Alternative Control Methods Research Articles

Infestation rate and cardinal directional preference of pistachio twig borer [Kermania pistaciella Amsel. (Lepidoptera: Tineidae)

BackgroundPistachio twig borer [Kermania pistaciella Amsel, 1964 (Lepidoptera: Tineidae)] is one of the most important pests of pistachio that opens galleries in the shoots and causes blind and sparse-grained clusters and all these damage fruit clusters. However, the infestation rates and cardinal direction preference are unknown for the pest. MethodsThis study determined infestation rate and cardinal direction preference of K. pistaciella in pistachio orchards during 2019 and 2020. The orchards located in in 25 different locations, i.e., Birecik, Bozova, Ceylanpınar, Eyyübiye, Halfeti, Haliliye, Hilvan and Karaköprü districts Şanlıurfa province Turkey. Surveys were carried out in three or four orchards representing each district included in the study. Twenty-five trees were randomly selected from each orchard and one shoot from each side of the tree was collected (100 shoots per orchard) for determining infestation and cardinal directional preference. A total 2500 shoots were observed from the study area and infestation was recorded. ResultsThe highest infestation rate was recorded for Yaslıca village in Bozova district (70%) during 2019, and Göklü village of Halfeti and Akziyaret village in Karaköprü district (29%) during 2020. The lowest infestation rate (2%) was noted for Akrepli village of Ceylanpınar district during both years of the study. Bozova and Halfeti were the most infested districts compared to the rest of the districts included in the study. The highest and the lowest infestation rate was recorded for north and west directions, respectively during both years of study. The average of two years data revealed that infestation rate for the shoots collected from the north direction was 23.68%, while it 20.33% for the shoots collected form west direction. Statistical analysis revealed non-significant difference for infestation rates of the shoots collected from different directions (χ2 = 0,9468; p = 0,8141). ConclusionThe results revealed that all tree directions should be considered for the application of management practices since the pest does not prefer a specific direction. The cost of chemical control is high, but the efficacy is low, which necessitates alternative control methods for the management of the pest.

Early Postoperative Opioid Requirement Is Associated With Later Pain Control Needs After Supratentorial Craniotomies.

Despite a renewed focus in recent years on pain management in the inpatient hospital setting, postoperative pain after elective craniotomy remains under investigated. This study aims to identify which perioperative factors associate most strongly with postoperative pain and opioid medication requirements after inpatient craniotomy. Using an existing dataset, we selected a restricted cohort of patients who underwent elective craniotomy surgery requiring an inpatient postoperative stay during a 7-year period at our institution (n=1832). We examined pain scores and opioid medication usage and analyzed the relative contribution of specific perioperative risk factors to postoperative pain and opioid medication intake (morphine milligram equivalents). Postoperative pain was found to be highest on postoperative day 1 and decreased thereafter (up to day 5). Factors associated with greater postoperative opioid medication requirement were preoperative opioid medication use, duration of anesthesia, degree of pain in the preoperative setting, and patient age. Notably, the most significant factor associated with a higher postoperative pain score and Morphine milligram equivalents requirement was the time elapsed between the end of general anesthesia and a patient's first intravenous opioid medication. Postcraniotomy patients are at higher risk for requiring opioid pain medications if they have a history of preoperative opioid use, are of younger age, or undergo a longer surgery. Moreover, early requirement of intravenous opioid medications in the postoperative period should alert treating physicians that a patient's pain may require additional or alternative methods of pain control than routinely administered, to avoid over-reliance on opioid medications.

