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Swede Midge, Contarinia Nasturtii (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Response To Brassica Oleracea In Simulated Intercropping Systems, Gemelle Laureen Brion

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Monoculture agriculture has developed as a result of the Western agricultural growth model, which emphasizes reduced on-farm labor and maximum yield. As a result soil health, which is reliant on a diversity of soil-dwelling organisms, is compromised, pest problems are intensified, and biodiversity is lost when vast land areas are devoted to simplified vegetation schemes. There has been a tremendous rise in interest in alternative cropping schemes. The traditional practice of intercropping has received renewed interest as the emphasis on agricultural growth shifts from a purely development-based model to one of conservation and enhanced biodiversity.

Although intercropping has shown promising …