Effects of organic and inorganic fertilisers on mosquito populations in rice fields of southern India

Victor, T. J.; Reuben, R

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2915.2000.00255.x

Cited by 72 publications

(45 citation statements)

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“…Under less ideal conditions, the ammonia is lost to the atmosphere by volatilization. Victor and Reuben (2000) also observed an increased abundance of Cx. vishnui subgroup larvae in rice fields after the application of inorganic fertilizer.…”

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confidence: 79%

The role of urea in the oviposition behaviour of Japanese encephalitis vectors in rice fields of South India

Sunish

Rajendran

Reuben

2003

Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz

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The effect of urea on the oviposition behaviour of culicine vectors of Japanese encephalitis was studied in rice fields. Gravid Mosquitoes use a complex integrated sensory system for selecting an oviposition site (Vrtiska & Pappas 1984).Long-range cues, probably involving vision, allow mosquitoes to identify different habitats (Bidlingmayer 1975) tritaeniorhynchus was not always adaptive in site selection, as the females were often found ovipositing on water unsuitable for larval development (Mogi 1978).The objective of the present study was to determine the role of urea, a synthetic nitrogenous fertilizer, as an oviposition attractant/stimulant for the mosquito vectors of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus. During a routine survey of mosquito immatures, clustering of egg rafts was observed in a localized area in a rice field at Soundarasolapuram village, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu State. It was later found that the farmer had selectively treated this patch with urea on the previous day, as he felt the plants were stunted. This observation prompted this exploration of the role of urea on the oviposition behaviour of vectors of JE.This study is a part of the PhD Thesis submitted to Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. A series of three experiments was conducted in rice fields 10 days after transplantation. Metal quadrats of size 0.1 m 2 open at both ends were used for the experiment. One end of the quadrat was pushed into the bottom mud of the rice field, while the other end remained at least 5 cm above the water surface, thus preventing the mixing of water in the quadrat and the main field. The water in the quadrat was filtered to remove insect predators. In the first experiment, three paddy fields were selected and four quadrats were placed equidistant from each other at least 25 m apart in each of the rice fields sampled in each field. Two quadrats (T1) were treated (surface-applied) with a dose of 1 g urea/0.1 m 2 , while the other two were kept as untreated controls (T2). In the second experiment, the dosage of urea was increased to 2 g urea/0.1 m 2 . In the third experiment, five transplanted rice fields were selected and three quadrats were placed in each field. One set of quadrat was treated with a dose of 1 g urea/0.1 m 2 (T1), the second set (T2) had a one l cylindrical plastic container of diameter 10 cm placed in it; which was filled with mud for 2 cm depth, and urea with similar dosage as that of T1 (1 g/0.1 m 2 ) was sprinkled in the mud filled container. The container was covered with mosquito netting, to prevent the gravid females from contacting the treated water surface, but allowed the volatile fractions to escape into the atmosphere. The container was placed in the centre of the quadrat with its mouth well above the water surface, and with enough space around it so that the gravid females had access to the water surface in the quadrat. The third set of quadrats (T3) without urea application was kept as control for comparison.In all the three experiments, the number of e...

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confidence: 79%

The role of urea in the oviposition behaviour of Japanese encephalitis vectors in rice fields of South India

Sunish

Rajendran

Reuben

2003

Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz

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“…As the local evidence base expands, the curriculum could also emphasize the use of fertilizers, crop rotation and larvivorous fish for vector management. [27][28][29] Moreover, there is scope for expanding the curriculum to cover the health effects of pesticides, using exercises in participatory monitoring of signs and symptoms of poisoning, 30 and by extending farmers' knowledge of rice farming to other local crops that are sprayed with insecticides.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing vector-borne disease by empowering farmers in integrated vector management

Berg

Hildebrand

Ragunathan³

et al. 2007

Bull World Health Organ

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“…Increased agricultural area contributes substantially to the loss of habitats, associated biodiversity and their valuable environmental services ( MEA 2005;Scherr & McNeely 2008). Approximately 30-80% of nitrogen applied to farmland escapes to contaminate water systems and the atmosphere as well as increasing the incidence of some disease vectors (Smil 2001;Victor & Reuben 2002;Pretty et al 2003a;Townsend et al 2003;Giles 2005;Goulding et al 2008). Irrigation water is often used inefficiently and causes waterlogging and salinization, as well as diverts water from other domestic and industrial users; and agricultural machinery has increased the consumption of fossil fuels in food production (Leach 1976;Stout 1998).…”

Section: The Context For Agricultural Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence

Pretty

2007

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

1,326

746

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Concerns about sustainability in agricultural systems centre on the need to develop technologies and practices that do not have adverse effects on environmental goods and services, are accessible to and effective for farmers, and lead to improvements in food productivity. Despite great progress in agricultural productivity in the past half-century, with crop and livestock productivity strongly driven by increased use of fertilizers, irrigation water, agricultural machinery, pesticides and land, it would be over-optimistic to assume that these relationships will remain linear in the future. New approaches are needed that will integrate biological and ecological processes into food production, minimize the use of those non-renewable inputs that cause harm to the environment or to the health of farmers and consumers, make productive use of the knowledge and skills of farmers, so substituting human capital for costly external inputs, and make productive use of people's collective capacities to work together to solve common agricultural and natural resource problems, such as for pest, watershed, irrigation, forest and credit management. These principles help to build important capital assets for agricultural systems: natural; social; human; physical; and financial capital. Improving natural capital is a central aim, and dividends can come from making the best use of the genotypes of crops and animals and the ecological conditions under which they are grown or raised. Agricultural sustainability suggests a focus on both genotype improvements through the full range of modern biological approaches and improved understanding of the benefits of ecological and agronomic management, manipulation and redesign. The ecological management of agroecosystems that addresses energy flows, nutrient cycling, population-regulating mechanisms and system resilience can lead to the redesign of agriculture at a landscape scale. Sustainable agriculture outcomes can be positive for food productivity, reduced pesticide use and carbon balances. Significant challenges, however, remain to develop national and international policies to support the wider emergence of more sustainable forms of agricultural production across both industrialized and developing countries.

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Effects of organic and inorganic fertilisers on mosquito populations in rice fields of southern India

Cited by 72 publications

References 11 publications

The role of urea in the oviposition behaviour of Japanese encephalitis vectors in rice fields of South India

The role of urea in the oviposition behaviour of Japanese encephalitis vectors in rice fields of South India

Reducing vector-borne disease by empowering farmers in integrated vector management

Agricultural sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence

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