Phytotoxic Effects of Acetic Acid and d-limonene on Four Aquatic Plants

Herbicides that are labeled for aquatic use are often the foundation of aquatic vegetation management programs in the United States because many of these products, which are registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are effective, selective, and relatively inexpensive. Resource managers are interested in reducing the use of synthetic herbicides and are considering alternative methods for aquatic weed control. We evaluated the effects of acetic acid and d-limonene on growth of the invasive small floating species feathered mosquitofern (Azolla pinnata) and common salvinia (Salvinia minima), as well as on the native emergent wetland plants cattail (Typha latifolia) and gulf coast spikerush (Eleocharis cellulosa). Acetic acid and d-limonene (alone and in combination) were applied once as foliar treatments to healthy plants, which were grown for 8 weeks after treatment to allow for development of phytotoxicity symptoms. All experiments also included diquat dibromide at three concentrations as “industry-standard” treatments for comparison. A 0.22% concentration of diquat dibromide eliminated all vegetation of all species. Most single-product treatments provided good control of invasive feathered mosquitofern with acceptable levels of damage to native gulf coast spikerush, but only 15% and 20% d-limonene treatments were effective on invasive common salvinia and selective for native cattail. Some combinations of acetic acid and d-limonene provided acceptable control of both floating weeds and selectivity for gulf coast spikerush, but all mixes caused unacceptable levels of damage to cattail. Treating these small floating weeds with acetic acid and d-limonene instead of diquat dibromide would increase material costs by 15- to 27-fold. Although these natural products may be useful in some areas where synthetic herbicides are discouraged, they are unlikely to be affordable options for most resource managers.

Single-row exclusion nets: an alternative pest control method with no detectable impact on breeding bird assemblages in orchards bordered by hedgerows

Agricultural intensification has led to dramatic declines in bird populations. In particular, the acknowledged role of synthetic pesticides on direct bird intoxication or food resource depletion urges us to seek alternative crop protection methods. Pest exclusion netting systems have recently gained popularity among fruit growers as an efficient means of reducing pest attacks, allowing their transition to organic farming. Single-row exclusion nets, which only cover fruit trees and leave uncovered both the inter-row grassy strips and the hedges, are increasingly being used in apple orchards of Southern Europe. However, net-induced effects on wildlife remain unknown. This study is the first to assess the impacts of single-row exclusion nets on breeding bird communities. We hypothesized that the exclusion net effects would be weaker than those associated with synthetic pesticide use, except for bird species that forage in the tree canopy. We monitored breeding bird abundance, and species richness in 46 commercial apple orchards managed using integrated pest management (IPM) or organic standards with or without exclusion nets. We counted 705 birds belonging to 32 different species. Total bird abundance, the number of observed species, and the Chao1 estimate of species richness were influenced by orchard management strategy. Breeding bird assemblages in organic orchards were as numerous and diverse in both the presence and absence of exclusion nets. In contrast, both bird abundance and species richness were significantly decreased in IPM orchards. The abundance and species richness of bird assemblages and the abundance of a few individual species also increased with the number of hedgerows bordering the orchards. Our results demonstrate that single-row netting systems for organic farming represent an effective pest control strategy with no significant impact on bird communities and highlight the importance of hedgerows along the orchards’ edges.

Practical meliponiculture: use of trap boxes to control Tracuá Carpenter ants (Camponotus atriceps Smith, 1858), an important natural enemy

This study aimed to observe the attractiveness efficiency of trap boxes installed in collective shelters of stingless bee colonies (Melipona flavolineata, Melipona fasciculata and Scaptotrigona aff. depilis), as an alternative method for non-chemical control of tracuá carpenter ants (Camponotus atriceps). The study was conducted at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, in Belém, Pará, Brazil, from March to August 2015. The results showed that the efficiency of this technique depended on the presence of bee colonies and on the bee species in the collective shelter. Overall, an efficiency of 40.6% was found in the capture of C. atriceps individuals, which rose to 75% considering only collective shelters of M. fasciculata colonies, and to 87.5% for collective shelters of M. flavolineata. Trap boxes installed in collective shelters of S. depilis did not attract any C. atriceps group or individuals. The use of trap boxes in collective shelters of stingless bee colonies of the genus Melipona (M. flavolineata and M. fasciculata) is an efficient alternative method of non-chemical control of tracuá carpenter ants (C. atriceps).

