Mettre en place des stratégies de lutte contre les ravageurs, indépendantes des produits chimiques est un objectif fondamental pour une protection durable des cultures contre les ravageurs et la conservation d’un environnement sain pour les populations humaines en zone rurale. L’objectif principal de ce travail était de contribuer à la mise en place d’une lutte biologique par gestion des habitats à l’échelle du paysage de la noctuelle polyphage Helicoverpa armigera, principal ravageur de cotonnier dans le nord Bénin. Cette thèse visait à analyser l’influence des pratiques agricoles et de l’organisation du paysage sur l’abondance et l’origine trophique de H. armigera. L’analyse biochimique d’individus élevés en laboratoire, nous a permis de confirmer le fait que le gossypol est un bon marqueur pour identifier les adultes qui ont passé leur vie larvaire sur le cotonnier. Au contraire de la tomatine qui ne peut être considérée comme un marqueur de la tomate car la tomatine a été détectée seulement chez les larves d’H. armigera et non chez les adultes. Notre étude sur le terrain au nord Bénin dans 40 parcelles, a montré que les pratiques agricoles avaient un fort effet sur l’infestation larvaire. La date de semis et la fréquence de sarclage étaient négativement corrélées à l’infestation larvaire. La proportion de cotonniers dans le paysage et celle de tomate ont influencé positivement l’infestation en larves d’H. armigera. Nous avons également montré qu’un précédent cultural tomate présentait une abondance larvaire en moyenne trois fois supérieur à un précédent cultural maïs. Ensuite, dans des rayons de 100 m, 250 m et 500 m, nous avons étudié les effets de la composition et de l’hétérogénéité du paysage d’une part sur l’abondance des adultes d’H. armigera et d’autre part sur leur origine trophique. L’hétérogénéité du paysage en plantes hôtes est le facteur paysager principal qui a influencé positivement l’abondance des adultes. Les isotopes stables de Carbone nous ont permis d’identifier les individus dont la larve s’était nourrie sur des plantes de type photosynthétique C3 (cotonniers, tomates, ...) ou C4 (maïs, sorgho, …). L’origine trophique, plantes hôtes C3 ou C4, est reliée positivement à la proportion de plantes hôtes respectivement C3 ou C4 dans un rayon de 500m. Seulement 10% des individus ayant consommés des plantes en C3 ont été détecté positif au gossypol. La proportion de cotonniers dans le paysage ne semble pas expliquer la proportion d’individus détectés positif au gossypol. Nous formulons des propositions de gestion de l’assolement et des rotations culturales pour contribuer à la régulation d’H. armigera. Ainsi, il faudrait éviter que le cotonnier soit semé sur un précédent cultural tomate. Il serait important de décaler les dates de semis entre les parcelles de cotonniers voisines et de respecter la fréquence de sarclage minimale qui est de trois. Par ailleurs, il serait judicieux de préférer un environnement paysager homogène autour d’une parcelle de cotonnier, en privilégiant par exemple, le maïs. / The development of strategies independent of pesticides is a fundamental objective for sustainable crop protection against pests as well as for maintaining of a healthy environment for human populations. The rationale of the research presented here was to improve our ability to control the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera by non-pesticide methods via habitat conservation. We analyzed the influence of agricultural practices and landscape composition and diversity on the abundance and trophic origin of H. armigera and assessed gossypol and tomatine in individual H. armigera as cotton and tomato biomarkers respectively. Gossypol was shown to be a stable cotton biomarker, even in adult H. armigera 12 days after emergence. In contrast, tomatine was only detected in larvae of H. armigera and not adults; thereby tomatine can not be considered as a marker of tomato plants. Subsequently, in north Benin, the abundance of H. armigera larvae and adults was monitored in cotton fields. We found a strong effect of agricultural practices on H. armigera larvae abundance. Delay sowing date and increase frequency of weeding reduced the abundance of H. armigera in cotton fields; whereas the proportion of cotton and tomato in the landscape increased. This study also highlights the role of the previous landcover in the infestation of a cotton field: A previous tomato landcover increased infestation three times more than a previous maize landcover. At nested scales ranging from 100 m, 250 m to 500 m, we studied the effects of landscape composition and diversity firstly on the abundance of adult H. armigera and secondly on their trophic origin. We found that, landscape diversity was the main factor that influenced both the abundance adult and their trophic origin at 500 m scale. Analyses of stables isotopes of Carbone showed that proportion of hosts plants with C3 photosynthetic pathway in the landscape was positively related to H. armigera moths with C3 trophic origin signal at 500 m scale. Only 10% of moths were positive to gossypol signal. The proportion of cotton in the landscape seems not important to explain the trophic origin of individual which were positive to gossypol signal. Therefore, for integrated management of H. armigera our results suggest it is necessary to consider the following agricultural practices and crop diversity regimes (in regard to the resource use strategies of this polyphagous pest). A tomato previous landcover should be avoid; shift sowing date between cotton fields, and have at less three manual weedings. In additional, we suggest employing maize around cotton fields rather than other crops.

