A holistic approach to crop production, which encompasses conservation tillage (CT), and also seeks to preserve biodiversity in terms of both flora and fauna. Activities such as Integrated Crop (ICM), Integrated Weed (IWM) and Integrated Pest (IPM) Management form part of Conservation Agriculture (CA)

1. Only within the moment of
time represented by the present
century has one species
-MAN- acquire significant
power to alter the nature of
his world.
-Rachel Carson
1

2. 2

3. 3

4. 4

5. Two extremities
5

6. A practice that
contributes to
mitigate the
climate change
CA in the World CA in Asia
Importance of Conservation Agriculture
6

7. European Conservation Agriculture Federation, 2001, and FAO (2001).7

8. •Short-term conservation agriculture systems (Mutema et al., 2010)
• 45 studies of tillage and invertebrate pests
43% decreased with decreasing tillage.
29% did not change with a tillage system, and
28% increased with decreasing tillage,
Stinner and House, 1990
Time consumption and yield potential of CA when compared to Conventional agriculture
8

9. Changes in tillage, residue, and rotation practices induce major shifts in the number and
composition of soil fauna and flora, including both pests and beneficial organisms.
Bockus and Shroyer 1998, Andersen 19999

10. ARTHROPODS
“Early invaders” (Anderson, 1988)
Increasing the organic matter in crop soils was found to improve the pest
resistance of crops due to increased benefecial soil faunal activity, improve nutrient
balance and reduce nitrogen content.
Altieri and Nicholls, 2003
Development of some macro-fauna (e.g. mites) are enhanced by tillage and
appear to recover from tillage disturbances more rapidly.
Reedler et al., 2006 and Wardle 1995
10

11. 11

12. Mites, springtails, epigeic enchytraeid worms and some earthworm
species, isopods, millipedes and an array of insect larvae are among the most
important meso- and macrofauna transforming the above ground litter entering the soil.
Brussaard, 1998.
Soil mites
 Mesostigmatids - predators
 Prostigmatids -predators and parasites.
 Astigmatids - associated with insect nests
 Cryptostigmatid -feed on fungi.
12

13. Collembola
Collembola feed on decaying plant material, fungi, bacteria, arthropod feces, pollen and algae.
The moisture content of the soil is a main factor.
Wallwork, 1970
Earthworms
1. Epigeic species
2. Endogeic species
3. Anecic species
Bouché, 1982
13

14. Interactions between soil-associated fauna and soil dynamicsInteractions between soil-associated fauna and soil dynamics
14

15. 15

16. Various equipments for planting wheat no-till in Rice- Wheat Consortium (RWC).
Inverted T coulter Indian no-till drill using
inverted T
Disc-type planter
Star-wheel punch planter ‘Happy planter’ Disc planter with trash
mover
16

17. Abundance of major soil macrofauna families as a function of the soil management system
CT, conservation tillage; NT, no tillage; NTG, no tillage with grass mulch and NTL, no tillage with legume mulch. For
each individual site, values of the same row followed by different letters are significantly different (ANOVA SAS GLM,
P < 0.05). (): standard error.
Class
Experimental
site
Mean density (individuals/m2
)
Winde Zouana
Family CT NT NTG NTL CT NT NTG NTL
Insecta
Formicidae 161 273 219 238 93 124 166 92
Termitidae 36 43 69 63 105 69 122 122
Larvae of
coleoptera
13 b 19 b 50 a 37 ab 3 0 3 1
Carabidae 6 bc 24 a 21 ab 2 c 3 b 10 ab 21 a 9 ab
Staphylinidae 0 0 6 9 6 b 7 b 22 a 10 ab
Pyrrhocoridae 6 2 3 12 3 6 10 11
Diplopoda
Julidae 17 b 29 ab 34 a 46 a 23 38 47 31
Polydesmidae 4 10 13 12 0 4 6 5
Hexapoda
Japygidae 10 bc 0 c 23 ab 37 a 4 ab 1 8 a 3 b
Lepismatidae 0 b 0 b 1 ab 4 a 0 c 6 bc 19 a 10 ab
Arachnida Diverse araneae 11 b 14 ab 25 a 17 a 5 c 14 bc 29 a 17 ab
Chilopoda Scolopendridae 2 b 4 b 8 b 15 a 1 1 3 5
Crustacea Porcellionidae 0 0 0 1 2 b 0 b 21 a 5 b
Oligicheta Lumbricidae 11 c 19 bc 31 b 58 a 13 c 19 bc 61 a 29 b
Brevault et al., 2007
17

