Weeds, Diseases and Pests, the Headaches of Our Agriculture
The objective of this article is to present the backgrounds and the biological, bio-chemical, agronomic, economic, and ecological principles of agriculture centered on living organisms. By seeking to go beyond the divides between conventional/organic, tillage/no-till, this presentation also casts a critical eye on the most common agricultural systems and how they affect crops, the environment, and the plant/soil ecosystem.
The balance and health of the soil also determine both the pressure of weeds and that of diseases and pests on our crops. These are the puzzles now at the heart of our agronomic concerns. Our visions, attitudes, and fears towards these "troublemakers" have become the guiding threads of our agriculture. We struggle to realize that these "nuisances" as well as the lack of resistance of our soils and crops to drought and torrential rains are symptoms, warning lights, red flags trying to draw our attention to flaws in our agricultural models and practices.
Instead of seeking to understand and eliminate their causes, we have opted for a sophisticated and costly arsenal of tools and chemical products to combat them, without realizing that this arsenal weakens our crops and decimates soil life, particularly the microorganisms which, in symbiosis with plants, are essential links in Life on Earth and sustainable agriculture.
Weeds, often called "bad herbs," not only signal imbalances but also try to help us rebuild degraded soils. They are pioneer plants which, generally rich in proteins, lipids, and mineral elements, have participated since time immemorial in transforming the parent rock into fertile soils. Their contributions have allowed the planet to be covered with a green mantle, to enrich the atmosphere with oxygen, and to moderate the climate.
Often nitrophilous, these plants have played an essential role in the development of arable land conducive to the good growth and health of our crops. Some call weeds the "nurses" or "doctors" of sick soils. For others, they are "bio-indicator" plants since they indicate imbalances at the soil level. However, these plants are not only bio-indicators but also our potential allies for regenerating impoverished soils.
Weeds, diseases, and pests are not specific to conventional agriculture, organic farming, or certain types of production. They concern everyone since every agricultural production starts from the disturbance of a natural environment and must seek to integrate as harmoniously as possible. Generally guided by criteria related to market demands, productivity, competitiveness, short-term goals, and immediate profitability, this task is anything but easy and often difficult to reconcile with the constraints imposed by Nature.
This other way of seeing the "troublemakers" of our fields, our crops, and our wallets is gaining more and more adherents and mobilizes farmers, scientists, advisors, and companies around the world. Attentive both to the obligations of productive and economic performance and to ecological and social consequences, the results of the pioneers of this movement are impressive:
- soils that gain in life, humus content, depth, and biological fertility,
- a process often reinforced by the introduction of livestock and/or agroforestry
- crops more resilient to diseases, pests and climatic hazards
- a decrease in weed pressure
- a decrease in the consumption of fertilizers and pesticides, often eliminated entirely
- greater autonomy and better profitability
- more freedom, less stress, and new perspectives for the farmer.
La technique est complémentaire des techniques suivantes
- Article derived from the document Wouldn't our agriculture be making life easy for weeds and pests? written by Ulrich Schreier in 2021
La version initiale de cet article a été rédigée par Ulrich Schreier.
