EESB16H3 Study Guide - Magnaporthe Grisea, Guardians Of The Universe
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Reading 8: wolfe, crop strength through diversity y. In conventional farming, single varieties of crop plants are grown alone. The presence of several varieties provides a physical barrier to the spread of fungal spores. Stability of yields from variety mixtures over different environments results partly from combined restriction of biotic and abiotic stresses. y mixture approach is not common due to uncertainty about the quality of the product of the mixtures. Mixtures are said to be unpredictable in terms of quality and ease of harvesting. But this can be overcome by harvesting with hand. y mixtures also improve product quality by combining complementary characters and y providing stability. It is widely recognized that the high yielding mixtures of grains and legumes (grass plus clover, maize plus beans etc) can restrict spread of diseases, pests and weeds. It can also provide near complete nutrition for animals and humans alike.