<p> Brown patch (caused by various <em>Rhizoctonia </em>and <em>Rhizoctonia-</em>like species) is one of the major summer diseases of tall fescue [<em>Schedonorus arundinaceus</em> (Schreb.) Dumort., nom. cons.]. Fungicides are available to suppress brown patch; however, there is increasing interest to reduce lawn pesticide inputs. Excessive summer nitrogen (N) applications and extended periods of leaf wetness have been suggested to enhance brown patch. Five projects were conducted from 2020 to 2022 to evaluate individual and various combinations of cultural management practices to improve brown patch management strategies through reducing chemical inputs and promoting environmentally sound integrated pest management (IPM) practices. Brown patch host resistance of 15 tall fescue cultivars was evaluated in a controlled environment study and various morphological characteristics were correlated to brown patch severity. A 45% reduction in brown patch was observed with a resistant cultivar, and cultivars with faster growth rates, wider sheath widths and shorter sheath length correlated with reduced brown patch resistance. A field study evaluated five cultivars fertilized with urea-N from April to July, totaling 73.5 or 245.0 kg N ha^-1. A resistant cultivar had the greatest influence on reducing disease, and N-rate generally did not influence disease severity. Differences in seasonal brown patch was compared in a three-year field study for various natural organic fertilizers. Feather-bone meal and soybean meal-based products decreased disease compared to non-fertilized turf. Chemical suppression of leaf-wetness was studied using different surfactant chemistries applied on a 14 to 21-d application frequency and some chemistries reduced disease. When evaluating the various interactions of cultivar, N rate, and surfactant compared to a granular fungicide, the greatest impact was achieved when planting a resistant cultivar, reducing disease severity by 68%. Additionally, the combination of a resistant cultivar and application of a surfactant had the same seasonal brown patch compared to a susceptible cultivar with fungicide applications during year two of evaluation. In summary, these studies demonstrate significant reductions in brown patch can be achieved when utilizing the aforesaid best management practices which can substantially reduce the need for frequent lawn fungicides.  </p>

<p>  </p> <p>Environmental conditions, like light quality and herbivory, can induce changes in plant physiology. Light quality can be manipulated using LEDs (light emitting diodes) to improve crop quality and yield in horticultural production. The manipulation of light quality has also been utilized in the management of agricultural insect pests. Previous research has provided evidence that changes in light quality can have effects on the growth and chemistry of cannabis crops (<em>Cannabis spp.</em>). Varieties of cannabis are grown for the production of the valued cannabinoids CBD and THC. Pest of cannabis include herbivorous arthropods that reduce hemp yield and quality. Arthropod herbivory can induce chemical and physical changes in plants. This thesis further investigates the role of light quality on both cannabis biology and the crop-pest interaction between cannabis and the cannabis aphid (<em>Phorodon cannabis</em>). In the experiments described herein, the effects of light quality and <em>P. cannabis </em>herbivory on cannabis were assessed by measuring impact on biomass accumulation, yield, and the production of CBD and THC. The effects of light quality on the life history traits of <em>P. cannabis </em>were also measured. Cannabis grown under red-blue light quality saw a reduction in vegetative growth but no reduction in yield. Light treatments had no measured effect on the concentrations of CBD and THC in the cannabis buds. Aphid herbivory decreased bud yield but increased vegetative growth. Aphid herbivory reduced the concentration of both CBD and THC in cannabis bud tissue. Under blue-rich light quality, <em>P. cannabis </em>experienced higher reproductive rates when compared to red-blue and full-spectrum lighting. </p>

