Assessment of insect occurrence in boreal forests based on satellite imagery and field measurements.

The presence/absence data of twenty-seven forest insect taxa (e.g. Retinia resinella, Formica spp., Pissodes spp., several scolytids) and recorded environmental variation were used to investigate the applicability of modelling insect occurrence based on satellite imagery. The sampling was based on 1800 sample plots (25 m by 25 m) placed along the sides of 30 equilateral triangles (side 1 km) in a fragmented forest area (approximately 100 km2) in Evo, S Finland. The triangles were overlaid on land use maps interpreted from satellite images (Landsat TM 30 m multispectral scanner imagery 1991) and digitized geological maps. Insect occurrence was explained using either environmental variables measured in the field or those interpreted from the land use and geological maps. The fit of logistic regression models varied between species, possibly because some species may be associated with the characteristics of single trees while other species with stand characteristics. The occurrence of certain insect species at least, especially those associated with Scots pine, could be relatively accurately assessed indirectly on the basis of satellite imagery and geological maps. Models based on both remotely sensed and geological data better predicted the distribution of forest insects except in the case of Xylechinus pilosus, Dryocoetes sp. and Trypodendron lineatum, where the differences were relatively small in favour of the models based on field measurements. The number of species was related to habitat compartment size and distance from the habitat edge calculated from the land use maps, but logistic regressions suggested that other environmental variables in general masked the effect of these variables in species occurrence at the present scale.

Physical mapping of the genomic DNA of the Oryctes rhinoceros baculovirus, KI

A non-occluded baculovirus, OBV-KI has been isolated from the insect pest, Oryctes rhinoceros. The viral genome is estimated to be 123 kb, with a G + C content of 43 mol% and no detectible methylated bases. A restriction map of the OBV-KI genome for BamHI, EcoRI, HindIII, PstI, SalI and XbaI has been constructed.

Kymmenen teollisesti merkittävän puulajin kuoriuutteiden mahdollisuudet tuholaistorjunnassa

Metsäteollisuudesta kertyy vuosittain suuria määriä ylijäämämateriaalia, kuten puun kuorta ja oksia.Ylimääräinen aines käytetään pääasiassa energiantuotantoon, mutta uusia soveltamismahdollisuuksia kaivataan. Kuoren on havaittu olevan potentiaalinen lähde monille bioaktiivisille yhdisteille, joille olisi käyttöä esimerkiksi lääke- ja kemianteollisuudessa sekä maa-, metsä- ja puutarhatuotannon tuholaistorjunnassa. Tutkimus on osa Euroopan Unionin rahoittamaa ForestSpeCs-projektia, jonka tarkoituksena on selvittää metsäteollisuuden ylijäämämateriaalien vaihtoehtoisia käyttötapoja. Valittujen kymmenen teollisesti merkittävän pohjoisen puulajin (Abies nephrolepis, Betula pendula, Larix decidua, L. gmelinii, L. sibirica, Picea abies, P. ajanensis, P. pumila, Pinus sylvestris, Populus tremula) kuoresta uutettujen aineiden soveltuvuutta syönninestoaineeksi testattiin kaaliperhosen (Pieris brassicae L.) ja krysanteemiyökkösen (Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval) toukilla sekä osittain sinappikuoriaisella (Phaedon cochloreae Fabricius) ja idänlehtikuoriaisella (Agelastica alni L.). Uutteet valmistettiin yhteistyössä projektin ryhmien avulla tai itsenäisesti erilaisin menetelmin. Testaukset tehtiin laboratorio-oloissa käyttäen lehtikiekkojen valintabiotestiä sekä karkeilla uutteilla että niistä erotelluilla yksittäisillä yhdisteillä. Tehdyistä mittauksista laskettiin syönninestoindeksit (FDI). Tulosten perusteella lähes kaikki testatut uutteet vaikuttivat ainakin jossain määrin kohdehyönteisen syöntikäyttäytymiseen. Hieman yli puolet kaaliperhosella testatuista 46 uutteesta aiheuttivat yli 50 % syönnineston eli kaaliperhonen suosi kontrollilehtiä uutteella käsiteltyjä todennäköisemmin. Krysanteemiyökkösellä yli 50 %:n syönnineston aiheuttivat vain seitsemän testatuista 56 uutteesta. Lisäksi kolme uutetta lisäsi käsiteltyjen kiekkojen syöntiä merkittävästi. Idänlehtikuoriaistoukat ja -aikuiset karttoivat erityisesti abietiinihapolla käsiteltyjä lehtiä. Sinappikuoriaisella testatut uutteet toimivat myös lupaavasti. Testattujen puulajien kuoresta on mahdollista uuttaa biologisesti aktiivisia yhdisteitä, mutta tuholaistorjunnan kannalta oikeiden pitoisuuksien ja tehokkaiden uuttomenetelmien löytäminen vaatii jatkotutkimuksia. Kuoren sisältämien yhdisteiden laatu ja määrä vaihtelevat monien tekijöiden, kuten ympäristön ja genetiikan vaikutuksesta. Hyönteisten sietokyky vaihtelee myös paljon lajeittain ja yksilöidenkin välillä on eroja. Uutteista valmistettavia torjunta-aineita olisi kuitenkin mahdollista sisällyttää esimerkiksi integroituun torjuntaan muiden menetelmien rinnalle tulevaisuudessa.

