Traditional Farming Systems Research Articles

Fungal diseases associated with pea(Pisum sativum L.) under traditional farming system in Manipur hills

Fungal diseases associated with pea(Pisum sativum L.) under traditional farming system in Manipur hills

Time Series Model for Forecasting the Prevalence of Some Important Parasitic Infections in Slaughtered Sheep in North-Central Iran

Uncontrolled parasitic infections in livestock can increase the potential risk of transmission between human societies. Owing to the socioeconomic challenges of these diseases in slaughtered sheep, the current study aimed to forecast the prevalence of these infections in a central slaughterhouse in Alborz Province, north-central Iran. Data from 2009 to 2018 on parasitic infections in slaughtered sheep presented at a slaughterhouse were compiled and the prevalence of these diseases was computed. The prevalence has been considered as a time series and afterward, RStudio software using the best-fitted ARIMA model was applied to forecast the monthly variation in prevalence rates. From 2009 to 2018, a total of 1,339,196 sheep were slaughtered in the studied slaughterhouse. The Iranian Afshari breed was the most slaughtered sheep and, a total of 77.6% of these animals were raised under traditional farming system. In addition to the Alborz province, slaughtered sheep were brought from five other provinces, including Zanjan, Qazvin, Qom, Kurdistan, and East Azerbaijan. The highest and lowest total prevalence of studied parasitic zoonoses in slaughtered livestock were cystic echinococcosis (12.76%) and Taenia ovis infection (0.01%), respectively. An approximate stationary trend for fascioliasis and CE and a mild decreasing trend for dicrocoeliasis and sarcocystosis has been forecasted for the next 10 years. Forecasting the prevalence of T. ovis infection showed that without implementing control strategies, this infection would be increased in the years ahead. The current study has demonstrated for the first time the predicting of some important parasitic infections in sheep in Iran. The results provide helpful data for authorities for controlling these diseases in the frontline of meat production. Vast and in-depth forecasting investigations is required to find evidence-based data about these infections for entire the country of Iran.

Potential of wild edible fruits for nutrition in indigenous communities of Northwest Himalaya, India

Background: In the rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, poor and tribal people depend on a variety of wild plants, animals, and fungi for their own consumption and for income generation. Despite their role in bridging periods of food shortages and providing dietary variety, most of wild edible plants are not accessed for nutritional potential. This is particularly true for the district of Kinnaur (a predominantly tribal area) of Himachal Pradesh. Hence, the present study was carried out to study the nutrient content of ten wild edible fruit species growing in the district of Kinnaur. The species included Berberis aristata, Elaeagnus umbellata, Hippophae salicifolia, Malus baccata, Prunus cornuta, Prunus persica, Pyrus pashia, Ramaria botrytis, Rosa webbiana and Viburnum cotinifolium. Methods: The samples collected from the identified plants were cleaned, dried, powdered and stored in airtight containers for laboratory analysis. Fresh fruit pulp was used for measurement of pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids (TSS) and ascorbic acid. Fresh weight of fruit pulp was recorded by using a digital balance and the samples were later oven dried (60°C) for moisture content determination (AOAC, 2006). All the dried samples were pulverized in pestle and mortar into fine powder separately and stored in airtight containers, free from contamination till other parameters were determined. All the parameters were evaluated in triplicates, results were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and reported as mean ± standard error. Results: The moisture content of the fruits varied from 58.76% to 89.75% while pH values ranged from 2.91 to 3.86. The crude protein of species varied between 0.38% - 4.58%. Prunus cornuta contained high amount of total soluble solids, TSS (18.53o Brix). The acidity in the fruits ranged between 0.47-2.73%. The total carbohydrate content varied between 19.52% and 78.40%. The highest sugars (7.60%) were observed in the fruits of Viburnum cotinifolium. Total phenols ranged in between 0.26-1.47%. The maximum ascorbic acid content and antioxidant activity was recorded in fruits of Hippophae salicifolia. These wild edible plants had also significant amounts of minerals. Conclusion: The study shows that these wild edible plant species are good sources of nutrition for rural population. Keeping in view the nutritional values and commercial potential, these important species need to be conserved in their natural habitats and should be included in traditional agricultural systems. Domestication of these species will not only improve the economic condition of the local people but also aid in the conservation of biodiversity. Key words: Wild edible plants, nutritive values, domestication, conservation.

