In this morning’s oral presentations on Agronomic Practices, Wolfgang Pfingst opened the session with his study on the cultivation, processing and marketing of the endangered orchid species Dendrobium chrysotoxum in China. Their honey-flavored flowers are a high priced neglected non-timber food product that could bring additional income to farmers. By selling them through the channel of a local Chinese enterprise, the demand on the European market could be met. Camilo Lesmes Fabian designed a new model for dermal and inhalation exposure assessment of pesticide application in Colombia since existing models being developed in Europe are not applicable for the Colombian conditions. His dynamic model includes working tasks, environmental compartments, protection and exposure concentrations. Ali Mokhtassi-Bidgoli’s study took place within the wheat production project in Iran in order to develop a crop production system that minimizes energy input. In short, most of the energy use comes from non-renewable energy. Kibet Ngetich compared three different ethnic groups in the Mau Escarpment, Kenya for their adoption of organic farming in crop production. Concluding, there’s an urgent need for ethnically focused approaches of introducing organic farming.

Improving Soil Zinc Biovailability in Response to Crop Residues and Wheat Zn Efficient Genotype – Vajiheh Dorostkar Zinc is an important nutrient in the human diet. It is also an important plant micronutrient. Approximately, 50% of land under cereal cultivation is deficient in zinc. These lands are generally located in arid areas. In Iran, where the study was conducted, around 80% of the cultivated land is zinc deficient. Most crop residues are burned or grazed by animals, but residues balance pH, produce organic matter, and improve C:N, etc. As a result, these residues can be used to improve zinc bioavailability in the soil. Crop residues and wheat cultivars were studied to examine their contribution to soil zinc bioavailability in the soil. Sunflower, clover, bean, sorghum and safflower were used in study. The study showed that the use of crop residues from all of the crops have the potential to enhance the zinc bioavailability in arid Iranian agricultural systems. Vajiheh Dorostka gives her presentation on zinc bioavailability and crop residues in Iran Consequences of Sequential Leaf Harvest on Root Yield and N Export of Two Cassava Cultivars in South-central Cameroon – Jelle Willem Duindam