Re: Excess Nitrogen Farming + NPN and pesticides links

Here are a few article about excess nitrogen.

Also some links can possibly be found between NPNs and pesticides.

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&num=50&q=excess+nitrogen+farming&start=50&sa=N

Will show a lot of articles about excess nitrogen in farming and the detrimental effects of Excess nitrogen to the environment.


http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/RiceDoctor/Fact_Sheets/DeficienciesToxiciti...

Nitrogen Excess

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Diagnostic summary

Effect on plants
* causes excessive growth
* plants become more attractive to insects and diseases
* reduces stem strength

Signs
* plants look overly green
* may be healthy, but also may be lodged
* may have thin stems
* may have increased disease or insects
* plants in patchy pattern across the field

Importance/Occurrence
* negative implications on the environment
* decrease farm profits
* it is used where fertilizers are relatively cheap and where farmers don’t understand the amount of nitrogen required relative to their yield goals
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http://eap.mcgill.ca/MagRack/SF/Summer%2088%20A.htm

ON-FARM RESEARCH REVEALS LINKS BETWEEN NITROGEN, INTERCROPS, WEEDS AND PESTS

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The theories of Chaboussou

A French plant pathologist, Chaboussou, maintains that heavy use of fertilizer-N and pesticides is the principal cause of pest problems in agriculture. Both upset the synchronization between uptake of nitrogen from the soil, and protein synthesis. This results in soluble organic nitrogen accumulating in plant tissues, which makes them more nutritious to pests. High levels of nitrogen fertilizer do it by overloading the system. Pesticides do it by subtle, sublethal effects on protein synthesis of non-target organisms, in this case, the crop. 2,4-D is a prime example. Several independent studies have shown 2,4-D to affect nitrogen metabolism of corn and to cause increases in pests including aphids, corn borer, brown spot and earwomm. Low potassium and deficiencies of copper also increase susceptability to pests by reducing protein synthesis. In chemically intensive farming, says Chaboussou, these factors act in consort to "sensitize" crops to diseases and animal pests.
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http://www.fgaia.org.br/texts/e-plea.html

A Plea for Agriculture Without Poisons

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Francis Chaboussou, a French biologist at the agricultural research centre (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) in Bordeaux conducted field and laboratory trials over many years and established that a plant's susceptibility or resistance to pests and diseases depends on the state of equilibrium of its metabolism. Only those plants with unbalanced nutrition are prone to attack, Chaboussou formulated the theory of TROPHOBIOSIS (nutrition theory). As far as I know this very important treatise has not yet found its way into the English language.

...

Chaboussou showed that agripoisons, even when declared "contact pesticides", always penetrate into the plant and do have an effect on its metabolism. It can be compared to sand in a gear. Even where the action is comparatively mild it can severely inhibit protein synthesis and lead to congestion of amino acids. Thus, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, nematicides, etc. can actually invite attack of pests and disease organisms.

...

Plants may often suffer from lack of certain trace elements even when these are abundantly present in the soil. This may be brought about by impoverishment of the soil fauna and flora through depletion of humus and is exacerbated by use of poisons. An example is that of chlorosis (an iron deficiency) in vineyards where the soil contains enough iron but where severe soil compaction by heavy machinery and/or the near complete disappearance of soil organisms prevents its uptake by the plant. The chemical industry offers iron chelates for spraying on the leaves. In this way disease is first encouraged, followed by the sale of a drug to cure it. Deficiency in trace elements also disturbs protein formation.

And what is the cause of excess amino acids in the cell? Massive application of nitrogen fertilisers, particularly ammonium salts, such as ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, diammonium phosphate, urea, and others forces overproduction of amino acids in the plant. Overfertilisation with chicken manure which is rich in urea, another ammonium compound has the same effect. Since the amino acids cannot all be used fast enough they accumulate.
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http://orgprints.org/12894/01/12894.pdf

Trophobiosis Theory: A Pest Starves on a Healthy Plant

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Pests shun healthy plants. Pesticides weaken plants. Weakened plants open the door to pests and disease. Hence pesticides precipitate pest attack and disease susceptibility, and thus they induce a cycle of further pesticide use.

This is the essence of Trophobiosis Theory, a thesis presented by Francis Chaboussou, an agronomist of the France’s National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), in “Healthy Crops: A New Agricultural Revolution”. After two decades, this important book is finally available in English.

...

Chaboussou’s alternative approach is to focus on the health of the crop. According to
Chaboussou “we need to overcome the idea of ‘a battle’; that is we must not try to
annihilate the parasite with toxins that have been shown to have harmful effects on the
plant, yielding the opposite effect to the one desired. We need, instead, to stimulate
resistance by dissuading the parasite from attacking. This implies a revolution in
attitude, followed by a complete change in the nature of research” (p. 209).
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http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Crops-New-Agricultural-Revolution/dp/1897766890

Healthy Crops: A New Agricultural Revolution


NitroNet http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7496036.stm


http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Describe_how_excess_nitrogen_from_agriculture_can_k...


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Excess nitrogen from agriculture means using the inorganic feritilizers. These fertilizers deposit the nitrogen into the soil and overtime the soil decomposes the nitrogen, converting it into gaseous nitrogen which is then returned to the air. This eventually creates a big acid cloud which will give birth to acid rain. Acid rain will fall in the waters containing fish and then kill them.
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WIEL