Reducing the impact of sclerotinia disease by determining optimum crop rotations using dynamic programming

Bouda Vosough Ahmadi, Fiona J. Burnett, Caroline S. Young, Mark P. McQuilken and Alistair W. Stott

No 158689, 87th Annual Conference, April 8-10, 2013, Warwick University, Coventry, UK from Agricultural Economics Society

Abstract: Sclerotinia rot is a disease caused by the fungus Sclerotinina sclerotiorum which affects a wide range of crops and causes major yield and economic losses. Crop rotation is an important strategy for minimising losses. A dynamic programming (DP) model was developed to study the trade-offs between state of the land, severity of sclerotinia and financial impacts as a result of different cropping decisions. Results showed that rotation and treatment against sclerotinia was financially justified yet permitted intensive yet sustainable production of susceptible food crops in the long-run. Allocation of even a small proportion of cropping decisions to break crops coupled with treatments in the rotation mitigated long-term build-up of sclerotia in land. However in the short-run, high proportions and high frequencies of cropping decisions need to be either allocated to break crops or treated-susceptible crops in order to avoid the disease and to generate profit. Results showed that DP methodology provides a useful framework to explore the trade-offs between crop rotation and growing high value susceptible crops in the long- and short-term in relation to plant diseases in arable agriculture that are at the heart of sustainable food production and land use.

Keywords: Crop Production/Industries; Productivity Analysis; Risk and Uncertainty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 14
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aesc13:158689

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.158689

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