Climate change and crop yields in the Indian Cardamom Hills, 1978-2007 CE

In this study we analyzed climate and crop yields data from Indian cardamom hills for the period 1978-2007 to investigate whether there were significant changes in weather elements, and if such changes have had significant impact on the production of spices and plantation crops. Spatial and temporal variations in air temperatures (maximum and minimum), rainfall and relative humidity are evident across stations. The mean air temperature increased significantly during the last 30 years; the greatest increase and the largest significant upward trend was observed in the daily temperature. The highest increase in minimum temperature was registered for June (0.37A degrees C/18 years) at the Myladumpara station. December and January showed greater warming across the stations. Rainfall during the main monsoon months (June-September) showed a downward trend. Relative humidity showed increasing and decreasing trends, respectively, at the cardamom and tea growing tracts. The warming trend coupled with frequent wet and dry spells during the summer is likely to have a favorable effect on insect pests and disease causing organisms thereby pesticide consumption can go up both during excess rainfall and drought years. The incidence of many minor pest insects and disease pathogens has increased in the recent years of our study along with warming. Significant and slight increases in the yield of small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum M.) and coffee (Coffea arabica), respectively, were noticed in the recent years.; however the improvement of yield in tea (Thea sinensis) and black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) has not been seen in our analysis.

Anaerobic retting of banana and arecanut wastes in a plug flow digester for recovery of fiber, biogas and compost

Leaves and leaf sheath of banana and areca husk (Areca catechu) constitute an important component of urban solid waste (USW) in India which are difficult to degrade under normal windrow composting conditions. A successful method of anaerobic digestion built around the fermentation properties of these feedstock has been evolved which uses no moving parts, pretreatment or energy input while enabling recovery of four products: fiber, biogas, compost and pest repellent. An SRT of 27 d and 35 d was found to be optimum for fiber recovery for banana leaf and areca husk, respectively. Banana leaf showed a degradation pattern different from other leaves with slow pectin-1 degradation (80%) and 40% lignin removal in 27 d SRT. Areca husk however, showed a degradation pattern similar to other plant biomass. Mass recovery levels for banana leaf were fiber-20%, biogas-70% (400 ml/g TS) and compost-10%. For areca husk recovery was fiber-50%, biogas-45% (250 ml/g TS) and compost-5%. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficient Management of Fruit Pests by Pheromone Nanogels

Environment-friendly management of fruit flies involving pheromones is useful in reducing the undesirable pest populations responsible for decreasing the yield and the crop quality. A nanogel has been prepared from a pheromone, methyl eugenol (ME) using a low-molecular mass gelator. This was very stable at open ambient conditions and slowed down the evaporation of pheromone significantly. This enabled its easy handling and transportation without refrigeration, and reduction in the frequency of pheromone recharging in the orchard. Notably the involvement of the nano-gelled pheromone brought about an effective management of Bactrocera dorsalis, a prevalent harmful pest for a number of fruits including guava. Thus a simple, practical and low cost green chemical approach is developed that has a significant potential for crop protection, long lasting residual activity, excellent efficacy and favorable safety profiles. This makes the present invention well-suited for pest management in a variety of crops.

