Several research and development efforts have been made to ensure food security in developing countries. Dissemination of improved agricultural technologies was used as the main avenue through which some increases in food supply have been achieved. However, food insecurity remains a major challenge. This paper argues and provides empirical evidence that reducing food loss and waste can be an effective food and energy security, and natural resource, and environmental conservation strategy. Following the life cycle framework, the annual amount of wheat-based food lost or wasted from farm-to-fork in Morocco was estimated at 4 million tons (equivalent to 36% of total supply) valued at US$1.0 billion. Among all nodes, the magnitudes of farm management-related losses, wastage during consumption, and storage losses rank first to third accounting for about 17.4%, 7.92%, and 7.06%, respectively of total wheat supply in the country. Were these losses and wastes entirely prevented, Morocco would have been able to feed 29.3 million more people, or save 1.79 million hectares of land, 2.66 billion m3 of water, and 64.28 million GJ of energy, and prevented the emission from landfills of at least 16.61 million kg of methane annually. Besides the ongoing efforts to disseminate agricultural technologies, the Moroccan government needs to develop short- and medium-term national strategies to reduce food losses and wastage particularly targeting the storage and consumption nodes. Replacing bread subsidy with food vouchers targeting only the needy and creation of public awareness about the magnitudes and consequences of food loss and wastage alone may go long way in reducing them.
Three on-farm weed control experiments were conducted in irrigated bread wheat in the Doukkala perimeter, Morocco, in 2015-16 and 2016-17 in order to study the efficacy of 4 pre-emergence herbicide treatments for controlling rigid ryegrass that is resistant to 13 post-emergence herbicides. Results showed that 3 pre-emergence herbicides [i) chlorotoluron, 2000 g/ha + isoxaben, 74.8 g/ha; ii) prosulfocarb, 4000 g/ha; iii) prosulfocarb, 2000 g/ha + s-metolachlor, 300 g/ha] reduced rigid ryegrass shoot biomass by > 90% 1 to 3 months after treatments (MAT). Pendimethalin (1320 g ha-1) achieved 83-99% rigid ryegrass control 1 to 3 MAT. The four herbicide treatments were safe on wheat in one experiment, but reduced wheat density in 2 other experiments due to heavy rain (about 100 mm) after herbicide treatments and before crop emergence. Grain yields in sprayed plots ranged from 6.6 to 9.8 t ha-1, 4.4 to 7.4 t ha-1, 7.3 to 8.9 t ha-1 in experiments 1 to 3, respectively. Straw yields were 11.4 to 15.4, 9.6 to 15.8, and 10.1 to 14.5 t ha-1 in the 3 experiments, respectively. These preemergence herbicides need to be used by wheat growers as part of an integrated weed management program. Further research is needed to explore ways to avoid wheat injury, that could be occasionally caused by heavy rain or irrigation, after preemergence herbicide application and before crop emergence.
The objective of this research was to study the effect of broadleaf herbicide treatments and grass + broadleaf herbicides on annual broadleaf weeds and bread wheat yield. Eight on -farm weed control trials were conducted in bread wheat from 2014-15 to 2016-17 in Tadla and Doukkala irrigated perimeters, Morocco: 3 trials using broadleaf herbicides and 5 trials using premix or tank mix of grass and broadleaf herbicides. In 3 trials, 9 broadleaf herbicides (metsulfuron-methyl 6 g ha -1, tribénuron-methyl 9.375 g ha ) caused no injury to bread wheat, reduced 80 to 100% density and shoot biomass of broadleaf weeds, and provided wheat grain yields up to 8.0 Tons ha -1 compared to the untreated plots. In 5 trials, 12 premix or tank mix of grass and broadleaf herbicides reduced shoot biomass of broadleaf weeds up to 100% and provided wheat grain yields up to 9.3 Tons ha -1 compared to the untreated plots. Herbicide treatments containing pyroxsulam or mesosulfuron-methyl + iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium caused crop injury, but wheat plants recovered and grain yield was not affected.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.