plant insect News
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Air quality vote: MEPs declare war on dangerous dust
The car driving by you, the building site you walk past - these are just some of the things that pump dust into the air and into our lungs. This can cause breathing difficulties, illness and even premature death. Known as 'particulate matter' (PM), levels are rising. On Tuesday MEPs agreed binding targets on the level of particles by 2015, which will also oblige EU authorities to measure and ...
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Conservation efforts may be paying off for wild plants and insect pollinators
Since the 1990s, rates of biodiversity loss of wild plants and their insect pollinators have slowed down in north-west Europe, according to a recent study. It is likely that conservation activities, such as agri-environmental schemes, have contributed to this improving situation. The loss of wild species and habitats as a result of agricultural intensification and habitat destruction has ...
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Conservation efforts may be paying off for wild plants and insect pollinators
Since the 1990s, rates of biodiversity loss of wild plants and their insect pollinators have slowed down in north-west Europe, according to a recent study. It is likely that conservation activities, such as agri-environmental schemes, have contributed to this improving situation. The loss of wild species and habitats as a result of agricultural intensification and habitat destruction has ...
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Our Natural Europe: conservation stories show importance of local action
When fishermen in the Koster Sea in Southern Sweden understood the value of the ecosystems beneath the waves, they voluntarily agreed to change fishing practices. The area became Sweden’s first marine national park in 2006. The Swedish story is one of three new publications from Our Natural Europe, or ‘ONE’, a series of articles published by the European Environment Agency ...
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A Successful Breeding Approach to Improving a Nematode Biocontrol Agent
In a multi-year research project funded by the EU and the German Ministry of Education and Research (Biochance), our team has screened a collection of 50 wild type strains for longevity (field persistence and shelf life) and virulence against the invasive pest Western Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica v. virgifera). The collection was then genotyped to identify molecular markers (SNPs) associated with ...
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Cooler Weather Conditions, Late Planting, Impacts Insects on Crops
Rainy, cooler weather experienced recently throughout the region means slugs may be on the rise in some field crops, says an entomologist with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. The rains combined with colder temperatures are ideal slug weather, said Kelley Tilmon, a field crop entomologist with Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio ...
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Senators Stabenow, Peters Call for Coordinated Federal Response after Michigan Residents Receive Seeds from China
Today, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, called for a coordinated federal response to households in Michigan and across the country that received unsolicited packages of seeds in the mail. Foreign ...
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CSX, city year and Worcester tree initiative volunteers to plant 100 trees in park decimated by Beetles
Volunteers from CSX (NYSE: CSX), City Year and the Worcester Tree Initiative will plant 100 trees from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on June 11 at Dodge Park on Randolph Road, a site hit particularly hard by the Asian Longhorned Beetle. The event marks the third time the "Trees for Tracks" program, the railway's commitment to plant 21,000 trees, or one for every mile of track in its system, has come ...
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Gandomcar properties ordered to restore impacted section of Plum Creek (Douglas County, Colo.)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a compliance order to Jahanbin Gandomcar and Gandomcar Properties, LLC (Gandomcar), for violations of the Clean Water Act at Plum Creek near Louviers in Douglas County, Colorado. EPA alleges Gandomcar violated the Clean Water Act when dredged and fill materials were discharged into Plum Creek during the construction of an irrigation diversion ...
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Committee advises halt to Indian Bt crop trials
A technical expert committee, appointed by the Supreme Court of India to advise upon open field trials for genetically modified (GM) crops, has recommended a ten-year moratorium on all Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) food crop trials. Bt crops are GM plants that kill insects using a toxic protein from the Bt soil bacterium. Currently there is a moratorium in India on Bt brinjal (eggplant) — ...
By SciDev.Net
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Technology Network : Driving Innovation in Insect Farming
Insect farming is garnering increasing interest in the agri-food sector as the world looks to meet the growing demands for protein in a more sustainable manner. Just like with plant and livestock farming, insect breeding programs can significantly enhance yield and quality, helping the industry to scale. What benefits can insect protein offer? How are regulatory frameworks impacting innovation ...
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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 ...
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EPA Issues One-Year Registration for Soil Fumigant Iodomethane
EPA has approved a one-year registration of iodomethane (methyl iodide) under highly restrictive provisions governing its use. Iodomethane is an alternative to the ozone-depleting pesticide methyl bromide – reflecting the U.S. commitment to protecting the earth's ozone layer. The risk assessment process for iodomethane has been one of the most thorough analyses ever conducted on a new pesticide. ...
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Insect diversity improves crop pollination
The decline in numbers of wild bees has caused concern regarding falling levels of pollination for important agricultural crops. Researchers have now demonstrated that the diversity of the pollinator community can significantly affect pollination. Insect pollination is a vital ecosystem service; a large proportion of the human diet either directly or indirectly depends on animal-based ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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International seminar on Xylella fastidiosa - Conclusions
The seminar on Xylella fastidiosa organised by the International Olive Council (IOC) and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) from 28 to 30 November at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute in Bari (Italy), comprised seminars by international specialists, a field visit to the Lecce region and a round table to identify common measures. The purpose of the ...
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Insect feeding with Weda technology
Insect-based feeds now enjoy a very good reputation worldwide and are increasingly used as animal feed. This is due on the one hand to the high protein content; on the other hand to the efficient, sustainable production possibilities to meet the increasing demand. Moreover, the antioxidant ingredients and good taste of the feeds have been shown to promote animal health and welfare. Expertise ...
By Weda AB
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International seminar on Xylella fastidiosa
The International Olive Council (IOC) and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), under the Memorandum of Understanding signed in July 2016, have organised a seminar on Xylella fastidiosa¸ the bacterium which, since 2013, has been causing the death of hundreds of olive trees in the Italian region of Apulia, raising grave concerns among all olive ...
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Vegetable Workshop Series Offers Insight into Alternative Crops, Soil Health
Growing hops and barley crops is an increasingly popular way to generate additional income from the farm. But before growers decide to devote some acreage to these new crops, they need to understand the costs and labor involved in growing them. Allen Gahler, an Ohio State University Extension educator in Sandusky County, said that while there is a strong and growing market for hops and barley in ...
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