<p dir="ltr">Sweetpotato (<i>Ipomoea batatas</i> L.) is a staple crop that provides nutritional benefits to humans globally, but it is subjected to yield loss when competing with weeds, especially during the early stage of establishment. Despite increased organic sweetpotato production in the United States, growers face challenges with limited weed management options and often resort to time-consuming and costly cultivation and hand-weeding. To address this challenge, experiments were developed to determine (1) the effect of sweetpotato cultivar on the critical weed-free period, (2) the effects of in-row plant spacing and cultivar selection on weed suppression and sweetpotato yield, and (3) the impact of buckwheat and silage tarps for row-middle weed control. 1) In 2022, field research was conducted at the Samuel G. Meigs Horticulture Research Farm (Meigs), Lafayette, IN, and at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC), Vincennes, IN to estimate the critical weed-free period for ‘Covington’, ‘Murasaki’, and ‘Monaco’ in the Midwest. The experiment was a split-plot design, with weed-free interval treatments as the main plot factor and cultivar as the subplot factor. Weeds were removed by hand and allowed to establish and compete with the crop beginning at 0, 14, 21, 28, 35, or 42 days after transplanting (DAP). As weed-free interval increased from 0 to 42 DAP, predicted total yield increased from 19 kg ha^-1 to 20,540 kg ha^-1for Covington, 3 kg ha^-1 to 11,407 kg ha^-1 for Monaco, and 125 kg ha^-1to 13,460 kg ha^-1for Murasaki at the Lafayette location. A threshold of ≤10% total yield reduction was achieved by maintaining sweetpotatoes weed-free 24 DAP for Covington, 20 DAP for Murasaki, and 33 DAP for Monaco. 2) In 2022 and 2023, studies were conducted at Meigs, Lafayette, IN and SWPAC, Vincennes, IN to evaluate in-row plant spacing and cultivars for weed control and sweetpotato yield. The experiment was a split-split plot design, with in-row spacings of 20, 30, and 40 cm as the main plot factor, weeding frequency (‘critical weed-free period’ and ‘weed free’) as the subplot factor, and sweetpotato cultivar (‘Covington’ and ‘Monaco’) as the sub-subplot factor. However, in 2022, we evaluated only in-row spacing and weeding frequency because of poor establishment of Monaco. In-row spacing had no significant effect on weed densities at 4, 5, and 6 WAP. As in-row spacing increased from 20 to 40 cm, total sweetpotato yield pooled across both locations in 2023 decreased from 30,223 to 21,209 kg ha^-1 for Covington and 24,370 to 20,848 kg ha^-1 for Monaco, however, jumbo yield increased for both cultivars. Findings from this study suggest that an in-row spacing of 20 cm may provide greater yield than the standard spacing, 30 cm, for both Monaco and Covington cultivars and could reduce weed interference through more rapid sweetpotato canopy closure. 3) The experiment was a randomized complete block design, with three row-middle treatments [tarp, buckwheat, and cultivation] and four replicates. Row-middle treatments were established immediately after transplanting ‘Covington’ slips 30 cm apart into raised bed plots consisting of a single row 6 m long and 2 m apart on-center. Buckwheat was planted three weeks after transplanting (WAP) at a rate of 108 kg ha^-1 in row-middle. Row-middles for the tarp treatment were covered for the entire growing season. Weed density at 6 WAP was 184 plants m^-2 for the buckwheat, and 162 plants m^-2 for the cultivation treatments. Total yield was 11,050 kg ha^-1 for the buckwheat, 19,790 kg ha^-1 for the cultivation, and 17,810 kg ha^-1 for the tarping treatments. Tarping effectively suppressed weeds and produced sweetpotato yields comparable to cultivation indicating potential for organic growers. Buckwheat yields were lower than those from tarping and cultivation.</p>

<p>  </p> <p>Plant roots form an intimate relationship with a diversity of soil microorganisms. Some soil-borne microbes cause harmful diseases on crops, but others promote plant growth and enhance host resilience against stressors. Beneficial bacteria have a high potential as a strategy for sustainable agricultural management, many of which have been recognized and commercialized for improving crop growth. Unfortunately, field inoculants of beneficial bacteria often give inconsistent results due to various environmental factors hindering their beneficial properties. Improving crop production utilizing beneficial bacteria requires two approaches: 1) breeding for crops with the enhanced association for beneficial bacteria and 2) improving formulation methods for producing more potent microbial products. To contribute to these goals, we address three critical questions utilizing the tomato root microbiome as a model system. First, we asked how beneficial root-associated bacteria could be efficiently identified. We developed a strategy to select beneficial bacteria from a novel collection of 183 bacterial endophytes isolated from roots of two field-grown tomato species. The results suggest that isolates with similar traits impact plant growth at the same