In vitro and in vivo nematicidal activity of prodigiosin against the plant-parasitic nematode Nacobbus celatus

ABSTRACT Among the natural antagonistic microorganisms of plant-parasitic nematodes are rhizobacteria of the genus Serratia. Some species can produce a red pigment known as prodigiosin, which has shown to be antagonistic to different organisms. We analysed the nematicidal potential of this metabolite obtained from a Serratia marcescens strain on the nematode, Nacobbus celatus. In the first experiment, mortality of second-stage juveniles (J2) from two Argentine populations (Río Cuarto and Santa María from Córdoba and Catamarca provinces, respectively) was estimated at different concentrations of the metabolite at 24 and 48 h in vitro. Based on the percentages obtained, lethal doses 50 (LD50) and 90 (LD90) were determined. LD50 for Río Cuarto and Santa María was 12.4 and 13.2 μg/mL, respectively, whereas LD90 was 24.9 μg/mL for both populations. In the second experiment, both LDs were applied in the soil and at 12 days after inoculation, J2 that had penetrated tomato roots were counted. The application of prodigiosin to the soil reduced nematode root invasion by 59% (LD50) and 83% (LD90) with respect to control. Our in vivo results also evidence the efficacy of the compound in the soil at very low concentrations. The pigment reveals, for the first time, to be an alternative method for biological control of N. celatus.

Behavioural alterations in female Aedes aegypti mosquito in response to entomopathogenic fungal infections.

Due to the rapid rise in arboviral disease cases, there is a need for alternative methods of vector control since fast growing insecticides resistance is a matter of great concern. Recent studies have shown the potential of entomopathogenic fungi in controlling mosquito vectors, but behavioural responses of the mosquitoes encountering with entomopathogenic fungi are still unclear. In this study, behavioural responses induced by the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin in adult female Aedes aegypti mosquito were evaluated. The survival of female mosquitoes was significantly reduced after exposure to medium and high concentrations of fungal conidia. A significant increase in frequencies and durations of different self-grooming types was observed in mosquitoes exposed to medium or high concentrations of fungal conidia. Mosquitoes were able to differentiate between active and inactive fungal conidia as application of inactive conidia showed non-significant effect on survival and self-grooming parameters. A concentration-specific reduction in flight locomotor activity of the female mosquitoes was found after fungal treatments. Fungal-exposed mosquitoes showed significantly higher antifungal activity 72 h post-application. These findings provide greater understanding of behavioural responses of the mosquitoes to resist fungal infections and suggest that mosquitoes can remove the lower amounts of fungal conidia through self-grooming behaviour, which they encounter within natural field conditions.

Evidence based disease control methods in potato production: a systematic map protocol

BackgroundSeveral challenges, e.g. global trade, population growth, and climate change create future challenges for food production and food safety. In order to meet this, we need to secure and increase agricultural production with minimal environmental impact. Potato (Solanum tuberosum) ranks as one of the world’s most important crops for human consumption. While potato production and consumption have decreased in Europe and North America, global production has grown in the last decades due to the expansion of potato consumption in Asia. Potato is vulnerable to a wide range of pathogenic organisms, all of which can cause severe quality and yield losses. As a consequence, potato production is highly reliant on pesticide use, and this has a negative effect on the sustainability of the crop. To mitigate these problems, effective and evidence based crop protection recommendations need to be provided to growers.Methods and outputThe overarching aim of this project is to support the development of better methods of integrated pest management (IPM), as well as to identify alternative control methods for potato diseases to contribute to effective plant protection solutions and a more sustainable potato production. The specific objective of this systematic map is to provide a worldwide overview of plant disease protection measures available for potato production. All methods to control diseases within different cropping systems will be considered, such as pesticide application, biological control methods, resistant cultivars as well as disease support systems and tools for diagnosis. The systematic map will be presented as a searchable database where the volume and main characteristics of the relevant scientific literature will be described. We will identify evidence clusters and knowledge gaps in potato disease management and identify future research areas, and in this way contribute to new and innovative solutions. The map will provide important information and support for researchers and stakeholders, in particular authorities and advisory organizations. It will also help to select topics for future systematic reviews and meta-studies within potato research.

Effect of Mulch Type and Depth on Rooting of Stem Cuttings and Weed Control in Containers

