entomology News
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Integral Consulting Scientist Authors Article on Aquatic Effects of Genetically Engineered Corn in Agroecosystems
Dr. Peter Jensen of Integral Consulting is the lead author of “Exposure and Nontarget Effects of Transgenic Bt Corn Debris in Streams,” which was published in the April 2010 issue of the peer-reviewed journal, Environmental Entomology. The article describes laboratory and field studies that were undertaken to evaluate the risk of plant incorporated pesticidal proteins to nontarget ...
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Citrus industry establishes new reference group to guide scientific investment
A newly established specialist reference group, comprising a range of scientific experts, will provide advice on future research and development projects to advance Australia's citrus industry. Established under Horticulture Australia Limited's (HAL) constitution, the five member reference group will provide direct advice on R&D project proposals being presented to the citrus Industry ...
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Agricultural Industry Veteran Toni Bucci Joins the AgBiome Innovations Team
Research Triangle Park, NC (October 16, 2018) -- AgBiome Innovations, the commercial arm of AgBiome bringing innovative plant protection solutions to market, is pleased to announce today that Toni Bucci has joined the team in the role of Chief Operating Officer. Toni joins AgBiome Innovations after spending 23 years at BASF where she was most recently Director of Procurement, Performance ...
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The problem expands for avocado growers: 9 beetle species carry deadly fungus
Many people love their avocados – not to mention guacamole dip. So it was bad enough when scientists said a beetle was ravaging avocado trees in South Florida. Then scientists found out that the redbay ambrosia beetle — originally determined to transmit laurel wilt — is rare in avocado groves but that six other beetle species could carry the laurel wilt pathogen. That’s ...
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UF/IFAS Study Finds Simple Solution to Monitoring Major Berry Pest
Using a yeast-sugar-water mixture, berry growers can easily keep tabs on a pest that causes millions in damage each year in the U.S., a new University of Florida study shows. Farmers can conduct a test to determine if the spotted wing drosophila is in their field – and if so, how prevalent. They punch holes near the upper rim of a covered plastic cup and pour in a yeast-sugar-water mix to ...
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A day in the entomology lab: Beetles
Did you know that the average American eats 124 lbs of potatoes a year, that the potato was the first vegetable to be grown in space, and Vincent van Gogh painted four still-life canvases devoted entirely to the potato!? It’s true and protecting potatoes, which are grown in all 50 states in the U.S., is one thing AgBiome is striving to do. Part of AgBiome’s vision is to have the ...
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Repellant could keep dangerous beetles away from avocado trees
Using some pleasant-smelling chemicals, avocado growers may soon be able to repel beetles that inject a potentially deadly fungus into their trees, saving fruit and money, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers say. When they’re infected with the laurel wilt fungus, redbay trees – a close cousin to the avocado — emit methyl salicylate to ...
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EPA Awards Over $49,000 to the LSU AgCenter to Document Expansion of the Invasive Mexican Rice Borer
The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, known as the LSU AgCenter, $49,956 to develop an electronic reporting and mapping system to document the expansion of the invasive Mexican rice borer. The project will advance the adoption of integrated pest management tactics for the Mexican rice borer in Louisiana by tracking the movement of the ...
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When biofuels and biosecurity meet
“New agricultural non-food crops, especially those developed to meet the growing demand for biofuels and other renewable industrial needs in the 21st Century, will have to meet triple bottom line – people, planet, profit – criteria,” says CSIRO Entomology’s Dr Andy Sheppard. “Sustainable management of pests in new crops and minimisation of any invasive threats these crops pose to the environment ...
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UF/IFAS researchers scramble to find cure for tenacious, costly sugarcane virus
Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are working to find a cure or develop resistant varieties for a virus that is attacking sugarcane and sorghum throughout the Everglades agricultural region. Florida produces more than 50 percent of all sugarcane in the United States, making it the largest producer in the nation. The sugarcane yellow leaf virus ...
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Impact of climate on mountain ecosystems under scrutiny
A four-year project aimed at addressing the lack of knowledge about the impacts of climate change on food security, livelihoods and economic prosperity in mountain ecosystems has been launched in East Africa. The project, Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services and Food Security in Eastern Africa (CHIESA) will be coordinated by the Nairobi-based International Centre of Insect Physiology ...
By SciDev.Net
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UF/IFAS imaging system can detect citrus greening before symptoms show
A time-lapse polarized imaging system may help citrus growers detect greening before the plant’s leaves show symptoms, which should help growers as they try to fend off the deadly disease, a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows. For the new study, Won Suk “Daniel” Lee and Alireza Pourreza wanted to know how early citrus leaves with ...
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Fruit fly outbreak cost growers $4.1 million; could have been much worse
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences economists estimate the Oriental fruit fly outbreak last year caused at least $4.1 million in direct crop damages in Miami-Dade County, but the damage could have been far worse, UF/IFAS researchers say. In the new report, UF/IFAS researchers and the chief economist for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, ...
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AgEagle Aerial Systems and The ArcView Group to Co-Host Hemp Town Hall Virtual Event on March 4, 2021
AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE American: UAVS) (“AgEagle” or the “Company”), an industry leading drone solutions provider, and The Arcview Group jointly announced that the companies will be co-hosting a virtual town hall event, titled “State Regulators Look at the Future of U.S. Hemp,” on Thursday, March 4, 2021 beginning at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Webinar ...
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Microscopic molecules can fight citrus greening bug with less insecticides
Researchers with the University of Florida and several other institutions have found a way in laboratory tests to use 200 times less insecticide and yet still kill as many insects that carry the devastating citrus greening bacterium. It is a step forward in ridding groves of the insect that is threatening to destroy Florida’s $10.7 billion citrus industry. Lukasz Stelinski, an associate ...
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Nitrogen fertiliser `could prevent locust swarms`
A surprising finding promises a cheap and environmentally friendly way of controlling locust swarms, a major plague that devastates crops around the world. Land erosion caused by heavy livestock grazing promotes locust swarms by lowering the nitrogen content in plants that locusts feed on, according to a study published in Science today (27 January). Conversely, the study also found that ...
By SciDev.Net
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Insect farming aims to end food insecurity in Laos
What is the best way to raise and cook crickets, mealworms, palm weevils and weaver ants? A research and demonstration site in Laos aims to find out, as part of a push to provide food security in the country. Laotian farmers will be taught how to rear and process the insects, in the hope of turning a food source that is largely foraged into one that is farmed instead. Food insecurity is ...
By SciDev.Net
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App ‘trained’ to spot crop disease, alert farmers
Researchers win grant to further test app for smallholders App diagnoses deadly cassava diseases in field, sends alerts Roll-out in Africa needs engagement with farmers, says expert A team of scientists has received US$100,000 grant to refine a mobile application (app) that uses artificial intelligence to diagnose crop diseases, and aims to help millions of African ...
By SciDev.Net
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Ohio State Agronomists Offer Free Webinars for Corn, Soybean and Wheat Growers
Growers wanting to learn more about managing herbicides, fungicides and resistance, corn yield optimization, corn seed treatments and high-input soybean production can take advantage of a series of free webinars taught by agronomists from Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The webinars offer participants insight into some of the ...
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Growing Better Bee Habitats
General Mills investing in pollinator habitats, research SOURCE: General Mills DESCRIPTION: General Mills’ work to help honey bees is growing, thanks to $50,000 in grants from The General Mills Foundation to Conservation Marketplace of Minnesota. Conservation Marketplace of Minnesota has identified and awarded grants to 10 farms to establish bee-friendly habitats in rural areas of Minnesota. ...
By 3BL Media
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