A field study was conducted to determine the effect of organic and mineral-based fertilizers on phytochemical contents in the tubers of two cassava varieties. Treatments were arranged in a split plot design with three replicates. The main plot was fertilizer source (vermicompost, empty fruit bunch compost and inorganic fertilizer) and sub-plot was cassava variety (Medan and Sri Pontian). The am...

We studied the effects of five thinning treatments (T1 = 5.5, T2 = 11, T3 = 16.5, T4 = 22.5 and T5 = 28.5 m(2) ha(-1) basal area under bark) x two fertilizer treatments (F0 = unfertilized and F1 = fertilized with 400 kg ha(-1) N plus 229 kg ha(-1) P) on growth and water relations of pole-sized Eucalyptus marginata J. Donn ex Sm. trees growing in southwestern Australia. Thinning reduced leaf are...

The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is a devastating pest associated with tomato. In this study, effects of tomato plants treated with vermicompost (20, 40, and 60%), humic fertilizer (2, 4 and 6 g/kg soil) and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis) were investigated on the life table parameters of T. absoluta in a growth chamber at 25 ± 2...

A n n u a l W h e a t N e w s l e t t e r V o l. 5 4. The 4-year average for the different fertilizer backgrounds indicated that the least total grain damage by cereal bug larvae was in the block with organic-mineral fertilizer, 5.6 %. Damage in the blocks without fertilizer and with only organic fertilizer was 5.9 and 6.0 %, respectively. Total damage was 4.2–4.9 % in seed with a score of 2, w...

Cakchiquel farmers in Patzún, Guatemala stated that pest populations have increased in corn crops since they abandoned organic fertilization and adopted synthetic fertilizers. Given the dearth of scientific information about the effects of fertilization practices on pests, a controlled experiment was performed to elucidate these interactions. Pests, their natural enemies, and nutritional status...

A biotechnology for aerobic conversion of food waste into organic fertilizer under controlled aeration, stirring, pH and temperature at 55-65 degrees C, is proposed. To maintain neutral pH at the beginning of the bioconversion 5% CaCO3 was added to the total solids of the food waste. The addition of 20% horticultural waste compost as a bulking agent to the food wastes (w.w./w.w.), improved the ...

1 Why don’t farmers use fertilizers: 2 Evidence from Field Experiments in Western Kenya 3 (PRELIMINARY AND INCOMPLETE) 4 April 29, 2006 5 6 Esther Duflo, Michael Kremer and Jonathan Robinson 7 8 9 Abstract 10 11 This paper reports on randomized field experiments set up to investigate 12 various reasons for the low usage of fertilizer in Western Kenya. 13 Demonstration plots set up on farmer’s f...

A method to measure the per-tree yield of citrus fruits was developed based on three approaches. Initially, the problem was viewed as a variation on the theme of particle counting as performed earlier on flows of fertilizer particles. The main difference was that 1) citrus fruits are much larger than fertilizer particles 2) they travel at a significantly lower speeds an 3) their flow density ma...

Tillage practices and nitrogen (N) sources are important factors affecting rice production. Few studies, however, have examined the interactions between tillage practices and N fertilizer sources on NH3 volatilization, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and rice grain yield. This study aimed to investigate the effects of N fertilizer sources (no N fertilizer, inorganic N fertilizer, organic N ferti...

Field experiments were performed to identify an effective fertilizing scheme for direct-seeding rice (DSR) fields in the Taihu Lake Basin in east China. Based on local traditions, 3 typical fertilizing schemes (FS-1, FS-2, and FS3) were evaluated, in consideration of ensuring a certain rice yield and relatively low nitrogen (N) loss. The base, seedling, tillering, jointing, and panicle fertiliz...