Weeds are a major problem in cutting propagation and compete with the main crop for water, sunlight, and nutrients, thus reducing growth and marketable quality of rooted cuttings. Due to the high labor cost of hand weeding, mulches can be an alternative method for weed control in the propagation environment. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of mulches (coarse vermiculite, rice hulls, paper pellets, and pine pellets) on rooting of stem cuttings and weed control when applied at 0.5- and 1-inch depths. Cuttings of three plant species [‘Nanho Blue’ butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii), ‘Catawba’ crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), ‘Phantom’ hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)] were stuck in 2.5-inch-diameter containers filled with pine bark substrate and treated with mulch. In a separate study, seeds of four weed species [creeping woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata), hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta), large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), mulberry weed (Fatoua villosa)] were sown onto the mulch surface. Rooting percentage was unaffected by mulch type or depth for any of the three crop species (‘Nanho Blue’ butterfly bush, ‘Catawba’ crape myrtle, ‘Phantom’ hydrangea). Pine pellets did not affect root dry weight of any crop species, but root length and volume of ‘Catawba’ crape myrtle was reduced by pine pellets at 1-inch depth. Rice hulls slightly reduced the root length and volume of ‘Catawba’ crape myrtle, but the reduction was less than 50%. Pine pellets and paper pellets (both depths) reduced growth of all four weed species. Even though weed seeds germinated in pine and paper pellets, seedlings did not grow large enough to potentially affect crop rooting. In conclusion, pine pellets and paper pellets at 0.5-inch depth can be effective in suppressing weed populations with minimal effect on rooting.

Identification of Bacteria Obtained From Dactylorhiza urvilleana Rizoid Region, Metal Tolerances, Bioremidant Characteristics and Effects on Zea mays Germination in Copper Presence

Rapidly increasing industrialization and technological developments cause hazardous wastes to spread to the environment at a high rate. When heavy metal accumulation in water and soil reaches undesirable levels, it causes universal health problems to occur and threaten societies. For this reason, there is a need for alternative biological control methods and biological resources to prevent heavy metal pollution, especially in soils used for agriculture. 
 In our study, three bacterial (112O1, 5O1, 5O8) strains isolated from the rhizoid region of the orchid plant (Dactyloriza urvilleana) were characterized by conventional and molecular methods (nuclear 16S rDNA intragenic gene regions sequence analysis). In order to characterize the isolates, primarily macroscopic, microscopic, some biochemical and physical properties were determined. The usability of the strains screened for their general properties as bioremediation strains, in the prevention of high copper accumulation in agricultural soils was investigated. For this purpose, especially metal tolerance levels and plant growth promoting properties were examined in the laboratory environment.
 With traditional and molecular studies, two of the strains were defined as species level (Bacillus mycoides, B. popilliae) and one at genus level. It was determined that all strains were tolerant to the tested metal salts (Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb and Ag salts in the 1-10 mM range) except 5O1 Ag, and 112O1 Zn salt. The highest copper tolerance was observed in 5O1, 112O1 and 5O8 strains, respectively. The strains were determined that the copper MIC values were 12.5-25 and the MBC value was 50 mM / L. It gave good results in terms of properties such as IAA, ACC Deaminase, phosphate solubility that stimulate plant growth. When the germination success of corn seeds in the presence of copper was examined, it was concluded that positive results were obtained, there was no significant difference between strains and therefore strains could be used in copper bioremediation.

Features of the organization and classification of virtual reality interfaces

The subject of the study is the features of the organization of virtual reality interfaces. The author examines in detail such aspects of the topic as user involvement in the virtual environment, various ways and scenarios of user interaction with virtual reality, user security in the virtual environment, as well as such a phenomenon as cyberbullying and ways to prevent it. The study also considers the use of voice control as an alternative to manual. Particular attention in this study is paid to the classification of virtual reality interfaces, among which sensory interfaces, interfaces based on user motor skills, sensorimotor interfaces, interfaces for modeling and developing virtual reality are distinguished and considered in detail. The main conclusion of the study is that the virtual reality interface should be designed taking into account the ergonomics of users to prevent muscle fatigue and cyber-pain. In addition, it is very important to ensure the user's safety when designing virtual environment interfaces: using the virtual reality interface should not lead to injury to the user. To create an ergonomic and secure virtual reality interface, a combination of different types of interfaces is often required, through which the user can access an alternative control method or improved navigation. A special contribution of the author to the study of the topic is the description of the classification of virtual reality interfaces.

