*7.3.4 Nitrogen insufficiency*

Organic mulching results in nitrogen deficit in the soil. They require nitrogen to decompose since they contain high structural carbohydrates such as lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose and reduced non-structural carbohydrates. As a result, they compete with the crop for nitrogen, lowering their C/N ratio. Though the accumulated nitrogen will be released to the soil after decomposition, the crop may suffered nitrogen deficiency at critical stages of plant growth, resulting in chlorosis.

#### **8. Water management for sustainable integrated pest management**

Integrated pest management is the method of controlling pests, especially insect pests that invade farmland [41]. Crop production on farmland becomes more vulnerable to pest invasion if it is not closely monitored, which can result in crop damage and significant financial loss for farmers. The objectives of integrated pest management can be classified into three categories.


However, the role of farmers and stakeholders in the management of crop production and agricultural farmland is imperative. The success of the control tactics must be measured using indicators based on monitoring of harmful and beneficial organisms, pesticide use, and their impact on the environment [41]. Greenhouse gas emissions as a result of pesticides and fertilizer application on agricultural land contribute largely to global warming potential [1]. The connection between measuring CO2 gas fluxes emission and pesticides applied through irrigation is critical in examining the impact of the chemical–water ratio applied to the soil rhizosphere and mineral nutrients available to the crop [42, 43].

Irrigation is an essential agricultural practice for food, pasture, and fiber production in semiarid and arid areas [42]. Fertigation allows flexibility in the application timing when injections can be made virtually any time during the season from the point of the seedling establishment until harvest. The intensive use of water in the irrigation system is inherent in the cumulative effect of the modeling concept of the irrigation system. The inclusive role of the model and pesticide application is important in an integrated pest management system. However, the use of water in a non-essential way may lead to a high pest in-breeding rate. Hence, there is a need to plan the amount of water pumped into the irrigation system and also calculate the relative drip chemigation used [42].

To ensure a sustainable integrated pest control system, the connecting pipes and the osmothermal capacity of the pipe used for surface irrigation must be regularly examined for an effective irrigation system. The internet of things (IoT) and big data collection are new advancements in the application of addressing irrigation system defects while also monitoring integrated pest management activities [42, 44]. Relative data used in IoT is the collection of previous crop performance and farm production activities. This will enable the farmer to predict the future production of the crop. A large amount of data must be collected to amuse the net profit on crop production.

The cost of controlling pests on farmland must be reduced and be effective to make it a success. Combining the relative evaluation of the integrated pest management innovation system and the new event on irrigation system on crop output is not excessively expensive as compared to the success it will bring to farmland. Pesticide application through fertigation is a common example of combining insect pest management with a drip irrigation system. As a result, there exist methods for managing crop water availability as well as applying chemical pesticides and liquid fertilizer efficiently for agricultural production management. Furthermore, the building of irrigation system components that suit the topography of the soil and planting pattern is critical for successful crop production.
