Terrestrial ecosystems support a high plant diversity where different plant types coexist. However, the mechanisms that support plant coexistence are not entirely clear. Savanna ecosystems that are nutrient and water limited are characterized by a unique ecological feature: the coexistence of trees and grasses. Tree-grass interactions in savannas a...
Bij biologische bestrijding van plagen ontstaat al snel een complex voedselweb met allerlei onderlinge interacties die effect hebben op het resultaat van de bestrijding. Het is belangrijk deze interacties te begrijpen om zo tot betere keuzes te komen bij het nemen van maatregelen tegen plagen. Verder vormt het de basis voor het ontwikkelen van nieu...
Functional-structural plant models (FSPMs) describe in quantitative terms the development over time of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of plants as governed by physiological processes and affected by environmental factors. FSPMs are particularly suited to analyse problems in which the spatial structure of the plant or its canopy is an essentia...
Striga hermonthica is a major biological constraint to cereal production in Africa. The intricate association between this phytoparasite and the cereal host makes management difficult. Damage to the host begins before Striga comes out of the soil. Also, infestation correlates negatively with soil fertility. Arbuscular mycorrrhizal (AM) fungi have a...
Striga hermonthica is a major biological constraint to cereal production inAfrica. The intricate association between this phytoparasite and the cereal host makes management difficult. Damage to the host begins before Striga comes out of the soil. Also, infestation correlates negatively with soil fertility. Arbuscular mycorrrhizal (AM) fungi have a ...
In agroforestry systems trees affect crops. This study aimed at understanding how trees grown in lines for pole production affect maize on an unfertilized, P-fixing Ferralsol, in the agricultural area of Western Kenya. I hypothesized that, because maize production was primarily limited by P-deficiency, trees would affect maize growth by effects on ...
Part I : Reflection on research methods in organic grassland and animal production at the Louis Bolk Institute, The NetherlandsKey words: organic agriculture, anthroposophy, methodology, research strategy, experiential science, multidisciplinary science, Goethean scienceThis dissertation focuses on the research question: what is peculiar to agricul...
Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the use of white clover (Trifolium repens) in grasslands, as a more sustainable alternative to fertiliser nitrogen inputs. However, mixtures of grasses and white clover have frequently been associated with unstable and hence unreliable herbage yields. The maintenance of a stable production from mixed gra...