levels, regardless of their taxonomic classification or host origin. Next, we asked whether host genetics contribute to the root microbiome assembly and response to beneficial microbes. An assessment of the root microbiome profile and plant binary interaction experiments suggested the role of host genetics in influencing root recruitment and response to beneficial bacteria. Subsequently, we asked whether root-associated bacteria induce physiological changes in root tissues in the host. We identified two isolates from our bacterial endophyte collection that significantly promoted the growth of tomato genotype H7996 (<em>Solanum lycopersicum</em>). Plant-binary interaction experiments suggested a significant increase of cell wall lignification in the root vasculature starting 96-hour post-inoculation with beneficial bacteria. Additional studies are needed to uncover a possible correlation between the induced vasculature lignification and the growth-promoting effects of the two isolates on H7996. Altogether, our findings highlight the multi-faceted role of root-associated bacteria in promoting plant growth and support the development of crop improvement strategies in optimizing host association with soil bacteria.</p>

No description available.

Department of Ecology and Resource Management / PhDENV / The main aim of the research was to contribute means for converting conventional, high-input production systems to more sustainable ecological systems, thereby improving the sustainability of macadamia production and ultimately contributing to food security. This was achieved by a) investigating the potential use of cover crops and compost to enhance soil quality in macadamia orchards and b) investigating the potential use of use of cover crops and orchard heterogeneity to control stinkbug pests that target macadamia crops. Field experiments were conducted in three phases: phase one tested the potential of six cover crops for crop protection (as trap crops) and simultaneously for soil restoration or fertility enhancement purposes in macadamia orchards. Phase two repeated the trials of phase one (both soil restoration and trap crops) but with modifications to both categories. Soil restoration treatments were conducted with trees which were growing in what appeared to be healthy soils, and then repeated with trees in the same orchard where the topsoil had been degraded (totally removed) by agricultural operations. The third phase repeated the trap crop trials only, but this time on three different study areas (all commercial farms) with the single cover crop which performed the best as a trap crop during phase two. Trials were modified from the first to the last phase to overcome practical implementation problems encountered along the way and to adapt to local conditions experienced in the commercial macadamia farming systems which served as research sites. Diversity of natural orchard vegetation was enhanced in phase three to improve conditions for natural predators as part of the trap crop treatments in the last phase and cover crops were finally first composted and then returned to the root zones of the macadamia trees as part of the soil quality enhancement treatments in the second phase. The results from the trap crop trials shows a significant effect of trap crops combined with increased orchard diversity in reducing unsound kernel percentages caused by stinkbug pests and demonstrate that trap crops combined with an increase in orchard diversity could be utilized in macadamia orchards as a more sustainable alternative to inorganic pesticides against the stinkbug complex. The most notable changes in the soil that took place with soil quality enhancement treatments were the significant increases in soil phosphorous content and pH which resulted not in an improvement in soil quality in terms of these two indicators but revealed an important issue about the use of compost containing animal manure originating from dairies or feedlots. In summary however, it was clear that although not all the soil quality indicators that were employed to assess changes in the soil with compost treatments improved significantly, a holistic consideration of all indicators portrays an overall improvement which was particularly significant in the degraded soil plots where the topsoil had been removed by prior agricultural activities. / NRF

