Intercropping cereals or maize with legumes is considered a strategy of diversifying bioenergy cropping systems and can provide additional food resources for pollinators and other flower-visiting insects. However, knowledge on how these resources are utilized by insects compared to legumes in pure stands remains scarce and is largely limited to few legume species. In field experiments with three innovative cropping systems for biomass production (white lupin- oat, Andean lupin- maize, sainfoin- maize), we tested whether intercropped legumes attract a similar number of flower visitors as pure legume stands. Bumble bees and honey bees were the dominant visitors. The number of inflorescences per m² was lower in intercropped than in pure legume stands. However, significant decreases in visits per m² by bumblebees and honeybees were only observed in maize-intercropped legumes. We further observed shorter visit durations of honey bees in pure stands of Andean lupin, compared to intercropped stands which could be an indication for resource depletion. These results suggest that legume-cereal intercropping in general can be a valid strategy for pollinator promotion and may potentially yield positive scale effects. Given the overall reduction in inflorescence density and the lower attractiveness of maize-intercropped legumes compared to sole legume stands, we argue that legume-maize row-intercropping is not effective for pollinator conservation and that, as an alternative, including legumes in crop rotations or strip-cropping of maize and legumes could increase pollinator-attractiveness of the biomass cropping system due to reduce shading in the pure or wider stands of the legumes.
PGS is a participatory guarantee system that has been practiced since 2008 in Vietnam through an IFOAM-supported project for the first farmer groups in Luong Son district, Hoa Binh province. This study examined the status, challenges, and opportunities of PGS organic vegetable production in Luong Son District, Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam. In Luong Son, PGS organic farming has been practiced for years, yet it occupies only a small fraction (0.27% in 2019) of the district’s agricultural land, with farmers facing challenges in production costs, infrastructure, technical capacity, and market access. Data were collected through the surveys of 78 PGS organic vegetable farmers across four communes. Findings revealed that while the total PGS organic vegetable area increased 15 times from 2009 to 2019, while average yields remained relatively unchanged, highlighting limitations in cultivation techniques. Low mechanization, reliance on manual labour, insufficient organic fertilizer sources, and limited access to bio-products constrained productivity. Farmers practiced crop rotation and intercropping, yet integration of legumes and green manure was limited, affecting soil fertility. Pest control largely relied on manual and preventive measures, with limited access to approved bio-pesticides. Despite these challenges, economic returns from PGS organic vegetable cultivation were significantly higher than traditional rice farming, indicating potential for income improvement. The study concludes that expanding the use of approved organic fertilizers and bio-products, enhancing biodiversity through crop diversification and green manures, improving pest management knowledge, and strengthening the PGS value chain are essential to increase yields, stabilize production, and promote the sustainable expansion of organic vegetable farming in Luong Son.
The Tropical Andes, one of the most biodiverse and ecologically sensitive regions globally, faces critical sustainability challenges driven by the rapid expansion of high-value crops such as Hass avocado. In northern Tolima, Colombia, smallholder avocado farmers have been systematically exposed to agroecological practices through the 'Tropical Agriculture (AT)' program promoted by the Horticultural Association of Colombia (Asohofrucol), providing a documented context in which evaluate the degree of agroecological transition. This study applies a Socio-Ecological Systems (SES) framework to quantitatively evaluate the status of agroecological adoption and the socio-ecological factors that facilitate or constrain it among 60 small-scale avocado farmers. We developed two complementary indices: the Socio-Ecological Sustainability Index (SESI, range 0-4), which evaluates sustainability across governance, resource management, production systems, and social interaction dimensions, and the Agroecological Practices Index (API, range 0-1), which evaluates the adoption status of 18 specific AT practices across three domains (Plant Nutrition, Soil Protection, Biodiversity Protection). The API is applied as an evaluative tool-measuring adoption of practices farmers have been trained in-rather than as a prescriptive benchmark. Results show a moderate SESI score of 2.11; governance scored highest (0.63), reflecting secure land tenure for 83% of farmers and high associativity, while the Resource Systems dimension scored lowest (0.39), indicating limited integration of ecosystem services. The average API score of 0.38 reveals highest adoption in Soil Protection (60%) and lowest in Plant Nutrition (24%), with practice-specific barriers linked to input access and technical knowledge. Notably, only 43.3% of farmers intend to continue avocado cultivation, and plantations average 5.2 years of age, indicating that price volatility threatens established productive investments. These findings underscore the need for stable market mechanisms, differentiated technical support, and integrated policies that align smallholder productivity with ecological stewardship in ecologically sensitive Andean landscapes
Black root rot caused by Cylindrocladium sp. has recently emerged as a serious threat to avocado ( (Persea americana Mill.) production, leading to severe root decay, stunted growth, and seedling mortality. This study evaluated the antagonistic potential of Trichoderma sp. as a biological control agent against Cylindrocladium through both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Dual culture assays on potato dextrose agar (PDA) demonstrated that Trichoderma sp. significantly inhibited mycelial growth of Cylindrocladium, with inhibitory power progressively increasing from 21.16 +/- 5.0% at day 3 to 59.17 +/- 7.3% at day 7. Greenhouse trials were then conducted using avocado seedlings under six treatments: control, only Trichoderma, only Cylindrocladium, Trichoderma applied seven days before Cylindrocladium, Cylindrocladium applied seven days before Trichoderma, and simultaneous inoculation. Results revealed that Trichoderma application prior to pathogen inoculation markedly reduced disease occurrence (37.50%) and disease severity (27.50%). Although growth responses were not consistently significant, this treatment showed numerically higher plant height and root dry weight than the pathogen-only treatment. Conversely, treatments where Trichoderma was applied after or simultaneously with Cylindrocladium were less effective, highlighting the importance of timing in successful biocontrol. Although minor contamination was observed in the control treatment, the overall findings consistently demonstrated the suppressive effect of Trichoderma against black root rot. This study confirms that pre-application of Trichoderma enhances seedling resistance by colonizing the rhizosphere and reducing pathogen establishment, thereby promoting healthier growth. These results provide strong evidence that Trichoderma sp. can be integrated into nursery management practices as an eco-friendly and sustainable strategy for controlling black root rot in avocado seedlings.