Emmer wheat productivity formation depending on pre-sowing seed treatment method in organic and traditional technology cultivation

Determination of chlorophyll and carotenoid content is an important way of obtaining information about the plant's photosynthetic activity as well as an indirect method of assessing the productivity of plant crops, particularly grain crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of chlorophyll and carotenoid in the productivity formation of emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum (Schrank.) Schuebl) grown under the traditional and organic farming systems and the different pre-sowing seed treatment methods. The base indicators of the photosynthetic apparatus (chlorophyll and carotenoid content, ratio of photosynthetic pigments) were evaluated in the emmer wheat plants as a function of the cultivation technology and pre-sowing seed treatment. The cultivation of the emmer wheat under organic technology was carried out in crop rotation: winter rye – mustard – T. dicoccum wheat. The pre-sowing seed treatment in the traditional technology of emmer wheat cultivation was carried out only by the UV-C irradiation. In the organic technology, both UV-C irradiation and treatment with humic preparation of natural origin “1r Seed Treatment” were used. The content of chlorophyll a (by 9.2%) and chlorophyll b (by 14.5%) increased in the emmer wheat plants under the organic technology cultivation compared to the traditional technology, but with the same method of seed treatment (UV-C irradiation). As a result, the yield increase was 21.0%. The application of the “1r Seed Treatment” humic preparation in the pre-sowing seed treatment led to the increase in yield by ~ 8.0% compared to the plots with UV-C irradiation seeds treatment under organic farming cultivation. An inverse correlation between the ratio of chlorophyll a/ chlorophyll b and the crop yield has been established. The evaluation of economic indicators of the emmer wheat cultivation in the rotation: winter rye-mustard-emmer wheat under organic farming technology, proved its high profitability. So, the photosynthetic pigments’ content and their ratio can be used as the indicators of the efficiency of the introduced elements of agrotechnologies and for predicting future yields.

Extrinsic Motivation in Farming on Earthy Stone Land in the Binongko Island Wakatobi Regency South East Sulawesi

Coastal areas and small island communities in the Wakatobi archipelago carry out traditional agriculture. Farming is held with a rainfed system on dry land and a dry climate. This system theoretically has non-optimal productivity. Even so, farmers still farm because extrinsic motivation influences how they manage farming land. The productivity of their farms is relatively able to meet the needs of farmers. This study aims to determine extrinsically motivations attached to the traditional agricultural systems of the Binongko community in the Wakatobi Islands. The research lasted eight months, from June 2019 to February 2020. The research data was collected with the triangulation method by observation, interviews, and literature study. The research informants were determined purposively with a chain information collection system. The data were analysed qualitatively using a phenomenological approach. Based on the results of this study, it is known that the Binongko Island community has an extrinsic motivation attached to traditional farming systems, namely, to obtain agricultural products economically, socially, and ecologically. In addition, farmers are also extrinsically motivated by the support from the government. These local wisdom techniques are implemented starting from land preparation and clearing, planting, maintenance, harvesting and post-harvesting.

Handling, Processing and Composition of Cow Milk Under Two Traditional Farming Systems in Kebribeyah District of Fafan Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

The aim of this study was to assess handling, processing & chemical composition of cow milk in Kebribeyah district. The study had a survey and laboratory works. For the survey study, two production systems namely pastoral and agro-pastoral were considered. From each production system, two kebeles were selected purposively based on accessibility and potential of cow milk production. One hundred twenty households were randomly selected from purposively selected kebeles. For the laboratory part, forty samples of cow milk were analysed for chemical composition. The overall average lactation length and daily milk off-take of cow in this study were 256 days and 2.06 litres, respectively. None of the respondents washed the udder of the cow and only 6.7% of the pastoralists and 20% agro-pastoralists wash their hands before milking. Milk handling equipment were mainly plastic materials. Acacia ethaica, B. minimifolia, Blanites galabra and Solanum carense were the most commonly used smoking plant species in the area. The majority of the respondents (85.8%) produced traditional butter (Subag) and few households (10%) produced sour milk (Ciir), while very few (4.2%) households produced traditional cheese (Burcad). However, milk processing in the area is limited to wet season; when there is abundance of fodder. The average values of total solids, fat, protein, lactose and ash were 13.19%, 4.67%, 3.45%, 5.18% and 0.72%, respectively. However, significance differences (P<0.05) were found between pastoral and ago-pastoral production systems in terms of total solids, fat, and protein. The chemical properties of milk samples obtained from pastoral and agro-pastoral areas were within the acceptable standard levels settled by different scholars. In general, milk producers should also be supported with strong extension service by way of introducing improved dairy technologies, improved milk handling and processing equipments. Furthermore, there is a need for further investigations on composition with various farming systems.

