Download the fact sheet realized for SIA 2010
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