Dose–response screening of industrial hemp to herbicides commonly used in corn and soybean

AbstractRecent legalization of industrial hemp in the United States has led to increased interest among stakeholders to produce hemp for grain and fiber. However, owing to the lack of herbicides registered for use in hemp, producers are left with limited weed management strategies. Moreover, much of the agricultural land that could be used to cultivate industrial hemp may be prone to carryover of previously applied residual herbicides or physical drift from herbicides sprayed nearby. Industrial hemp sensitivity to herbicides is not well documented. Dose–response studies were conducted under controlled conditions in Madison, WI, screening two industrial hemp grain cultivars for tolerance to 44 preemergence and postemergence herbicides commonly used in corn and soybean. Treatments consisted of herbicides applied at 0×, 0.125×, 0.25×, 0.50×, 0.75×, 1×, 2×, and 4× the recommended maximum labeled rates based on soil type. Preemergence applications were delivered immediately after planting, whereas postemergence applications took place when hemp plants reached 5 to 10 cm in height. Nontreated plants served as the control and were used to estimate percent biomass reduction; dose–response curves were generated. Biomass reduction was >50% for rates under the suggested label rate for 23 preemergence and 21 postemergence herbicides tested. All herbicides tested resulted in >25% biomass reduction at the 0.125× rate, except for clopyralid applied preemergence and postemergence and saflufenacil applied preemergence. This is concerning, as the label rates are determined for effective weed control and the mitigation of herbicide resistance. Overall, these results indicate that industrial hemp is very sensitive to most herbicides tested. Growers should consider herbicide use history and surrounding crops when determining industrial hemp field selection to prevent significant plant injury due to herbicide carryover and drift. Further research into alternative methods of weed control will be vital to establishing hemp as a dominant crop once again.

Essential oils of oregano and cinnamon as an alternative method for control of gray mold disease of table grapes caused by Botrytis cinerea

Essential oils of oregano and cinnamon as an alternative method for control of gray mold disease of table grapes caused by Botrytis cinerea

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) supplementation does not reduce trapping ability of Duddingtonia flagrans in faeces of Haemonchus contortus infected lambs

Infection with gastro-intestinal nematodes (GIN) seriously impairs productivity and health of grazing animals. Due to the considerable rise in anthelmintic resistance and the increasing popularity of organic farming, alternative control strategies will replace or complement traditional anthelmintics. The efficacy of two potential alternatives (i) feeding the tanniferous forage heather (Calluna vulgaris) and (ii) the nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans (isolate FiBL-DF-P14), was tested in a feeding experiment with lambs artificially infected with Haemonchus contortus. Animals received hay supplemented with heather or with a late cut hay (ecohay) as a control feed ad libitum for three weeks. Two doses (1 × 105 and 5 × 104 chlsp/kg LW) of D. flagrans chlamydospores (chlsp) were administered to animals of each roughage treatment and H. contortus larval recovery from faecal cultures was compared with an untreated control (6 animals per D. flagrans-heather combination). Protein, crude fiber and energy contents of ecohay and heather were similar but heather contained approximately twice more fat, four times more lignin and ten times more of all condensed tannin fractions. Heather contained 17.3 mg Proanthocyanidin per g dry matter (DM) while contents of ecohay were 1.7 mg/g DM. Daily average feed intake across both treatments was 1.5 kg DM/animal/day, of which heather/ecohay intake accounted for 0.17/0.19 kg. Overall, there was no significant effect of heather on faecal egg counts (FEC). There was a tendency for a significant interaction between feed supplement and time and a significantly (p = 0.030) lower FEC of nominally 1799 EPG in the heather treatment at the end of the heather feeding period compared with the ecohay treatment. Lambs in this study consumed less heather than grazing sheep in other studies, even though condensed tannin contents were comparably low. Heather supplementation did not affect larval recovery in faecal cultures and trapping ability of D. flagrans. As compared with the untreated control, both doses of D. flagrans reduced larval recovery by 96.2 % and 95.5 %, respectively (p < 0.001), with no significant difference between the doses. The isolate FiBL-DF-P14 was at least as effective as isolates tested in other studies and achieved over 95 % reduction at a low dosage of 5 × 104 chlsp/kg LW. In conclusion, our results confirm the potential of and indicate no negative interactions between both alternative GIN control methods.