<p dir="ltr">Urban agriculture has grown in popularity in recent decades, due to its ability to provide access to healthy fruits and vegetables in urban zones, as well as its importance in fostering knowledge of agriculture within communities. However, urban agriculture may struggle with unique challenges due to its proximity to urban and industrial activities, such as food safety risks due to toxic heavy metals and metalloids which may be present in urban soils in high concentrations. Heavy metals and metalloids (HM) like arsenic, cadmium, and lead are absorbed by plants from the soil, and may accumulate in the plants’ edible tissues, which are consumed by humans. Carrot (<i>Daucus carota</i> L.), in particular, hyperaccumulates these toxic heavy metals in its edible taproots, leading to food safety risks on urban farms.</p><p dir="ltr">One potential way to help address this challenge is to breed carrot varieties with low uptake of HM. In recent years, researchers have identified lines with high and low uptake in greenhouse trials and single location breeding nurseries. However, to be viable, these lines must consistently vary in HM across sites despite differences in environmental and management factors that can also greatly influence HM bioavailability and uptake. Moreover, screening for differences in HM uptake is time-consuming and expensive, and breeders need new tools to select among segregating breeding populations. By using on-farm participatory research as well as advanced phenotyping technologies, we investigate the viability of breeding carrots for HM uptake and the potential of new tools to advance these efforts in order to mitigate the risks on urban farms.</p><p dir="ltr">In the summers of 2021 and 2022, participatory on-farm trials were conducted to determine the HM risks on Indiana urban farms and to investigate the consistency of differences in HM uptake between carrot breeding lines taken from breeding trials (Chapter 2). Results of these trials indicated that while carrot genotype had an effect, there was still significant variability in carrot uptake of arsenic, cadmium and lead between farm sites and years. Results indicated significant differences between site-years, and carrot HM concentrations that correlated strongly with soil concentrations for that particular element. However, there were some site-years with low soil HM content and other soil factors expected to reduce uptake such as pH and phytoavailable zinc concentrations (such as site-year H), that had high carrot HM content. There were significant differences in carrot cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) content between carrot breeding lines. For instance, breeding line 3271 had a high As average concentration but low Cd average concentration, while breeding lines 6220 and 2327 had low As and high Cd concentrations. We identify the possibility of other mediating factors, such as uptake of antagonistic micronutrients, or microbe-assisted HM uptake and amelioration that need further attention.</p><p dir="ltr">In the fall of 2022, a study was conducted to investigate the possibility of using phenotyping technologies such as RGB and hyperspectral imaging to detect Cd stress in carrot and attempt to predict uptake (Chapter 3). RGB (red green blue) is a digital color model in which cameras can capture important visual cues compiled from information about each pixel. Hyperspectral imaging uses cameras to capture wavelengths beyond the visible spectrum, which can detect plant stress indicators like increased anthocyanin content for specific environmental stresses. Results of this trial were useful, with some time points and indices noting differences between carrot lines. For instance, RGB factors hue and fluorescence as well as hyperspectral reflectance plots and vegetative indices swirNDVI and ANTH were the most diagnostic. Breeding lines 6636 and 8503 showed the greatest separation between Cd treated and control carrots in imaging indices. However, further studies will be needed to optimize this approach for breeding programs.</p><p dir="ltr">This research demonstrates that growing carrots on most urban farms in Indiana is safe. The studies also provide further evidence that it will be possible to help lower food safety risks by selecting carrot varieties with low HM uptake, and phenotyping can help to advance these efforts. At the same time, new research to understand how soil factors such as microbiomes influence HM bioavailability and uptake on urban farms are also needed to further reduce potential risks. In the meantime, farmers should continue to test their soil for HM and take appropriate actions to reduce risks such as using raised beds and soil amendments that can bind metals like biochar. Consumers should also continue to wash and peel their carrots before consumption, as well as consume a balanced diet with a diverse set of vegetables and other crops.</p>