Increasing Soil Organic Carbon for Higher Wheat Yield and Nitrogen Productivity

Improving soil organic carbon (SOC) has been considered as a “win-win way” for ensuring high crop productivity and mitigating chemical N input. Improving SOC can achieve higher wheat yield and simultaneously improve nitrogen (N) productivity (defined as kg grain produced per kg total N input from both indigenous and applied N). Two treatments were tested for improving SOC level. The manure treatment involved applying manure for 6 successive years, and the EM treatment involved adding peat and vermiculite once, both combined with optimized in-season N management. The performance of these two systems were compared with a traditional farming system (Control, where only straw was returned each season). N fertilizer input under all three treatments was optimized by in-season N management and was increased by 90.1% and 48.1% under EM and Manure treatments, respectively, as compared with Control. The average wheat yield for the EM and Manure treatments was 9.1 and 9.2 Mg ha–1, respectively, across all three years, which was 18.8% and 19.7% higher, respectively, than that of the Control treatment (7.7 Mg ha–1). The average chemical N application rates for the EM and Manure treatments were 139 and 146 kg ha–1, which were 24.9% and 21.1% lower than those of the Control treatment, respectively. The N productivity was 15.1% and 14.9% which was higher under Manure and EM treatments than that of the Control treatment. The high yield and N productivity were attributed to improved aboveground dry matter and N uptake by wheat, with optimal soil N supply of the root zone. The higher stem number and weight seen in individual plants with increasing SOC resulted in larger spikes and grains at harvest. Our results determined that increasing SOC combined with optimal N management achieve low chemical N input and higher grain yield by increasing productive stems and grains per spike for improving wheat individual growth.

Rural Areas And Agriculture In Poland Versus Some Legal Aspects Of Nature Conservation

The paper presents issue of some legal aspects of nature conservation as expression of the protection of rural areas in Poland. The directions of development of such areas in the European Union countries were described in the Cork Declaration adopted in 1996. Nowadays, the EU operates within the framework of uniform legal regulations, and is obliged to implement the provisions of the new CAP, including the strategy of the program called the Green Deal. In the latter there was paid much attention to the issues of environmental protection and nature conservation, which had had no precedent before. Moreover, the solution to problems of nature conservation for the first time has been entrusted to farmers and agriculture in general. It may be particularly important for Polish agriculture, as a significant part of the biodiversity depends on traditional farming systems. However, at present they are either under pressure from agricultural intensification or land abandonment, which both are not beneficial for sustainable development of the rural areas.

Future of Smart Farming Techniques: Significance of Urban Vertical Farming Systems Integrated with IoT and Machine Learning

World population in recent decades has significant impacts on the traditional agricultural systems which has resulted in increased demand for food, land use and deforestation, water scarcity, climate changes but not limited to these impacts. In order to overcome all these issues, there is a need for advanced farming technologies for growing the most demand food crops. Smart farming also known as precision agriculture has evolved which uses the advanced technology to optimize the efficiency and productivity of the farming operations. It involves the integration of various technologies such as IoT sensors, drones, robotics and machine learning technologies, big data analytics to gather data on crop growth, environmental conditions and weather patterns. Vertical framing (VF) is one such precision framing efficient crop growth practices which adapts the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning (ML) technologies in easier manner. Since, the vertical farming is completely an indoor farming technique, they do not depend on the particular geographical locations and outdoor growth parameters (like soil) for crop cultivation; hence, vertical farming is also known as controlled environment agriculture. This article explores the significance of different indoor vertical farming practices under controlled environment with the comparative analysis, efficiency, productivity, advantages and their potential benefits highlighting the need for sustainable agricultural practices that can meet the growing demand for food while minimizing the negative environmental impacts.