Isolation and characterization of biofumigant from leaves of Lantana camara for control of stored grain insect pests

Due to environmental concerns, health hazards to man and the evolution of resistance in insect pests, there have been constant efforts to discover newer insecticides both from natural sources and by chemical synthesis. Natural sources for novel molecules hold promise in view of their eco-friendly nature, selectivity and mammalian safety. We have isolated one natural bioactive molecule from the leaves of Lantana camara named Coumaran, based on various physical-chemical and spectroscopic techniques (IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR and MS). Coumaran is highly toxic and very low concentration is needed for control of stored product insects. This molecule has potent grain protectant potential and caused significant reduction in F1 progeny of all the three species in the treated grain and the progeny was completely suppressed at 30 mu g/l. The differences in germination between the control and treated grains were not significant. The lack of any adverse effect of Coumaran on the seed germination is highly desirable for a grain protectant, becoming a potential source of biofumigant for economical and environmentally friendly pest control strategies against stored grain pests during storage of grains or pulses. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor from Butea monosperma seed and its influence on developmental physiology of Helicoverpa armigera

A protease inhibitor from the seeds of Butea monosperma (BmPI) was purified, characterized and studied for its influence on developmental physiology of Helicover-pa armigera. BmPI on two-dimensional separations indicated the presence of a 14 kDa protein with an isoelectric point in the acidic region (pl 5.6). Multiple Sequence Analysis data suggested that the BmPI contains a sequence motif which is conserved in various trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors of Kunitz-type. The inhibitor exhibited trypsin inhibitory activity in a broad range of pH (4-10) and temperature (10-80 degrees C). The enzyme kinetic studies revealed BmPI as a competitive inhibitor with a K-i value of 1.2 x 10(-9) M. In vitro studies with BmPI indicated measurable inhibitory activity on total gut proteolytic enzymes of H. armigera (IC(50)2.0 mu g/ml) and bovine trypsin. BmPI supplemented artificial diet caused dose dependent mortality and reduction in growth and weight. The fertility and fecundity of H. armigera, declined whereas the larval-pupal duration of the insect life cycle extended. These detrimental effects on H. armigera suggest the usefulness of BmPl in insect pest management of food crops. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Population Dynamics of Cyrtobagous salviniae on Common Salvinia in South Florida

Common salvinia (Salvinia minima Baker) is an exotic floating fern that has been in the U.S. from at least 1928(Small 1931). Its pest status in Florida is less clear perhaps due to the presence of the specialized herbivore Cyrtobagous salviniae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Our objective was to sample populations of adult C. salviniae in south Florida in order to assess temporal abundance and estimate density on common salvinia. (PDF has 4 pages.)

Review of World literature on Water Chestnut with implications for management in North America

Water chestnut (Trapa natans L.,sensu lato) is an annual, floating-leaved aquatic plant of temperate and tropical freshwater wetlands, rivers, lakes, ponds, and estuaries. Native to Eurasia and Africa, water chestnut has been widely gathered for its large nutritious seed since the Neolithic and is cultivated for food in Asia. Water chestnut is now a species of conservation concern in Europe and Russia. Introduced to the northeastern United States in the mid-1800s, the spread of water chestnut as a nuisance weed was apparently favored by cultural eutrophication. Water chestnut is considered a pest in the U.S. because it forms extensive, dense beds in lakes, rivers, and freshwater-tidal habitats.

Surface Expression and Subunit Specific Control of Steady Protein Levels by the Kv7.2 Helix A-B Linker

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Homestead fish pond and the environment in Nigeria

Homestead fish culture is a recent innovation for mass production of fish at backyard in Nigeria. The processes of pond construction often have resulted in soil disturbances, vegetation losses, and creation of new aquatic environment. The paper discusses homestead ponds in Nigeria, their potential impact on the environment which includes erosion, over flooding, pest and disease, accident risk, undesired fossil fuel production, vegetation destruction and fish genetic conservation, strategies for environmental management in relation to pond construction are suggested

Integrating fish and azolla into rice-duck farming in Asia

Several countries in Asia practice integrated rice-duck farming. On-farm resources such as duck manure and feed waste are not adequately used and recycled in the system. This indicates the potential for research to increase the productivity of the rice-duck system. The integration of fish and the nitrogen-fixing aquatic fern azolla show promise for increasing the production potential of the system. Fish, azolla and ducks integrated with rice farming can result in nutrient enhancement, pest control, feed supplementation and biological control. Some of the results of a case study on integrated rice-fish-azolla-duck farming systems conducted in the Philippines are presented in this paper.