18. Abundance of soil macrofauna communities as a function of the soil
management system. CT, conservation tillage; NT, no tillage; NTG, no tillage
with grass mulch and NTL, no tillage with legume mulch.
Brevault et al., 2007
18

19. Conservation Agriculture Practices
19

20. When the soil is disturbed and exposed with conventional tillage, many soil
arthropod populations are severely affected. Mortality, fertility, and distribution of
populations can be greatly affected by soil compaction, sudden drastic changes in
temperature, and changes in relative humidity.
Wallwork, 1976
Population of termite and white grubs generally increases under the reduced
tillage. However, the effect of crop residues on termite damage is contentious.
Organic mulches have been reported to increase damage of cutworms due to
moisture conservation.
Crop residues on the soil surface that conserves the moisture, may favour snails
and slugs, causing damage to crops.
Crop Residues Management with Conservation
Agriculture: Potential, Constraints and Policy
Needs, IARI, 2010
20

21. Microarthropod
Sampling date
June 5 July 2 August 6 September 17 October 29
till no-till till no-till till no-till till no-till till no-till
Mesostigmata 30 35 50 45 11 93 34 40 35 31
Prostigmata 42 56 159 59 674 254 253 120 104 106
Astigmata 30 32 42 47 52 79 68 65 44 83
Cryptostigmata 96 111 82 51 55 99 50 55 66 103
Hypogastru
ridae
82 310 76 214 19 75 22 168 56 88
Onychiuridae 32 194 86 350 150 625 146 510 53 320
Isotomidae 231 135 557 233 568 479 387 559 182 354
Entomobryidae 3 - 1 - 2 1 2 1 1 0
Sminthuridae 3 2 - 1 - 3 - - 3 6
Marcella et al., 1985 21

22. Klavidko, 2007
22

23. No-till Conventional Pasture Remarks Reference
270 90
Not
conducted
On a very poorly drained soil,
cultivation by normal ploughing
Boone et al. (1976)
137 67 “ Cultivation by deep ploughing Gerard and Hay (1979)
913 213 “
Cultivation involved mouldboard
ploughing, 3 disk ploughing and
2 rotary tilling
House (1985)
342 130 “
Lupin/wheat rotation, three
cultivation to 7 cm with a duck
food scarifier
Rovira et al. (1987)
275 117 “
Cultivation involved scarifying (10
cm) 2 or 3 times and a light
harrowing (7 cm)
Haines and Uren (1990)
266 48 477 -not known- Deibert et al. (1991)
467 52 1,017 -not known- Springett (1992)
250 175 825
Lismore site, after 8 years of
cropping
Francis and Knight (1993)
Not
conducted
52 168 -not known- Mele and Carter (1999)
Abundance of earthworms (number m–2
) under no-tillage, conventional tillage,
and permanent pasture.
23

24. No-till Cotton after Cotton
No-till Cotton after Wheat Cover Crop
No-till Cotton after Corn Crop
No-till upland rice after corn crop
Scott, 2003
24

25. Conservation Agriculture Practices
25

26. It is an effective way to provide shelter for predatory insects which play an
important role in biological control. Mulch from Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) hay was
effective in reducing incidence of lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignocellus (Zeller)
in Florida, USA.
Gill et al., 2010 and 2013
Number of fire ants (predatory) will be higher in case of mulched fields compared to
conventional fields.
Pullaro et al., 2006
Using mulch as a ground cover decreases pest populations, and suggests that
this decline is due to higher populations of natural predatory arthropods.
Claire, 2006
Soil cover in the form of crop residues increased biological activity.
Woltering, 2005
There is an increased species diversity when reduced tillage was combined
with residue retention.
Verhulst et al., 2010
26

27. Cover crops and intercrops have been used as living mulches for managing
some insect pests.
Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) and kura clover ( Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.)
mulches increased predator populations to manage European corn borer ( Ostrinia nubilalis
Hübner)
Prasifka et al., 2006
Eggs and larval densities of pest caterpillars were higher in broccoli ( Brassica oleracea
L. var. Botrytis ) monoculture when compared to broccoli with undersown mulches like
strawberry clover ( Tribolium fragiferum L.), white clover ( Tribolium repens L.), and yellow
sweet clover ( Melilotus officinalis L.)
Hooks and Johnson 2004
Alfalfa living mulch increased predators to manage outbreaks of the
invasive soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura.
Schmidt et al., 2007
27