Predation of wolves on feral horses in Apennines Areas of Southern Italy: A Case Study Report

Although wolf predation on horses is generally low, it can be significant where horses are grazed extensively and there are low densities of wild prey, such as in Southern Europe. The economic damage of wolf predation on horses can have a major impact in certain situations involving free-ranging horse populations and the topic needs more attention. This is the case of Spain, Portugal and Italy where it is possible to find many examples of wolf predations on feral horses. The main factor predisposing horses to wolf pre¬dation worldwide is the free-ranging management system. In Italy special attention is given to the horses bred in a particular area of the Southern Apennines: the Pentro horses; they represent a rare endangered equine population of Molise Region with its owns genetic characterisation. The losses of horses caused by wolves predations increase exponentially from year to year. Considering the very low number of Pentro Horses, any prey represents a considerable loss from a morphological and genetical point of view. Consequently, the predation phenomena represent a considerable limit to the selection and maintenance of these horses. This is why it was decided to create a special database with the aim of monitoring, analyzing and preventing predatory phenomena and consequently to keep under control the number of predatory events by the wolf. The database was processed by collection of data concerning: when the predation take place, the age of the preyed equines, the type of injury and the parts of the body injured or removed by the wolf, the body location of the damage and the recognition and value of money compensation. The data collected evidenced how there is a need for innovative approaches to prop¬erly mitigate predation and support the traditional free-ranging husbandry system with its high ecologi¬cal and cultural value.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ НІМЕЦЬКИХ ПОСЕЛЕНЦІВ ТА ЇХНІЙ ВПЛИВ НА ЕКОНОМІЧНИЙ РОЗВИТОК УКРАЇНСЬКИХ ЗЕМЕЛЬ В КІНЦІ XVIII – НА ПОЧАТКУ XX СТОЛІТТЯ

The article compares the social composition of the first colonists on the South of Ukraine and in Volhynia based on the analyzed reasons and preconditions of the state policy of resettlement of foreigners in the middle of the 18th century. A connection is established between the German colonization of the South of Ukraine and the settlement of German settlers on the territory of Volhynia. The natural, climatic and geographical conditions on the South of Ukraine and in Volhynia became the basis for determining the main types of agricultural activity of the colonists. There are agriculture and animal husbandry among them. The agriculture of the German settlers on the South of Ukraine and in Volhynia differed in many respects which was determined by climatic conditions. The biggest differences were observed in the farming system as well as in horticulture and gardening. German colonists in Volhynia due to the similarity of geographical and climatic conditions with their historical homeland didn’t have to change their traditional farming system radically that allowed them to share Western agricultural traditions with the local population to the greater extent than on the South of Ukraine. Although primarily the agricultural activities of the German settlers on the South of Ukraine didn’t meet the expectations of the emperor due to difficulties caused by climatic conditions in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries the colonists’ economic position strengthened which had a positive effect on the main types of their agricultural activities. Finally German colonists both on the South of Ukraine and in Volhynia actively contributed to the economic development of the regions.

Analyzing the Evolving Relationships among Climate Change, Insecurity, and Food Price Inflation in Nigeria: NARDL Approach

The dynamics, scale, and direction of mediating relationships between climate change shocks, Insecurity and food price inflation has recently caught the attention of researchers and has become a subject of intense debate. Yet, studies differ on the type, scale, and evidence of the relationship between climate change shock, insecurity, and food price inflation. Thus, this study empirically investigates the affiliation between insecurity, climate change shocks and food price inflation in Nigeria. To achieve this objective, we adopted both Linear and Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach of cointegration analysis, with time series data spanning 2011M1-2022M12. The results show very strong evidence of a cointegrating relationships between insecurity, climate change shock and food price inflation in Nigeria. Both the ARDL and NARDL bound tests show that the variables of interest have symmetric and asymmetric long run relationships. We found that insecurity and climate change shock are significant determinant of heightened food prices in Nigeria within the study period. The Dynamic Multiplier graph with its accompanying 95 percent confidence interval for statistical inferences indicate that explanatory variables exert significant influence on the food price inflation in Nigeria. This study, therefore, recommends policy interventions to support households adversely impacted by insecurity in the affected zones. Also, the Nigerian state is encouraged to transit from traditional agricultural system to Climate-Smart Agriculture to meet future needs and climate related challenges.