水稻RAD21/REC8家族基因的分离与功能分析

染色体黏着是有丝分裂和减数分裂的关键事件，是保证姊妹（或同源）染色体正确分离并分配到子细胞中的关键调控环节之一，它建立于细胞分裂前的S期将新复制的姊妹染色体紧密联系在一起。来自酵母的研究结果已经证明姊妹染色体之间的黏着是由多亚基的蛋白质复合体－黏着素所介导的。在芽殖酵母有丝分裂中，黏着素由Scc1，Scc3，Smc1和Smc3四个亚基组成。减数分裂黏着素的组成与有丝分裂中的相似，只是Scc1被其减数分裂特异的Rec8变体所替换。目前，已经从高等真核生物线虫，果蝇，人，鼠以及拟南芥中分离到了黏着素相关的基因，但是对于这些基因在高等真核生物特别是植物细胞分裂中的功能还知之甚少。即使在酵母中人们对于减数分裂和有丝分裂过程中有关染色体黏着与分离的许多基本问题仍然不清楚，而且许多现象表明减数分裂的详细机制在各种生物中存在重大差异。 我们通过同源克隆的方法证明水稻（和拟南芥）基因组编码4个RAD21/REC8-like基因。这4个基因均以单拷贝存在，在核苷酸水平上没有相似性。它们所编码的蛋白质的相似性主要局限于其N-末端结构域和C-末端结构域。这4个蛋白质的中间区域没有（或者仅有极低的）相似性，但是中间区域都含有潜在的核定位信号，PEST序列，分离酶的识别序列以及多个磷酸化位点。 半定量RT-PCR，原位杂交以及Western杂交结果显示这4个基因都在生殖器官中优势表达，但是它们在花发育过程中的表达动态是不同的。OsRAD21-1和OsRAD21-3都在减数分裂时期的颖花中表达量最高，但是OsRAD21-3还在成熟花粉中高表达;OsRAD21-4在减数分裂前的颖花中表达量最高;OsRAD21-2则在雌雄蕊形成时期表达最强，之后逐渐降低。这些结果暗示这4个基因的功能可能是不同的。 免疫荧光定位分析表明，OsRad21-1和OsRad21-3 特异地定位于有丝分裂的染色体上，其分布动态表明这两个蛋白可能都参与了有丝分裂姊妹染色体之间的黏着。由于水稻四个RAD21/REC8类基因中，只有OsRAD21-3在花粉发育过程中表达，同时水稻花粉的发育成熟要经过两次有丝分裂，推测OsRad21-3蛋白可能参与这两次有丝分裂过程姊妹染色体之间的黏着。OsRad21-4则特异地定位于减数分裂前间期到中期Ⅰ的染色体上，说明它可能特异地介导减数分裂过程姊妹染色体之间的黏着。与其它已知的Rad21/Rec8-like蛋白不同，不论在有丝分裂还是在减数分裂过程中，OsRad21-2蛋白都不定位于染色体上而是特异地定位在核仁中，并且它的动态变化与核仁重建和解体的动态规律在时间上也是相一致的，这说明OsRad21-2是一种新的核仁蛋白质而与染色体的黏着无关。 OsRAD21-4 RNAi转基因水稻植株的花粉活性受到严重影响，种子结实率降低。雄性减数分裂过程中染色体出现多种异常行为：前期Ⅰ染色体异常凝集;同源染色体提早分离;染色体出现片断化。进一步的FISH实验结果证明RNAi株系中同源染色体配对和姊妹染色体臂的黏着均发生异常。因此，OsRad21-4是酵母Rec8的同源蛋白，是正确的减数分裂所必需的。 与表达分析和功能分析所得的结果相一致，进化树分析可以将Rad21/Rec8-like蛋白质分为三个亚家族：（1）Rad21亚家族，参与有丝分裂姊妹染色体黏着;（2）Rec8亚家族，参与减数分裂染色体黏着;（3）Rno亚家族，目前仅发现于高等植物中，是一种核仁蛋白质而与其它的Rad21/Rec8-like蛋白的功能不同，可能不参与染色体之间的黏着。