Materi Kuliah Ekologi Tanaman Lanjut Fakultas Pertanian UGM

1. Effects of Plant Cultivation on
Biodiversity
 Management of Crop Rotations
 Use of Allelopathy
 Cropping Systems
 Soil Tillage
 Cultivation of Genetically Modified
Plants
 Precision Farming

2. Management of Crop Rotations
Crop rotation is a practice which benefit almost
every component in an agroecosystem:
- Providing chances for different plants to grow
and produce
- Giving medium (soils, water) a period of change,
different plant may affect the medium differently
- The more varied the system, the closer to the
homeostatic equilibrium condition
- A closer condition to h.e. means no biotic
component will predominate the system

3. Management of Crop Rotations
Although the selection of crops depends mainly
on the ecological requirements, there are still
many crop choices available
- Which one is more eco-friendly, large tracts of
monoculture farming or a patchy but more
diversified land?
- Consider: homeyard garden, “surjan” system,
“huma” system

4. Use of Allelopathy
 Certain plants emit chemicals into their
surrounding to win the resources from their
‘competitors’ and to ward off herbivores
 The chemicals the plants use to compete are
allelopath, the ones use to tame herbivore are
kairomones
 These chemicals evolute into the plants’ arsenal
to ensure their survival
 For a farming system, they may pose both
positive and negative consequences.

5. Cropping Systems
 Large monocultural land is almost always a rule
in farming-for-profit scheme
 Sustainable and organic cropping system
started to be redeveloped in the last 20 – 25
years
 Its economic benefit is also began to
accumulate, as the renewed system reap higher
market price
 The more important benefit is toward the
environment. What started to be a eco-
movement has spread to become an atitude

6. Soil Tillage
 The management of farming/planting medium
(ie soil) is always thought as tantamount to the
cultural practices itself
 This thought might result in the chemical
intensive soil enrichment, which unfortunately
too one-sided
 Most soil management prepare the land for a
monocultural planting
 Must consider alternatives up to ‘no till
farming’, taking eco-conditions and
sustainability into account

7. Cultivation of Genetically Modified
Plants
 GMPs, as part of GMOs, are still a source of
controversial debate
 A more objective and knowledgeable
perspective is needed, particularly opinion
without political and vested interest biases
 What is your opinion on this issue? Will it help
or hinder crop and/or plant diversity?
Answer this in a review article at least four page long with journal
format. This will be an assignment for your mid-exam from me.
Consult profesional journal to adopt the right format. The due date
is November 15, 2011.

8. Precision Farming
 Will this be the farming of the future?
 Precision farming involve characteristics such
as high technology instrumentation, less labor
intensive, product/market oriented, seeing
components as only part of the whole, little
attention to natural process (if any)
 In what way should precision farming benefit
the environment and humanity as a
ecosphere?