Chemical characterization and insecticidal effect of &lt;i&gt;Moringa oleifera&lt;/i&gt; L. seeds extracts on common bean weevil (&lt;i&gt;Acanthoscelides obtectus&lt;/i&gt; Say)

Some insects cause high losses of the common bean during storage, namely, &lt;i&gt;Acanthoscelides obtectus&lt;/i&gt; Say. Chemical insecticides are commonly used to control insects, but their overuse adversely affects the environment and consumers' health. There is, therefore, the need for an alternative control method. This study was aimed to evaluate the chemical characterization and insecticidal property of &lt;i&gt;Moringa oleifera&lt;/i&gt; seed extract on the developmental stages of &lt;i&gt;A. obtectus&lt;/i&gt; in stored beans. Three types of &lt;i&gt;M. oleifera&lt;/i&gt; seed extracts, namely methanol, ethanol and acetone extracts, were used at doses of 12.5, 25 and 50 µl/ml each. HPLC-MS was used to characterize these extracts. The toxicity of extracts against the adults, the number of eggs and the viability rate of laid or emerged eggs of &lt;i&gt;A. obtectus&lt;/i&gt; were evaluated. The results show that &lt;i&gt;M. oleifera&lt;/i&gt; seed extract is rich in Hesperidin, Quinic acid, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, 4-OH benzoic acid, cynaroside, isoquercitrin, cosmosiin, quercitrin, luteolin, naringenin, salicylic acid, Apigenin and Fumaric acid. The acetone extract, from day 2, showed a 100% mortality rate in all doses compared to about only 14% in the control treatment. The number of eggs laid in control (236.67) was higher than the null (0) in acetone treatment at 50 µl/ml. M. oleifera seed extracts contain chemical molecules. They significantly reduced the damage caused by &lt;i&gt;A. obtectus&lt;/i&gt; on stored &lt;i&gt;P. vulgaris&lt;/i&gt; grains. Therefore, they can be used as an alternative to chemicals for the protection of stored foodstuffs.

A Detection Assay to Identify Alternative Food Sources of the Two-Spotted Stink Bug, Bathycoelia distincta (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

The two-spotted stink bug, Bathycoelia distincta Distant (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a serious pest in South African macadamia orchards. This pest is predominantly controlled using insecticides, thus alternative control methods are essential. The stink bugs arrive as adults in the orchards, during the early nut set season, but little is known about their alternative plant hosts before their arrival. The aim of this study was to develop a PCR-based metabarcoding assay to identify plant material in the gut of B. distincta. Thereafter, the persistence of plant DNA in the gut, after switching food sources, was determined by rearing the stink bugs on Zea mays L. (Cyperales: Poaceae), transferring them to Macadamia sp. and then collecting insects at different time points. As a proof of concept, the assay was tested on insects collected from commercial macadamia orchards to determine if it can identify alternative food sources. The chloroplast gene markers, trnL and trnF, were most successful for plant DNA amplification. The time trial suggested that plant material can be detected 24 h after switching to the alternate food source and one of the samples still contained Z. mays DNA after five days. Various plant species were detected from the orchard collected samples, including known food sources of other stink bugs, such as tea plants (Camellia sinensis L. (Ericales:Theaceae)) and sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L. (Asterales: Asteraceae)). This study provides the first indication of potential alternative food sources of B. distincta. The assay developed in this study can now be implemented for large-scale field surveys to contribute to future integrated pest management strategies.

Activity patterns and behavior of Myocastor coypus in a gated community in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Abstract Anthropization processes confront local wildlife with a new set of conditions that may lead to local extinctions or allow the expansion of some species. This is what happens with the coypu (Myocastor coypus) in gated communities in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires (Argentina), where its rapid population growth results in continuous conflicts with the local inhabitants. The aim of this study was to document the daily and seasonal activity patterns and behavior of the coypu in an urban landscape within their natural distribution range. To achieve this, we conducted a camera-trap survey within areas occupied by the species from February to November 2018. The coypu activity was mainly crepuscular and nocturnal with variations between seasons. We found that the seasons with the greatest activity patterns overlap were winter and autumn (84%), while the least overlap was observed between summer and winter (53%). During the active periods, time spent on foraging behavior was dominant. Time dedicated to vigilance was greater in summer than in winter. This result, alongside an increase in nocturnal activity during summer, shows that coypu in this urban landscape shift its behavior when exposed to an increasing human activity. This study brings up more ecological data of this species, which is key to find alternative control methods within gated communities to lead to a harmonic relationship between inhabitants and the species in its native distribution.

