The predators Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Menéville (Coleoptera: Coccinelidae) and Chrysoperla externa (Hagen) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), are frequently observed on vegetable crops, especially on tomato plants, as well as on flowers of several plants around crop fields. It is well known that when predators feed on pollen and nectar they can increase their longevity and reproductive capacity. T...

Elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), a consequence of anthropogenic global change, can profoundly affect the interactions between crop plants and insect pests and may promote yet another form of global change: the rapid establishment of invasive species. Elevated CO2 increased the susceptibility of soybean plants grown under field conditions to the invasive Japanese beetle (Popi...

A one year field trial was carried out on three adjacent unfertilised plots; an 18 year old grassland, a 14 year old established Miscanthus crop, and a 7 month old newly planted Miscanthus crop. Measurements of N2O, soil temperature, water filled pore space (WFPS), and inorganic nitrogen concentrations, were made every one to two weeks. Soil temperature, WFPS and NO3 and NH4 concentrations were...

Non-crop vegetation on regenerating forest lands is often viewed as being uniformly detrimental to the establishment and growth of commercial tree species. This assumption is ingrained in our traditional concepts of land stewardship and efficient commodity production. The “freegrowing” designation for a regenerated stand defines the extent of basic silviculture for which forest licensees are re...

Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com non-rice crops in a rotation such as wheat. Therefore, puddling for rice transplanting should be avoided as it has adverse effects on the succeeding upland crops. Unpuddled transplanting is an alternative method for rice establishment which can be adopted to overcome these problems and also to reduce cost of rice production. For this system, the lan...

Four levels of vegetative competition wete used to quantify the growth of loblolly and shot-deaf pines (Pinus taeda L. and /? echinatu Mill.) in naturally regenerated, even-aged stands on the Upper Coastal Plain of southeastern Arkansas, USA. Treatments included: (I) no competition control, (2) woody competition control, (3) herbaceous competition control. and (4) total control of nonpine veget...

BACKGROUND Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has a great potential as a platform for the production of biobased plastics, chemicals and energy mainly because of its high biomass yield on marginal land and low agricultural inputs. During the last decade, there has been increased interest in the genetic improvement of this crop through transgenic approaches. Since switchgrass, like most perennial...