Mixed Cropping as a Response to Climate Change in Manyoni District, Tanzania

This article assesses the role of mixed cropping in response to climate change in Manyoni district, Tanzania. The study adopted a mixed research design where quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used. Simple random and purposive sampling were used to select respondents for the study. Household survey, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, observation and document review methods were used to collect data. The household survey included 362 heads of households. Data on rainfall and temperature was collected from the Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA), while linear analysis was used to determine the trends of rainfall and temperature. The findings revealed that about 80.9% of the households engaged in farming perceived climate change through the decrease in rainfall, and 88.7% perceived it through the increase in temperature. The study found that mixed cropping is still a practical farming system in response to climate change due to various potentials associated with it, including: crop insurance, improvement of soil fertility, assurance of crop production, and minimization of pests and diseases that attack crops. The findings also revealed that not all farmers were practicing the mixed crop farming system due to various impediments, such as the impact of Western farming knowledge, and the lack of education and information about the usefulness of mixed cropping in response to climate change. The study concludes that mixed cropping as a traditional farming system is still viable, appropriate and a game-changer in dealing with climate change. Thus, it is recommended that collective strategies to promote mixed cropping as a traditional farming system be sustained to increase crop production.

Towards a landscape-metabolism model for the tropical Andes. Application in the metropolitan region of Cali (Colombia)

We hypothesize that biocultural landscapes configured by indigenous, peasant, and afro traditional agricultural systems, significantly contribute to the ecological functionality of the metropolitan region of Cali (Colombia). Current landscapes reflect an ongoing local transition from organic-based agriculture to an industrial one that began in the first half of the 20th century. This transition has happened within a complex sociopolitical and cultural context in which the rural livelihoods are at a crossroads with regional agroindustry development. We propose an integrated landscape-metabolism assessment based on georeferenced farm system typologies (local scale) and the region's land cover data (landscape scale). The results expose the rupture between society (sociometabolic flows) and nature (ecological processes) in this metropolitan region driven by land-use intensification. Our findings support the hypothesis of the contribution of biocultural landscapes to the region's ecological functioning, and that show that agroforestry mosaics can offer promising contributions to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provision in metropolitan regions.This landscape-metabolism assessment offers an opportunity to enrich intersectoral land policy formulation for highly biological and culturally diverse regions where agriculture constitutes a fundamental pillar to its economy, the local culture, and rural livelihoods. Given the confluence of the Colombian post-conflict implementation agenda, the global (un)sustainability crisis, and the UN development goals, there is a need to bring biocultural landscapes into a broader interdisciplinary dialog and evaluate the sustainability, political feasibility, and social desirability of current agricultural development

Competencies in Edible Insects Production for Training of Vocational Agricultural Education Students in Kogi State

In an effort to meet up with animal nutrient shortfall and ever increasing human populacewhile managing the attendant health challenges of meat consumption, various unconventional sources of nutrients, exceptionally micro-livestock, has been recommended to form integral part of the nation’s traditional farming system and consumption. Therefore, thefarming and consumption of edible insects are seen as an essential tool in improving the animal nutrient supply in the country.This study therefore aimed at identifying the competencies required in the production of edible insects to train the students of Vocational Agricultural Education (VAE) for considerable economic empowerment post graduation. Thisstudy adopted a survey research design implemented on a population of 104 respondents. It was found that VAE students required all the competencies identified in the entomological literacy, housing, planning, and maintenance of edible insects for economic empowerment psotgraduation. The finding of the test of hypotheses showed no significant difference (p>0.05) in the respondents’ mean responses on the entomological literacy, housing, planning, and maintenance competencies needed in the production of edible insects. From this findings, it was therefore recommended that all the identified competencies of edible insect production be applied in the training of VAE students.

Chale Sonbak: a sustainable traditional dry farming system based on the ecosystem services of Rigboland sand dune strip, Aran and Bidgol

Chale Sonbak: a sustainable traditional dry farming system based on the ecosystem services of Rigboland sand dune strip, Aran and Bidgol

Commercial Initiation of Feather Hydrolysate as Supreme Fertilizer: A Smart Bio-Cleaning Strategy of Poultry Waste.

Economic development of India mainly depends on agricultural sectors. The Indian traditional agricultural system is mainly based on chemical fertilizer to get better yield. The main motto of this research work is to change the traditional faith of Indian farmers and rural Indian economy. Bioprocessing of feather prepared from an efficient newly isolated bacterial strain, identified as Bacillus wiedmanni SAB10 is used to produce a nitrogen rich liquid fertilizer. The cell-free hydrolysate was prepared from submerged fermentation of poultry litter (1.25%, w/v) as sole media with supplemented as chicken feather (1%, w/v) in 79.41h with pH 10.6. Fermented hydrolysate contains a significant quantity of total amino acid (503.02mg/L) with diversity (Cystine, Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, lysine, Valine, Proline and Alanine), total oligopeptides (4.65mg/ml) and thiol content (58.09µg/ml) which influence growth and yield (1.02 fold) of moong beans (Vigna radiata) plant in pot trials and as well as successfully scale up in field trials by the farmers. This liquid fertilizer not only makes plant healthy and has drought tolerance (proline content- 0.023mg/g) capacity but also increases the grain quality by spraying the fertilizer on foliage with a ratio of 2:1 (Water: Feather hydrolysate) for two times (before the 1st flash and 2nd flash of flowering). Fermented feather hydrolysate is used full as a foliage fertilizer for the cultivation of moong beans. Some commercial properties and its eco-friendly, cost-effectiveness will make it a smart liquid fertilizer in near future. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12649-022-01982-9.

