Bats (चमगादड़) - a forgotten aid to agriculture?
Bats (चमगादड़) - a forgotten aid to agriculture?
Bats often receive bad press. Considered pests and the carriers of disease almost half of the 1000 known species of bats are considered threatened or near threatened. However, their role in agriculture is often overlooked. Many species are highly beneficial as pollinators, seed dispersers and insect controllers. Important tropical plants such as bananas, bread fruits,mangoes, cashews, dates and figs rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal, and inthe United States a single colony of 150 big brown bats can protect crops from 18 million or more root worms each summer.
Guano is prized by organic farmers and gardeners for its properties as a plant fertilizer, soil builder, soil cleanser, fungicide, nematicide and compost activator. Guano contains about 10 percent nitrogen, 3 percent phosphorous and 1 percent potassium, together with all the minor trace elements necessary for a plant’s overall health. Bats are highly threatened by a range of problems including habitat loss, conflict with humans and pesticide use. Although the link between bat population decline and agricultural land management has not been clearly demonstrated, organic agriculture can play an important role in bat conservation by providing habitat and food sources while at the same time benefiting from the services that these often forgotten mammals provide.
Friends, how did you like this article, you will definitely tell in the comment section and thank you for visiting our website continuously to get such articles.
Post a Comment