CAS/DAS In Integrated Crop Management

This introductory topic is divided in two parts:

1. A general introduction will include information about the CABI Academy learning platform, the organizations, tutors and participants that are involved in the course. One course unit is addressing students’ access to information through various University and CABI databases.
2. A technical introduction into Integrated Crop Management (ICM) will propose a conceptual framework and guidelines that are useful as a basis for ICM concept development and implementation.

The objective of this module is to introduce soil management principles and practices to reduce environmental degradation and enhance agricultural sustainability. A major emphasis is placed on soil conservation and methods for maintaining and improving soil organic matter and structure. Furthermore, soil management will be explored from a biological, chemical and physical perspective, emphasizing the complexities of soil and the need to design effective management practices that protect and enhance its beneficial properties.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to understand these principles and practices and to be able to develop a sustainable soil management plan.

Keywords: Soils: an introduction to chemical, biological and physical properties; Soil classification; Sustainable soil management & conservation; Soil management cases studies

The objective of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the strong link between fertilisation and many aspects highly relevant for ICM sur as growing a healthy crop, pest population development, soil biota and the general environment. In particular, detailed knowledge will be provided on essential nutrients for plant growth, as well as their interaction with soil factors and processes. Students will learn how to interpret soil analysis information and to determine the amount of fertiliser necessary for optimum yields and crop quality. Several crops will be explored in more detail to deepen the students’ understanding of the subject and also practical issues affecting fertiliser use will be considered such as fertiliser types, application methods and environmental factors.

Keywords: Nutrient soil fertility; Fertilizers; Factors that influence fertilizer amount; Principles of calculation of fertilizer amounts; Crop examples; Importance of balanced fertilization for IPM

The objective of this module is to introduce students to the importance of seed and planting material in ICM. It will provide a background to strategies for production of seed and planting material. In addition, it will introduce students to the importance and issues relating to seed quality and health. It will provide an insight into the complexity of factors to consider for varietal selection for seed and planting material. Furthermore, students will be introduced to local, national and international approaches of seed conservation and gain an understanding of seed certification and regulation at the national and international level.

Keywords: Introduction to the importance and role of seed & planting material; Crop improvement: from domestication to the green revolution; Acquiring new material: traditional to enhanced strategies; Case studies in breeding; New frontiers in plant breeding; Seed systems and seed quality; Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture: policy and conservation.

The aim of this topic is to enable trainees to use integrated pest management as a system to keep harmful vertebrates, arthropods, diseases and weeds below economic damage levels. This will consider (a) the ecology of crops, their harmful organisms and their natural enemies, (b) local conditions, (c) environmental, economic and social aspects, and (c) the international, national and local standards, regulations and compliance criteria. Trainees will be able to diagnose plant health problems, and to apply decision-making tools for choosing the best pest management options.

The agricultural sector is the largest water consumer worldwide and the available water resources are often used in an unsustainable way. The course discusses challenges in the context of the water-soil- agriculture nexus. Specifically, the following themes are discussed:

• Water consumption in agriculture
• Quality and quantity of water resources, including both surface and subsurface resources3.
• Sustainable water resources management and agriculture
• Irrigation techniques

The course will clearly illustrate the relevance of water resources in the context of agricultural production. Some easy yet powerful quantitative approaches will be learnt that will allow to estimate water consumption of current and upcoming agricultural projects, and anticipate sustainability issues related to water consumption and agriculture.

Keywords: Water balances, Groundwater, Surface water, Water supply, Sustainability, Irrigation

The objective of this topic is to understand the agronomic impacts including the effects on soil quality factors of crop rotation. With the analysis of other relevant issues like profitability and risk of crop diversification and rotation, or more practical issues like advantageous crop sequences and technical feasibility, students will become familiar with the various aspects of this very important tool applied in ICM and IPM systems. Based on the theoretical background, students will learn how to develop rotation schemes that are adapted to the local conditions, thereby reducing weed, pest and soil related problems as well as optimising the nutrient balance in the field. In addition, the module will give an overview about other cropping strategies including intercropping, strip-cropping, cover crops and green manure.

Keywords: Introduction; Agronomic impacts; Effects on soil; Profitability and risk; Meadows in the rotation; Planning crop rotations; Other cropping strategies