Dois Artigos Interessantes

Eu adicionei dois artigos muito interessantes para refletirmos a respeito dos rumos da nossa ciência. Baixem o artigo completo, leiam e reflitam...

Weed research: is it delivering what it should?

Abstract: "I believe the overall balance and current direction of much weed research is wrong, with too much emphasis on scientific impact at the expense of practical application. For example, despite considerable research effort, Integrated Weed Management has not been widely adopted by farmers. Weed research, as a whole, has delivered less than it should have done in recent years, because of lack of appreciation of the difficulty and costs involved in scaling up experimental results to be applicable at a realistic field scale in real farming systems. In addition, there is often a lack of awareness of the complexities and resources needed to translate research results into actions that farmers, who may be counted in their millions, are willing to adopt. What is needed is truly integrated research, across the whole spectrum from basic to applied, with all elements contributing to real improvements in weed management. It should never be forgotten that, however great the impact of a publication, it achieves nothing in terms of improving our ability to manage weeds until the results are used in practice. Effective technology transfer is essential. Weed research is an applied discipline, and the question needs to be asked repeatedly and critically, why study weeds?"

Which future for weed science?

Abstract: "Weed science is a discipline dealing with a serious biotic threat capable of causing heavy economic, environmental or aesthetic losses to society. In the past, we have been successful in providing efficient, relatively cheap and safe technologies to manage this threat in a variety of situations. We have been able to provide practical advice and options for the end-users based on a broad scientific knowledge. In order to continue this success, we need to anticipate the future and change faster than the world around us. Numerous opportunities are open to us. Weed science should enter the global climate change arena, getting involved in both mitigation (improving the carbon efficiency of agriculture and forestry) and adaptation (developing effective practices for the new crops, new production systems and the new weeds). We should find adequate answers to the new demands originating from the enlargement of farms and fields, the increased concern about the conservation of biodiversity and the growing consumer demands on food safety. We should look for new clients in nonagricultural sectors, offering them our proved expertise and know-how. We should try to exploit the new opportunities arising as a result of cross-fertilisation of weed science with other disciplines. At the same time, we need to be aware of some threats: the dominance of short-term commercial and political objectives in setting research agendas, the reduced R&D resources invested in the agrochemical industry in the development of new herbicides and the increasing publish or perish pressure in the public research sector."