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Browsing by Author "Mezzalama, M."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Conservation agriculture, improving soil quality for sustainable production systems?
    Verhulst, N.; Govaerts, Bram; Verachtert, E.; Castellanos-Navarrete, A.; Mezzalama, M.; Wall, P.; Chocobar, A.; Deckers, Jozef; Sayre, Ken D. (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2010)
    This chapter presents a detailed definition of conservation agriculture and its influence on soil quality. In a time when food security is becoming an increasingly important issue, the manner in which farmers manage their crops can have huge implications for crop productivity. Where conventional farming practices have always been used, it is evident that soil health is declining. Being aware of the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of soil quality can help researchers and developers maintain and improve soil quality and increase crop production.
  • Infiltration, soil moisture, root rot and nematode populations after 12 years of different tillage, residue and crop rotation managements
    Govaerts, Bram; Fuentes, M.; Mezzalama, M.; Nicol, J. M.; Deckers, Jozef; Etchevers, J. D.; Figueroa-Sandoval, B.; Sayre, Ken D. (Elsevier B.V., 2007)
    The objective of this study was to compare till and zero till systems in terms of their impact on water infiltration, soil moisture content, root diseases and nematode populations. Using a 12 year trial with 16 different treatments, results indicated that no till systems with residue retention were the highest yielding, but there was increased disease and nematode populations in the zero till systems. However, no till systems with residue retention had a lower incidence of disease and pests than no till without residue retention. The researchers point out that while increased root disease may have impacted crop performance, the additional gains to water infiltration and soil moisture content more than offset this to increase yields.
  • Influence of tillage, residue management, and crop rotation on soil microbial biomass and catabolic diversity
    Govaerts, Bram; Mezzalama, M.; Unno, Y.; Sayre, Ken D.; Luna-Guido, M. L.; Vanherck, K.; Dendooven, L.; Deckers, Jozef (Elsevier, B.V., 2007)
    This article examines the impact of no till systems in a 12 year trial in the central highlands of Mexico, specifically focusing on effects on microbial biomass and catabolic diversity in rainfed smallholder agricultural systems. A significant finding of the study is that zero till without residue retention is an unsustainable production practice.