28. Mulching potentially interferes with oviposition preferences, host plant
discrimination and host location of insect pests.
Zehnder et al., 2007
Egg parasitoids in the family Scelionidae were higher in the mulch sites.
Thomson and Hoffmann, 2007
Ants and dung beetles (Scarabaeidae)- good bioindicators of disturbance, habitat
quality and land use
Springtails -indicators in soil ecosystems.
28

29. Difference in arthropod populations in Broccoli and Bean crops
Total with Mulch
Total without
Mulch
P-Value (if Statistically
Significant)
Broccoli Bean Broccoli Bean Broccoli Bean
Carabidae 38 93 571 402 0.000131 0.000250
Forficulidae 0 2 0 0
Linyphidae 7 44 20 117 0.004993 0.000562
Phalangidae 0 341 104 365 0.002932
Lithobiidae 13 46 4 15 0.048631 0.008093
Staphylinidae 0 19 2 22
Coccinellidae 1 0 36 0 0.003659
Claire, 2006
29

30. Addison et al., 2013 30

31. The effects of reduced-tillage and soil cover on termite and ant abundance.
Treatment
Termites Ants
Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5 Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5
CA0t/ha 225 a 263 a 97 a 294 a 394 a 10 a 9 a 13 a 13 a 6 a
CA2t/ha 600 b 637 b 188 b 356 a 806 b 19 b 13 b 13 a 19 a 6 a
CA4t/ha 1269 c 713 c 875 c 1332 b 1331 c 25 c 25 c 25 b 88 b 19 b
CA6t/ha 6463 d 1356 d 6044 d 2644 c 1525 d 38 c 38 d 44 c 106 b 50 c
Conv. 81 e 0 e 25 e 38 e 6 e 0 d 6 e 13 a 0 c 0 d
The effects of reduced-tillage and soil cover on centipede and beetle-larvae abundance.
Treatment
Centipede Beetle- larvae
Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5 Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5
CA0t/ha 0 a 25 a 7 a 7 a 6 a 13 a 25 a 25 a 19 a 0 a
CA2t/ha 0 a 25 a 7 a 13 b 13 b 25 b 31 a 44 b 31 b 6 b
CA4t/ha 7 b 25 a 7 a 26 c 13 b 25 b 38 ab 50 b 38 b 13 c
CA6t/ha 7 b 56 b 13 b 44 d 25 c 25 b 44 b 69 c 75 c 19 d
Conv. 0 a 0 c 0 c 0 e 0 d 7 a 6 c 0 d 7 d 0 a
Mutema et al., 201331

32. Abundance of other invertebratesAbundance of ant genera
Six land uses were evaluated for their impact on soil macrofauna: 1) 40 yr-old secondary forest
(F40); 2) 20 yr-old secondary forest (F20); 3) slash-and-burn cropping system (SB); 4) chop-
and-mulch cropping system (CM); 5) slash-and-burn prepared pasture (PSB); 6) chop-and-
mulch prepared pasture (PCM).
Guillaume et al., 201032

33. Cow pea mulch Sunn hemp mulch Sorghum- sudan grass
mulch
Pine bark mulch
Lay out of experiments
Harsimran and Gaurav, 201433

34. 34

35. No tillage (BBF) with mulch
No tillage (flat bed) with mulch
CA Block, UAS campus, Dharwad, 201335

36. Conservation Agriculture Practices
36

37. CROP ROTATIONS
37

38. 1. Plants within the same taxonomic family tend to have similar pests and
pathogens. By regularly changing the planting location, the pest cycles can be broken or
limited.
2. Some insect pests and disease-causing organisms are host specific.
3. The practice of rotating host and nonhost crops in alternate years is a traditional
method of managing pest damage in agriculture. (Metcalf & Flint, 1967).
4. By growing a variety of flowering plants, specifically those belonging to
Umbelliferae family, such as, coriander(Coriandrum sativum L.), fennel (Foeniculurn
vulgare) and celery (Apium graveolens), natural enemies will be attracted.
38

39. Effect of crop rotation on early season adult Colarado Potato Beetle densities in
commercial potato fields, during 1982-83
Grower no. Date
CPB adults/3 row-m
Field typea
R NR
1982
1 19 May 0.15 3.1b
2 19 May 0.04 1.6b
3 21 May 0.23 4.4b
9 18 May 0.28 0.32 NS
1983
6 25 May 0.2 2.0b
8 25 May 0.8 0.8 NS
10 24 May 5.4 10.6b
a
R, rotated potato field; NR, nonrotated potato field.
b
P<0.01, Two-sample t-test, df=16-44. NS, P>0.05.
Robert, 1984
39

