SyndicationAug/11/2008 - 07:57:23 pm
AGRO-ECOSYSTEMS: ECOLOGICAL CHARACTER AND MANAGEMENT
AGRO-ECOSYSTEMS: ECOLOGICAL CHARACTER AND MANAGEMENT OF RICE, SUGAR CANE & CITRUS PRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this article is to:
• Define agro-ecosystems in the context of man-made environmental management units;
• Describe the ecological character of some typical agro-ecosystems of the former Caroni (1975) Ltd (rice, sugar cane and citrus);
• Establish and describe how these agro-ecosystems differ from natural ecosystems.
From an ecosystem perspective, agricultural production systems may be regarded as restructured and simplified natural environments, as they rely on plant-based biomass productivity through photosynthesis, nutrient recycling via microbial activity, etc. However, their functioning requires subsidised ecological processes, and their habitat structure and complexity (as well as spatial arrangement of biota) are intentionally simplified and controlled, to focus on the productivity of a small number of targeted elements. Agricultural ecosystems are land-use units comprising soil, crop, tree, weed, livestock, pathogen and insect sub-systems that continuously interact to transform solar energy, water, nutrients, labour and other (e.g., agro-chemical) inputs into biomass yields as food, feed, fuel, fibre and pharmaceuticals. In this context, agro-ecosystem management requires a significant amount of human intervention, as compared to natural or semi-natural ecosystems...
READ FULL ARTICLE POSTED BY THE "TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT CENTER":
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this article is to:
• Define agro-ecosystems in the context of man-made environmental management units;
• Describe the ecological character of some typical agro-ecosystems of the former Caroni (1975) Ltd (rice, sugar cane and citrus);
• Establish and describe how these agro-ecosystems differ from natural ecosystems.
From an ecosystem perspective, agricultural production systems may be regarded as restructured and simplified natural environments, as they rely on plant-based biomass productivity through photosynthesis, nutrient recycling via microbial activity, etc. However, their functioning requires subsidised ecological processes, and their habitat structure and complexity (as well as spatial arrangement of biota) are intentionally simplified and controlled, to focus on the productivity of a small number of targeted elements. Agricultural ecosystems are land-use units comprising soil, crop, tree, weed, livestock, pathogen and insect sub-systems that continuously interact to transform solar energy, water, nutrients, labour and other (e.g., agro-chemical) inputs into biomass yields as food, feed, fuel, fibre and pharmaceuticals. In this context, agro-ecosystem management requires a significant amount of human intervention, as compared to natural or semi-natural ecosystems...
READ FULL ARTICLE POSTED BY THE "TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT CENTER":
http://tropicalenv.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=manmade03&action=display&num=1218399006
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