From ‘Miracle’ Rice Plants to Technology Hybridization: My SRI Journey

This paper is prepared based on the author’s experiences in working with SRI ideas and methods in diverse agroecological and socioeconomic contexts in Nepal and abroad. I have found that rice farmers used diverse field management strategies to incorporate SRI into their farming systems. Some farmers used all of the SRI practices introduced during their training, i.e., young seedlings, single seedlings, wider spacing, alternate wetting and drying irrigation, mechanical weeding, and the use of compost. However, the majority modified their methods to be appropriate for their farming situation. Farmers used younger seedlings in areas where irrigation was reliable and drainage facility was better. The use of mechanical weeding was very effective for higher yield; however, its effectiveness and productivity were not the same everywhere. Similarly, many farmers did not follow the advice to use compost (alone, or with fertilizer). It was interesting to note that the poorly-producing farmers were using more fertilizer than required. By contrast, the farmers who attended the SRI training have reduced their fertilizer use. In short, the introduction of SRI methods influenced the traditional rice farming system, but not in a uniform way. After years of experience, the majority of farmers adjusted these practices to fit their personal farming situation. Most farmers who changed their rice farming system were following neither SRI nor traditional practice, but rather a hybrid of methods, and they developed a hybrid system that is more feasible and productive in Nepal.

IDENTIFIKASI SIFAT KIMIA TANAH DAN TINGKAT KESUBURAN TANAH PADA LAHAN BERA DI DESA WOLOKELO KECAMATAN KELIMUTU KABUPATEN ENDE

The fallow system is a system of restoring soil fertility by leaving the soil uncultivated. Almost all traditional farming systems practice the fallow system. This study aims to determine the chemical properties of the soil and the level of soil fertility on Bera land in Wolokelo Village. Research with this exploratory method, sampling the soil on the vegetable field without using the fallow period, the fallow period is 5 years and the fallow period is 10 years. The study was conducted from July to October 2020. The variables observed were soil pH, C-Organic, P2O5, K2O, CEC, and KB. The variables that have been analyzed are described by comparing the criteria for soil chemistry and soil fertility from the Bogor Soil Research Center. The results showed that the chemical properties of soil on fallow and non-fallow horticultural lands for C-organic soil elements were 4.50% -4.12%, total soil N ranged from 0.76%-0.72%, soil P ranged from 0.76% to 0.72%. between 77.18-72.20, the K element in the soil in Wolokelo Village ranged from 1.06-1.09 me/100g, the CEC element ranged from 39.27-33.77me/100g, the soil KB ranged from 80.87 %-80.31%, and soil pH ranged from 6.15-6.08. While the criteria for soil fertility on fallow land in Wolokelo Village are classified as moderate.

Management of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Tunisian oases by mass trapping methods

In Tunisia oases, the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata affect heavily fruit production. The efficiency of the mass trapping technique based on the use of Cera Trap® was evaluated in two types of oases in the south of Tunisia against C.capitata. Our results showed that in the traditional oasis (mixed orchard), the medfly moves from one fruit specie to another according to their receptivity periods. The population density of medflies started low and peaked three times (16 Jun, 23 Jun, and 7 July) corresponding to the maturation period of apricot fig and peach fruits. The field study showed that medfly population density and rate of fruit damage were significantly lower in figs than in peaches and apricot. Modern oases have later apricot fruit maturity periods than traditional oases, and their medfly populations peaked at 19 Mai. Ceratrap® reduces 2, 2, and 6 times the population density of Mediterranean fruit fly and the rate of damaged fruits compared to untreated plots. These two parameters were twofold less in modern oases than in traditional oases. These results suggest that the use of traps at the density of 70 per ha is sufficient to protect crops under high population densities of C. capitata characterizing the traditional oases agricultural systems.