40. 40

41. Recent and most relevant attempts to use trap cropping in insect pest management
Levels of implementation include unsuccessful, no potential shown in preliminary studies in the field and/or
the laboratory (U); good potential shown in preliminary studies in the field (F); and successfully used by
growers in commercial fields (S). 41

42. Marigold as a trap crop in cotton Okra as a trap crop in cotton
CA Block, UAS campus, Dharwad, 201342

43. Marigold as a trap
crop in Tomato
Indian mustard as a
trap crop in
Cabbage
43

44. Conservation biological control
Conservation biological control (CBC) is the practice of enhancing natural
enemy efficacy through modification of the environment or of existing pesticide
practices.
Eilenberg et al., 2001
(1)Honeydew as a food source for natural enemies
(2)Artificial food sprays
(3)Shelter habitats
Advantages
(1)Easy for growers to understand: ‘the value of diversity’,
‘natural enemies need more than their prey/host’,
‘inter-cropping’,
‘companion planting’ etc.
(2) Individual growers can adopt
(3) Conspicuous change to the farm landscape
‘beetle banks’ or flower strips
44

45. 45

46. Hierarchy of biocontrol-related benefits
that can be achieved from habitat
manipulation.
1. Natural enemies aggregate on the
flowers (pollen and/or nectar provision,
mating platforms, shelter etc.
2. The fitness (fecundity, longevity, sex
ratio, searching behavior etc.) of individual
natural enemies increases.
3. Parasitism/predation rate increases.
4. Prey/host populations are reduced.
5.Prey/host populations are reduced below
the economic threshold.
46

47. A form of conservation biological control, is an ecologically based approach
aimed at favouring natural enemies and enhancing biological control in agricultural systems.
Landis & Wratten, 2000
Vegetation diversity augments natural enemies by providing supplemental
resources, such as pollen, nectar, or other prey species, additional shelter and improved
microclimate for the natural enemies.
Kogan et al., 1998
It produces greater stability in the alfalfa ecosystem and prevents emigration of
many natural enemy species at harvest
Summers, 1976
Habitat managementHabitat management
47

48. * Means with different letters (a, b, c and d) in neach column indicate significant difference (P<0.05) among insects in each group (e.
g. Aphids). For Lavark region : N=162. For Borkhar and Ziar regions : N=72.
Mean number and percentage of alfalfa aphids (per 20 stems ) and aphid natural
enemies (per 20 sweeps ) in three regions and two years in Isfahan (Iran).
Rakhshani et al., 2010
48

49. Comparison of mean number of aphid natural enemy densities in harvested
(white) and unharvested (hatched) strips within strip-harvested field.
Rakhshani et al., 2010
49

50. Symbol ↓ shows harvesting date and * denote significant treatment difference within a sample date between
unharvested and harvested strips at P < 0.05. Error bars show ± Standard Error.
Comparison of mean number of aphid natural enemy densities in harvested
(white) and unharvested (hatched) strips within strip-harvested field.
Rakhshani et al., 2010
50

51. Mean number of aphids/20 stems and aphid natural enemies/20 sweeps collected from
strip-harvested and conventionally-harvested alfalfa fields during 18 sampling weeks.
Mean number of aphids/20 stems and aphid natural enemies/20 sweeps collected from
strip-harvested and conventionally-harvested alfalfa fields during 18 sampling weeks.
Taxa
Strip- harvested
field
Conventionally
harvested field
Difference LSD
Hippodema variegata 7.47 5.38 +38% (s) 1.03
Nabis spp. 4.19 2.14 +95% (s) 0.93
Deraeocoris spp. 11.34 5.16 +119% (s) 3.99
Orius spp. 16.24 10.33 +57% (s) 1.87
Geocoris spp. 3.75 1.87 +100% (s) 1.35
Aphid parasitoides 5.65 2.54 +122% (s) 1.78
Acyrthosiphon pisum 12.69 16.64 -24% (s) 1.02
Theriophis trifolii 23.43 32.57 -28% (s) 3.13
(s): denotes significant difference between the two alfalfa fields.
Rakhshani et al., 2010
51

52. Total abundance of arthropods with chewing mouthparts in bush-land and
cultivated land.
Albert , 2014
52

53. BBF with Minimum tillage and mulch
Conventional tillage (Redgram+Soybean)
CA Block, UAS campus, Dharwad, 201353

54. BBF with Minimum tillage without mulch
Cotton + Groundnut (BBF)
CA Block, UAS campus, Dharwad, 201354

55. SUMMARY
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55

56. CONCLUSION
56

57. 57