Antibacterial, anti-biofilm, and anti-virulence potential of tea tree oil against leaf blight pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae instigates disease suppression.

Bacterial leaf blight (BLB) disease, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), causes major annual economic losses around the world. Inorganic copper compounds and antibiotics are conventionally used to control BLB disease. They often cause environmental pollution, contributing to adverse effects on human health. Therefore, research is now leading to the search for alternative control methods. Tea tree oil (TTO) is obtained from a traditional medicinal plant, Melaleuca alternifolia, with antibacterial properties. In this study, we found that TTO showed antibacterial activity against Xoo with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 18mg/ml. These antagonistic activities were not limited only to planktonic cells, as further studies have shown that TTO effectively eradicated sessile cells of Xoo in both initial and mature biofilms. Furthermore, it was also observed that TTO reduced various key virulence properties of Xoo, such as swimming, swarming motility, and the production of extracellular polymeric substances, xanthomonadin, and exoenzymes. TTO triggered ROS generation with cell membrane damage as an antibacterial mode of action against Xoo. The in silico study revealed that 1,8-cineole of TTO was effectively bound to two essential proteins, phosphoglucomutase and peptide deformylase, responsible for the synthesis of EPS and bacterial survival, respectively. These antibacterial and anti-virulence activities of TTO against Xoo were further confirmed by an ex vivo virulence assay where TTO significantly reduced the lesion length caused by Xoo on rice leaves. All these data concluded that TTO could be a safe, environment-friendly alternative approach for the comprehensive management of BLB disease.

Ecolabeling to Improve Product Quality and Reduce Environmental Impact: A Choice Experiment With Vegetable Farmers in Thailand

The overuse of agricultural pesticides creates high costs to ecosystems and human health. One important reason for overuse is that markets in lower-income countries do not sufficiently differentiate agricultural produce based on quality aspects, making it difficult for consumers to select safe produce. Ecolabeling is a voluntary method of certification to gain consumer trust by differentiating produce based on environmental impact. Most studies have looked at consumer preferences for ecolabels, but the preferences of producers to adopt such labels have received much less attention. This paper aims to explore farmers' choice preference for ecolabels, safe pest management methods, human health, and the environment using a choice experiment. We sampled 303 vegetable farmers from three peri-urban provinces of Bangkok, Thailand, namely Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Pathum Thani provinces. Attributes of pest management methods and outcomes included farm ecosystems, human health, ecolabels, market opportunities, training in integrated pest management, and additional farm cost. A mixed logit model was employed to quantify the effect of each attribute on farmers' preference and marginal willingness to pay for each attribute. The data show high levels of pesticide use in vegetable production as farmers try to protect their investment from a wide range of pests and diseases. Alternative control methods are not widely available and are used in an ad-hoc manner to complement pesticides rather than substitute them. Farmers' willingness to pay for an ecolabel was 222 US$/ha/crop. However, ecolabeling had a lower priority than most other attributes. We conclude that there is a need to promote alternative pest management practices alongside ecolabels to reduce the environmental impact of vegetable farming in peri-urban areas in Thailand.

Would you harm a fly?

The Green Revolution has greatly changed agricultural production methods. Agriculture has become more specialized and intensive, and the use of phytopharmaceutical products, including insecticides, has intensified. However, these are harmful to the environment and human health. At the same time, globalization has led to the introduction of alien species (called invasive), whose establishment in Europe has been facilitated by the abundance of nutritive resources and the absence of natural enemies. These observations are particularly true with Drosophila suzukii. This fly is now considered as the main fruit pest in the world. Thus, it is becoming urgent to find alternative control methods to insecticides to counter the economic damage caused by this new pest. However, the development of an integrated pest management approach requires an excellent understanding of the biology and ecology of the species. In this paper, we first present the state of knowledge on the life cycle, host plants and phenology of D. suzukii. The current geographical distribution and the history of invasion of this pest are detailed, before estimating the extent of the economic losses caused. In a second part, the known alternative control methods against D. suzukii are listed: cultural practices, post-harvest treatments, sterile insect releases, uses of natural enemies and behavioral manipulations (visual and olfactory). Finally, in a third part, we will see how these methods can be combined to improve the control of this pest.