Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity

Autores
Kebede, Yodit; Baudron, Frédéric; Bianchi, Félix; Tittonell, Pablo Adrian
Año de publicación
2018
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
The push-pull system, a stimulo-deterrent cropping strategy consisting of intercropping cereals with herbaceous legumes and surrounded by fodder grasses, is presented as a promising crop diversification strategy for smallholder farmers in Africa as it may contribute to maize stemborer Busseola fusca (Fuller) suppression, while improving soil fertility and providing feed for livestock. The push-pull system has often been assessed at plot level and as a package (e.g., Maize+Desmodium+Napier grass). However, it is unclear how the system performs in different landscape settings or when companion crops are changed to better meet household needs. Here we evaluate the potential of the push-pull system to suppress maize stemborer infestations in three landscapes in the Rift Valley region of Ethiopia along a gradient of landscape complexity. Within each landscape, experimental plots were established on four representative smallholder farms. At each farm we used a split-plot factorial design with main plots surrounded or not by Napier grass, and subplots consisting of sole maize, maizebean or maize-Desmodium. We assessed stemborer infestation level and maize grain and stover yields during two years, as well as natural enemies abundance and egg predation at two maize development stages in the second year. In the simple landscape, which was dominated by maize, all treatments had high stemborer infestation levels, irrespective of within-field crop diversity; the presence of Napier grass was associated with higher predator abundance, while egg predation rates were the highest in the maize-bean intercrop. In the intermediate complexity landscape, subplots with sole maize had higher stemborer infestation levels compared to maize-bean or maize-Desmodium. In the complex landscape, infestation levels were low in all treatments. However, none of these effects led to significant differences in maize grain and stover yields among treatments in any of the landscapes. The benefits of the push-pull system accrued from the companion crops (bean, Desmodium and Napier), rather than from stemborer suppression per se. Our findings highlight the importance of the surrounding landscape in mediating the performance of the push-pull system, provide new insights on the contribution of the different components of push-pull system and can guide the design of ecologically intensive agroecosystems.
Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche
Fil: Kebede, Yodit. Wageningen University. Farming Systems Ecology; Holanda
Fil: Baudron, Frédéric. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; Zimbawe
Fil: Bianchi, Félix. Wageningen University. Farming Systems Ecology; Holanda
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; Argentina
Fuente
Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 268 : 115–123 (2018)
Materia
Agroecología
Cultivos de Cereales
Agroecology
Cereal Crops
Landscape
Agroecology
Paisaje
Agroecología
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Repositorio
INTA Digital (INTA)
Institución
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
OAI Identificador
oai:localhost:20.500.12123/3844

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oai_identifier_str oai:localhost:20.500.12123/3844
network_acronym_str INTADig
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network_name_str INTA Digital (INTA)
spelling Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexityKebede, YoditBaudron, FrédéricBianchi, FélixTittonell, Pablo AdrianAgroecologíaCultivos de CerealesAgroecologyCereal CropsLandscapeAgroecologyPaisajeAgroecologíaThe push-pull system, a stimulo-deterrent cropping strategy consisting of intercropping cereals with herbaceous legumes and surrounded by fodder grasses, is presented as a promising crop diversification strategy for smallholder farmers in Africa as it may contribute to maize stemborer Busseola fusca (Fuller) suppression, while improving soil fertility and providing feed for livestock. The push-pull system has often been assessed at plot level and as a package (e.g., Maize+Desmodium+Napier grass). However, it is unclear how the system performs in different landscape settings or when companion crops are changed to better meet household needs. Here we evaluate the potential of the push-pull system to suppress maize stemborer infestations in three landscapes in the Rift Valley region of Ethiopia along a gradient of landscape complexity. Within each landscape, experimental plots were established on four representative smallholder farms. At each farm we used a split-plot factorial design with main plots surrounded or not by Napier grass, and subplots consisting of sole maize, maizebean or maize-Desmodium. We assessed stemborer infestation level and maize grain and stover yields during two years, as well as natural enemies abundance and egg predation at two maize development stages in the second year. In the simple landscape, which was dominated by maize, all treatments had high stemborer infestation levels, irrespective of within-field crop diversity; the presence of Napier grass was associated with higher predator abundance, while egg predation rates were the highest in the maize-bean intercrop. In the intermediate complexity landscape, subplots with sole maize had higher stemborer infestation levels compared to maize-bean or maize-Desmodium. In the complex landscape, infestation levels were low in all treatments. However, none of these effects led to significant differences in maize grain and stover yields among treatments in any of the landscapes. The benefits of the push-pull system accrued from the companion crops (bean, Desmodium and Napier), rather than from stemborer suppression per se. Our findings highlight the importance of the surrounding landscape in mediating the performance of the push-pull system, provide new insights on the contribution of the different components of push-pull system and can guide the design of ecologically intensive agroecosystems.Estación Experimental Agropecuaria BarilocheFil: Kebede, Yodit. Wageningen University. Farming Systems Ecology; HolandaFil: Baudron, Frédéric. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; ZimbaweFil: Bianchi, Félix. Wageningen University. Farming Systems Ecology; HolandaFil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; ArgentinaElsevier2018-11-09T12:49:28Z2018-11-09T12:49:28Z2018-12info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3844https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S01678809183039310167-8809https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.09.012Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 268 : 115–123 (2018)reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariaenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)2025-09-29T13:44:29Zoai:localhost:20.500.12123/3844instacron:INTAInstitucionalhttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/oai/requesttripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:l2025-09-29 13:44:30.033INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity
title Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity
spellingShingle Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity
Kebede, Yodit
Agroecología
Cultivos de Cereales
Agroecology
Cereal Crops
Landscape
Agroecology
Paisaje
Agroecología
title_short Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity
title_full Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity
title_fullStr Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity
title_full_unstemmed Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity
title_sort Unpacking the push-pull system: assessing the contribution of companion crops along a gradient of landscape complexity
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Kebede, Yodit
Baudron, Frédéric
Bianchi, Félix
Tittonell, Pablo Adrian
author Kebede, Yodit
author_facet Kebede, Yodit
Baudron, Frédéric
Bianchi, Félix
Tittonell, Pablo Adrian
author_role author
author2 Baudron, Frédéric
Bianchi, Félix
Tittonell, Pablo Adrian
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Agroecología
Cultivos de Cereales
Agroecology
Cereal Crops
Landscape
Agroecology
Paisaje
Agroecología
topic Agroecología
Cultivos de Cereales
Agroecology
Cereal Crops
Landscape
Agroecology
Paisaje
Agroecología
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv The push-pull system, a stimulo-deterrent cropping strategy consisting of intercropping cereals with herbaceous legumes and surrounded by fodder grasses, is presented as a promising crop diversification strategy for smallholder farmers in Africa as it may contribute to maize stemborer Busseola fusca (Fuller) suppression, while improving soil fertility and providing feed for livestock. The push-pull system has often been assessed at plot level and as a package (e.g., Maize+Desmodium+Napier grass). However, it is unclear how the system performs in different landscape settings or when companion crops are changed to better meet household needs. Here we evaluate the potential of the push-pull system to suppress maize stemborer infestations in three landscapes in the Rift Valley region of Ethiopia along a gradient of landscape complexity. Within each landscape, experimental plots were established on four representative smallholder farms. At each farm we used a split-plot factorial design with main plots surrounded or not by Napier grass, and subplots consisting of sole maize, maizebean or maize-Desmodium. We assessed stemborer infestation level and maize grain and stover yields during two years, as well as natural enemies abundance and egg predation at two maize development stages in the second year. In the simple landscape, which was dominated by maize, all treatments had high stemborer infestation levels, irrespective of within-field crop diversity; the presence of Napier grass was associated with higher predator abundance, while egg predation rates were the highest in the maize-bean intercrop. In the intermediate complexity landscape, subplots with sole maize had higher stemborer infestation levels compared to maize-bean or maize-Desmodium. In the complex landscape, infestation levels were low in all treatments. However, none of these effects led to significant differences in maize grain and stover yields among treatments in any of the landscapes. The benefits of the push-pull system accrued from the companion crops (bean, Desmodium and Napier), rather than from stemborer suppression per se. Our findings highlight the importance of the surrounding landscape in mediating the performance of the push-pull system, provide new insights on the contribution of the different components of push-pull system and can guide the design of ecologically intensive agroecosystems.
Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche
Fil: Kebede, Yodit. Wageningen University. Farming Systems Ecology; Holanda
Fil: Baudron, Frédéric. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; Zimbawe
Fil: Bianchi, Félix. Wageningen University. Farming Systems Ecology; Holanda
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; Argentina
description The push-pull system, a stimulo-deterrent cropping strategy consisting of intercropping cereals with herbaceous legumes and surrounded by fodder grasses, is presented as a promising crop diversification strategy for smallholder farmers in Africa as it may contribute to maize stemborer Busseola fusca (Fuller) suppression, while improving soil fertility and providing feed for livestock. The push-pull system has often been assessed at plot level and as a package (e.g., Maize+Desmodium+Napier grass). However, it is unclear how the system performs in different landscape settings or when companion crops are changed to better meet household needs. Here we evaluate the potential of the push-pull system to suppress maize stemborer infestations in three landscapes in the Rift Valley region of Ethiopia along a gradient of landscape complexity. Within each landscape, experimental plots were established on four representative smallholder farms. At each farm we used a split-plot factorial design with main plots surrounded or not by Napier grass, and subplots consisting of sole maize, maizebean or maize-Desmodium. We assessed stemborer infestation level and maize grain and stover yields during two years, as well as natural enemies abundance and egg predation at two maize development stages in the second year. In the simple landscape, which was dominated by maize, all treatments had high stemborer infestation levels, irrespective of within-field crop diversity; the presence of Napier grass was associated with higher predator abundance, while egg predation rates were the highest in the maize-bean intercrop. In the intermediate complexity landscape, subplots with sole maize had higher stemborer infestation levels compared to maize-bean or maize-Desmodium. In the complex landscape, infestation levels were low in all treatments. However, none of these effects led to significant differences in maize grain and stover yields among treatments in any of the landscapes. The benefits of the push-pull system accrued from the companion crops (bean, Desmodium and Napier), rather than from stemborer suppression per se. Our findings highlight the importance of the surrounding landscape in mediating the performance of the push-pull system, provide new insights on the contribution of the different components of push-pull system and can guide the design of ecologically intensive agroecosystems.
publishDate 2018
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2018-11-09T12:49:28Z
2018-11-09T12:49:28Z
2018-12
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3844
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880918303931
0167-8809
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.09.012
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3844
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880918303931
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.09.012
identifier_str_mv 0167-8809
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 268 : 115–123 (2018)
reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)
instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
reponame_str INTA Digital (INTA)
collection INTA Digital (INTA)
instname_str Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.name.fl_str_mv INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.mail.fl_str_mv tripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.ar
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