Mulch is a protective covering, usually of organic matter such as leaves or straw, placed around plants. It prevents the evaporation of moisture, the growth of weeds and (in cold climates) it prevents freezing of roots. It can have a positive effect on the fertility of the soil. The layer of mulch also provides shelter … Read more
Manure and other organic fertilizers are recommended to improve the fertility of the soil and to improve soil structure. Generally, the use of manure will favor the development of the plant, which helps it to resist attacks of pests. A well-developed plant can better support these attacks without suffering much damage, while a poorly developed … Read more
Proper water management (irrigation, drainage) is required to grow a healthy crop. When the soil is too dry, the wilting plants will be more vulnerable to attacks of some sucking insects (e.g. aphids and thrips). Alternatively, too much water will also weaken the plants and the humid environment will favor the development of diseases. With … Read more
Inundating the field can control certain crop pests. Many pests and diseases will not survive long in an inundated soil. The number of germs of soil borne disease will be reduced and pupae and larval stages of Lepidoptera and other pests will be killed. Other examples include the root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne sp.). Populations of … Read more
When two or more crops are grown simultaneously in the same field, this is called inter-cropping or mixed cropping. Crops are often grown in mono-culture. This has several advantages for the easier management of the crop (planting, weeding and harvesting), but it has also some disadvantages. Many pests and diseases multiply more rapidly in a … Read more
Hand collection is often recommended for controlling bigger insects that are easily visible. As it involves a lot of labor it is more suitable for smaller fields, for example in the cultivation of vegetables in homestead farming. An insect that is easily visible and can be collected by hand is the red pumpkin beetle, which … Read more
One way to improve soil fertility is the use of green manure. Green manure is a field crop which is destined to be ploughed into the soil. Usually this will be a leguminous crop because, through nitrogen fixation at the roots, they have a good fertilizing effect on the soil. Green manure can be planted … Read more
One of the principles of IPM is to grow a healthy crop, which makes it necessary for an IPM farmer to pay attention to fertilizer use. Not only the types of fertilizers used, but also their dosage and the timing of application will have to be considered. It is known that a balanced fertilizer use … Read more
Emergence boxes are simple tools that can be used to increase the population of parasitoids in the crop. While inspecting the crop for pests and diseases, farmers will often find egg masses of pest insects. It is for example very easy to find egg masses of stem borers in a rice field. Destroying these egg … Read more
The microclimate (i.e. temperature, humidity, wind speed) in the crop can be manipulated by using different planting densities. The distance between plants in a field is thus a factor which will have influence on the development of pests and diseases. If plants are sown or planted close together, they will cover the soil rapidly. This … Read more
