insect research News
-
European trees planted in China to identify potentially invasive species in our forests
Most of the exotic species which attack plants in Europe now come from Asia. INRA scientists, together with teams from the Academy of Sciences in Beijing and the Forestry University in Zhejiang have devised a new method for detecting potential invaders in their region of origin before they are introduced on another continent. European sentinel trees were planted in China for four years, and ...
-
Rising temperatures take their toll on rice pest
A warming climate and occasional extreme high temperature events in tropical countries are likely to limit both the survival and distribution of the brown planthopper, a pest that has devastated rice crops in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, according to UK researchers. The scientists, based at the University of Birmingham, measured the upper thermal thresholds that could be survived by ...
By SciDev.Net
-
Do agri-environmental schemes benefit insect pollinators?
Agri-environmental schemes (AES) do successfully enhance the number and variety of insect pollinators, research suggests. They are particularly effective when implemented in arable landscapes which also contain some semi-natural habitat. AES were introduced in Europe in the early 1990s in response to declining farmland biodiversity. However, evaluations of their efficacy for biodiversity ...
-
Crop pests ‘vastly underestimated’ warns study
The number of different pests plaguing crops in the developing world may be vastly underestimated, contributing to severely reduced harvests in some of the world’s most important food-producing nations, say researchers. About 200 pests and pathogens per country fly under the radar of researchers and policymakers in the developing world due to a lack of technical capacity to detect them, ...
By SciDev.Net
-
Oenosans lime fertilizer was specially developed for use in viticulture
How Oenosan benefits to the prosperity of winegrowers Oenosan is taken from the Greek word ‘Oinos’, which means wine. Indeed, this ingenious lime fertilizer was specially developed for use in viticulture. Moreover, this substance is certified organic in Belgium by Certisys BE-BIO 001 and is also allowed in Dutch organic farming (see Skal website). In ...
By Oenosan
-
Poor soil quality may reduce farmland bird population
Researchers have investigated the relationship between soil quality and the decline of yellow wagtail birds on arable farmland in the UK. The results suggest that reduced soil penetrability in particular affects the numbers and distribution of the species. Modern, intensive-farming methods can lead to changes in habitats with a loss in biodiversity, including farmland bird species. Degradation ...
-
Alfa Chemistry Offers Aldehyde-functionalized Pheromone for Pest Management and Insect Trace Tracking
Studies on pheromones are now gaining increasing popularity among scientists. On June 8, 2022, the US-based chemical supplier Alfa Chemistry announced that the company commenced offering aldehyde-functionalized pheromones for researchers worldwide. It should be noted that alcohol-functionalized pheromones, another type of pheromones released earlier this year, have been well-received and ...
-
Second Genome Announces Milestone Accomplished in Collaboration with Bayer, Demonstrating Broad Application of Company`s Machine Learning Platform to Identify Novel Proteins for the Development of Next-Generation Insect-Control Solutions
Second Genome, a biotechnology company that leverages its proprietary platform sg-4sight to discover and develop precision therapies and biomarkers from public and proprietary microbiome data, today announced it has achieved a milestone in its multi-year collaboration with Bayer to discover proteins for potential development of next-generation insect-control products. “We are pleased to ...
-
Global alliance to strengthen research–farmer links
An international alliance of research institutions will try to implement the results of agricultural research and to communicate findings to smallholder farmers in developing nations. The Association of International Research and Development Centres for Agriculture (AIRCA) was launched last month (30 October) at the Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development in Uruguay. ...
By SciDev.Net
-
Transgenic Corn Found to Damage Stream Ecosystems
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, October 11, 2007 (ENS) - A widely planted variety of genetically engineered corn has the potential to harm aquatic ecosystems, finds a new study by an Indiana University professor of environmental science and his colleagues. Pollen and other plant parts containing toxins from genetically engineered Bt corn are washing into streams near cornfields and harming a type of fly ...
-
An important biological discovery
It was by chance that Taro Saito, a research technician at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, found the mite that Vineland is currently studying as a potential breakthrough in biological control. Vineland’s research indicates that the mite could be a major asset for greenhouse growers in Canada and the U.S. The mite has a broader prey range than anything else currently in use. While ...
-
Bees in the city: urban environments could help support pollinators
Urban areas may support higher levels of bee diversity than expected, new research has shown. The UK-wide study compared three different habitat types — nature reserves, farmland, and urban areas — and found a higher number of different bee species in urban areas than farmland. However, the overall pollinator diversity, which included species of bees, flies, hoverflies and ...
-
Wired : For Insect Farming to Work, Scientists Need to Build a Better Bug
For Insect Farming to Work, Scientists Need to Build a Better BugFaster-growing, fatter critters could provide the protein needed to raise more climate-friendly livestock and pets. Christine Picard’s search for a better bug to feed the world starts with dead bodies. Well, not the corpses themselves, but the blow flies, flesh flies, and other squirmy, wriggly things that wing their way to ...
-
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
-
Edible insects inch one step closer
Farming insects on a large scale is no more of a biological or chemical hazard than other livestock farming, says a report by a European food safety body. The report, which looks at the potential of insects as food or animal feed, says the microbiological, chemical and environmental risks of insect farming are similar to those of other animal husbandry. But it warns that insect farming has not ...
By SciDev.Net
-
Plastic mulching reduces farmland bird numbers and diversity
Using plastic sheeting to encourage early growth of crops reduces the number and diversity of farmland birds, new research from Poland suggests. The study shows that this effect continues even after plastic has been removed. Plastic ‘mulching’ is the use of sheets of plastic to cover vegetables after sowing; this controls weeds and increases the soil temperature, allowing faster ...
-
Ohio State Greenhouse Management Workshop for Greenhouse Growers, Operators and Pesticide Applicators
New, better ways to control pests will be the focus of Ohio State University’s 2015 Greenhouse Management Workshop in January. Registration is now open, with a discount rate until Jan. 9. The workshop, which is for greenhouse growers, operators and pesticide applicators, takes place Jan. 22-23 in the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison ...
-
Plastic mulching reduces farmland bird numbers and diversity
Using plastic sheeting to encourage early growth of crops reduces the number and diversity of farmland birds, new research from Poland suggests. The study shows that this effect continues even after plastic has been removed. Plastic ‘mulching’ is the use of sheets of plastic to cover vegetables after sowing; this controls weeds and increases the soil temperature, allowing faster ...
-
Reducing the negative impacts of pesticides
Ensuring that pesticides do not endanger public health or the environment is a key objective of the European Commission. Due to spray-drift, the effects of pesticides are often observed outside of crop fields, where they affect non-target plants, fungi and insects as well as humans. New research discusses the effects of pesticides on non-target species and demonstrates that employment of “best ...
-
Loss of wild pollinators could substantially reduce soybean yields
Pollination by wild insects and honey bees improves soybean yield by 18%, new research has indicated. This equates to an extra 331.6 kg of seeds per hectare, boosting the value of the global crop by €12.74 billion. Encouraging insect pollination could therefore reduce the destruction of natural ecosystems to make way for soybean cultivation, the researchers say. The soybean is one of the ...
Need help finding the right suppliers? Try XPRT Sourcing. Let the XPRTs do the work for you