Traditional and Modern Crop Protection in Perspective

Glass, E. H.; Thurston, H. David

doi:10.2307/1307424

Cited by 53 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…We have fashioned highly edible plant foods by selecting against allelochemicals in many crop plants (Johns 1990;Johns and Alonso 1990;Wink 1988), but the durability of this solution depends on our ability to fashion sustainable agroecosystems, in which, for example, direct chemical defences are replaced by indirect defences, i.e. protection by farmers (Glass and Thurston 1978;Ruelle and Bruggers 1982). In other cases, allelochemicals are still present in the crops we grow and continue to play roles in plant defence (Jones 1998;Osbourn et al 2003;Wink 1988).…”

Section: Connecting Ecosystems and The Human Organismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A third selective pressure, which has received much less attention than the other two, is relaxation of selection for direct chemical defences of crop plants because these are replaced by indirect defence, supplied by the crops' human protective mutualists. Humans not only provide indirect defence themselves, by scaring, guarding, pesticide application and other forms of active crop protection but also shape agroecosystems to enhance indirect defence provided by other organisms, and manage agrobiodiversity and patterns of crop phenology, field tenure and crop rotation to exploit opportunities for escape of crop plants in space and time from their herbivores and pathogens (Glass and Thurston 1978;Ruelle and Bruggers 1982).…”

Section: Secondary Metabolites In Plant Domesticationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chemical ecology in coupled human and natural systems: people, manioc, multitrophic interactions and global change

et al. 2010

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Chemical ecology provides unique perspectives for managing plant/human interactions to achieve food security. Allelochemicals function as chemical defences of crop plants, enhancing yields. While ingested allelochemicals can confer health benefits to humans, at higher concentrations they are often toxic. The delicate balance between their positive and negative effects in crop plants is influenced by many factors. Some of these-how environment affects optimal levels of defence, how metabolic interactions with nutrients affect toxicity of ingested allelochemicals-are the province of chemical ecology. These biological factors, however, interact with social factors, and neither can be studied independently. Chemical ecologists must work together with social scientists to understand the overall system. Here, we illustrate such an integrative approach, analysing the interactions between people and the major tropical crop manioc, which contains cyanogenic glucosides. Polymorphism for cyanogen levels in manioc facilitates analysis of how costs and benefits of crop defences vary among social systems. We first show how people/ manioc interactions diversified in this crop's Amazonian homeland, then turn to the remarkable cultural adaptations of African farmers since manioc's introduction 400 years ago. Finally, we evaluate new coevolutionary challenges in parts of Africa where people are still unfamiliar with a potentially dangerous crop. Current environmental and social catastrophes have restricted farmers' options, resulting in acute problems in health of humans and ecosystems. We show that high cyanogen levels confer important agronomic advantages, but also impose costs and constraints that can only be understood when biology is coupled with analysis of social, cultural and economic factors. Detoxifying manioc technologically requires know-how, time, water and other resources. Detoxifying residual dietary cyanogens metabolically depends on being able to grow, or to buy, the nutrients required for detoxification, primarily sulphur-rich proteins. Solutions that appear adaptive today may not be in the future, as changing climate, rising atmospheric CO 2 levels and decreased access to fertilizers affect productivity of crops and the nutrient and allelochemical composition of the foods they are used to produce.

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Section: Connecting Ecosystems and The Human Organismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Secondary Metabolites In Plant Domesticationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical ecology in coupled human and natural systems: people, manioc, multitrophic interactions and global change

et al. 2010

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“…Clarke (1976) and Grandstaff (1978) have addressed specifically the future of the tropical forest as an agroecosystem. Glass and Thurston (1978) and others have emphasized the need to learn from traditional farming methods if locally adapted SYTA are to be created. In this context ethnobotanical studies are relevant not only for the government planning agencies but also for the people themselves.…”

Section: Final Notementioning

confidence: 99%

Huastec noncrop resource management: Implications for prehistoric rain forest management

Alcorn

1981

Hum Ecol

112

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“…In recent decades, social scientists, agronomists, and ecologists have shown increased interest in "traditional" agricultural practices and local ecological knowledge (LEK) (e.g., Altieri 1994), largely motivated by quests for alternatives to high-input modern agriculture (e.g., Glass and Thurston 1978;Altieri 2004). Within these studies, researchers note that even in the absence of modern technology, "traditional" farmers incorporate many practices that, by design or by chance, control problematic weeds (e.g., Glass and Thurston 1978;Gliessman 1988;Fujisaka et al 1993;Anaya 1999) that are also problematic invasive species in natural areas (e.g., Sebold 1992;Bagnall-Oakeley et al 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within these studies, researchers note that even in the absence of modern technology, "traditional" farmers incorporate many practices that, by design or by chance, control problematic weeds (e.g., Glass and Thurston 1978;Gliessman 1988;Fujisaka et al 1993;Anaya 1999) that are also problematic invasive species in natural areas (e.g., Sebold 1992;Bagnall-Oakeley et al 1997). A compilation of local practices and knowledge related to weed control might enhance efforts to manage or restore areas plagued by these species, but to date demonstrable benefits of such an endeavor remain largely unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Weed Control Knowledge from Declining Agricultural Communities in Invasive-Species Management

Bart

2009

Hum Ecol

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Traditional and small-scale farmers may know of practices that control weedy species. When these species are also problematic in restored or managed areas, a collection of this knowledge might assist control efforts. However, past criticisms of using local ecological knowledge (LEK) from small-scale farmers state that small sample sizes and highly variable responses among informants hinders LEK's utility in management. Here I document weed-control knowledge held by New Jersey salt-hay farmers to control common reed and adapt strategies to control its invasion in two restoration settings. Accounts indicated that repeated cutting could eradicate the invasive, and subsequent experimental treatments in restoration settings demonstrated this technique to be very effective. However, only one farmer knew of this technique, and this farmer's accounts seemingly contradicted other farmers' accounts of cutting. This study demonstrates that small sample sizes and highly variable responses are more problematic to studies of knowledge, per se, than in finding valuable knowledge, which simply must be held by a community member rather than be common or welldistributed.

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Traditional and Modern Crop Protection in Perspective

Cited by 53 publications

References 14 publications

Chemical ecology in coupled human and natural systems: people, manioc, multitrophic interactions and global change

Chemical ecology in coupled human and natural systems: people, manioc, multitrophic interactions and global change

Huastec noncrop resource management: Implications for prehistoric rain forest management

Using Weed Control Knowledge from Declining Agricultural Communities in Invasive-Species Management

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