<Dl> <Dd> "Plants are faced with a dilemma; while they need to attract beneficial pollinators and seed dispensers, they must also minimize the damage caused by the marauding army of herbivores . Without some form of protection the trees would be stripped bare and smaller plants would be completely devastated, and because plants stand still, they cannot run away . This is as true in Amazonian rainforest as it is in Northern coniferous forest ." - Marcus Wischik . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> "Plants are faced with a dilemma; while they need to attract beneficial pollinators and seed dispensers, they must also minimize the damage caused by the marauding army of herbivores . Without some form of protection the trees would be stripped bare and smaller plants would be completely devastated, and because plants stand still, they cannot run away . This is as true in Amazonian rainforest as it is in Northern coniferous forest ." - Marcus Wischik . </Dd> <P> Many (tropical) plants use toxins to protect themselves . Cassava, one of the most important tropical food crops, produces cyanide upon ingestion unless processed to remove / reduce the cyanide content . Other plants are high in oxalates (the agent that binds calcium to form kidney stones); castor beans are the source of ricin, one of the most powerful poisons in existence; and velvet beans contain 3.1 - 6.1% L - DOPA, which can be toxic in large quantities . The list of toxic plants is long, but toxicity does not always mean a particular plant should be avoided, the knowledge needed to render toxic plants safe to use already exists in most communities . </P> <P> The contents of a bag of commercial fertilizer is described in terms of NPK - nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K); with nitrogen being the main component of most commercial fertilizers . </P>

Which type of agriculture is suitable for high land area of equatorial region