LEGATO annual conference: Rice ecosystem services in South-East Asian landscapes 19.03.2015

The international project LEGATO (Land-use intensity and Ecological Engineering - Assessment Tools for risks and Opportunities in irrigated rice based production systems) is organizing its 4th annual conference, entitled "Rice Ecosystem Services in South-East Asian Landscapes - a LEGATO conference" which lasts from 19-24 March 2015 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The conference will bring together experts from 21 research institutions from Germany, Vietnam, The Philippines, UK, Bulgaria and Spain to discuss and present state of the art of research, the main LEGATO results, and future research plans and ambitions. The main topics discussed will include: - evaluation of ecosystem functions and services based on project data - exploring various climate, land-use, and management conditions for sustainable rice ecosystem services - the relevance of biocontrol for pest management - silicon (Si) as a beneficial element for rice plants In a world facing the challenges of growing population and food deficit, there is a clear need for crop productivity increases. Optimising rice ecosystem functions and services in Southeast Asia and their stabilisation under future land use and climate change, is the main focus of LEGATO. "After 4 years of research within LEGATO we now have reached a stage of increasing integration, but especially also a stage of outreach of our results for application in South-East Asian rice landscapes, especially the contra-intuitive reduction of rice pest problems by avoiding the use of insecticdes." explains Prof Josef Settele, project co-ordinator.

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