Uncultivated Areas Research Articles

Analysis of the Ecological Efficiency Increase of Urban Green Areas in Densely Populated Cities

The aim of this research is to provide a GIS model by which to evaluate the ecological benefits of increasing green spaces in dense cities. The research method consists of three stages. First, we apply a GIS-based model to assess the ecological efficiency of the existing urban green areas; then we select several dismissed open spaces to be regenerated by increasing green space; finally, we measure the impacts of these operations on the urban environment based on the increase in ecologically effective green area/inhabitant. We test this approach on the urban districts of the northern area of the municipality of Napoli (Italy). This area is characterized by a high population density and several abandoned/discarded open spaces which can be improved by planting operations as urban green spaces. The result of the study provides the ratio between the costs of the planting works carried out on uncultivated areas and the benefit in terms of ecological efficiency measured in square meters of ecologically efficient green surfaces per inhabitant. Our method can represent a useful tool to support planners in evaluating the ecological benefits of transforming open spaces into green spaces.

Excessive presence of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in the Drini River and their impact on the Kune-Vain lagoon ecosystem: how anthropization can affect biodiversity

In the western part of Albania there are various examples of lagoons and wetlands ecosystems; the object of this manuscript is addressing the environmental conditions of The Kune-Vain Lagoon, located in proximity of the city of Lezhë and south of the Drini River and its delta and providing suggestions about its preservation: it has been calculated that about 10 million m3 of polluted water are released, in many ways, every year into the Drini River. Because of its biodiversity this land has both national and international protection status. However, the flux of contaminants and pollutants derived from anthropic activities is strongly affecting this transitional body of water which is located at the interface of the river and the Adriatic Sea. Due to human activities, mobile aqueous species of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) have become an actual environmental issue because high levels of such chemical elements are linked to the eutrophication of the lagoon’s waters, causing the proliferation of invasive species (mostly microorganisms, plants and crustaceans). As mentioned above a very high quantity of N and P from anthropogenic sources can infiltrate the ecosystem in many ways, like from mining activity, liquid and solid wastes from the urban aera of Lezhë, from farms and livestock, from fires and more. But the main cause of this problem is associated with the use that people make with soils and lands: the increment of fallow uncultivated areas from abandoned agricultural sites contribute indeed to the surface runoff, erosion and subsequent transport of N and P chemical species to the actually cultivated territory in which cultivation and managements practices for forage and cereals are present; this leads to ulterior release of soil particles that are rich in N and P chemicals compounds into the aqueous phase of the land. A very big portion of those aforementioned particles have been and still are depositing in the main area of the Kune-Vain Lagoon. The Lagoon is part of the coastal area, thus it is very important for economy, industry and tourism and it also act as a ‘buffer zone’ between the sea and the agricultural areas because of its biological function as natural filter for nutrients overload through its characteristic vegetation. Nevertheless, the Kune-Vain lagoon waters show a clear tendency toward degradation and something must be done to prevent heavy ecological issues. It would be useful to constantly monitor the chemical composition and the state of the waters. Also, the employment of meanings of phytoremediation would represent a practical, cheap and environmental-friendly way to help the process of recovery toward better environmental conditions of the Kune-Vain Lagoon.

Mineralogical Composition of Some Iraqi Soil Samples

Twenty five soil samples were collected from various parts of uncultivated areas in Iraq including Rabe'a, Mosul, Hatra, Beygee, Balad, Radhwnaia, Abu Graib, Wasit, Anbar and Basrah. These samples were examined by XRD to determine the mineral constituents. Clay fractions were separated for clay mineralogy.
 The results showed that the clay minerals represent about 40% of the mineral constituents of the samples, dominated by montmorillonite, illite, palygorskite and chlorite having various proportions. The non-clay minerals are represented by calcite and dolomite which present as detrital grains and representing about 32% of the mineral constituents. Quartz comes with about 22% and feldspars with about 5%. The water-soluble salts in the soil samples varied according to the sampling location and represented about 0.3% on average, increasing from north to south. 
 The study showed the relation of the soil mineralogy with source rocks, and the most of the Iraqi soils are the results of erosion, weathering and transported by rivers. The authigenic minerals are locally precipitated from near-surface saline ground waters. 

ABOUT ONE ASPECT OF STATE SUPPORT FOR FARMS

Agriculture, despite the relative stabilization of recent years, is still the weakest link in the Georgian economy. This is evidenced by the country's low level of self-sufficiency in many types of agricultural products (for wheat - 22%, for corn – 74%, for vegetables – 61%, for meat - 51%) and its high dependence on imports. In the first 9 months of 2022 alone, the negative balance in foreign trade in agricultural and food products amounted to 385.8 million US dollars, which negatively affects both the macroeconomic state of the economy and the country's exchange rate. Due to the rise in prices for oil products on the world market, Georgia had to pay USD 440 million more in January-September 2022 compared to the corresponding period last year, of which only less than 1/5 was due to economic growth, and the rest “was a merit” of the rise in oil prices. The uncultivated land area remains too large (up to 60%), which, along with other reasons, is due to the rise in the cost of material resources for the production of agricultural products (mineral fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural machinery, fuel). Due to the virtual lack of domestically produced non-ferrous products, the government can only regulate the price of fuel for farmers through the regulation of taxes (excise, VAT). Many countries follow the practice of returning part or all of the cost of fuel to farmers involved in the implementation of government programs or orders. In some countries, the state fully (Sweden) or partially (USA, Germany, etc.) covers the cost of fuel used for agricultural work. In our opinion, it is most acceptable for Georgia to subsidize diesel fuel purchased for agricultural work by manipulating indirect taxes (excise, VAT), for which it is necessary to develop a transparent mechanism for its use. An appropriate law should be adopted by the Parliament of Georgia. Appropriate subsidies should be extended exclusively to farmers involved in the relevant state programs (orders), as well as to the production associations created by them - cooperatives. The excise tax on 1 kg of fuel in Georgia is currently 44 tetri, and on one liter of fuel, respectively, 36.7 tetri. At the same time, if the amount of excise tax per liter of fuel is a constant value, VAT, on the contrary, is a variable value and in each specific case an individual calculation is required. We consider it lawful that the subsidization was at least 1.50 lari per liter of diesel fuel. At prices for October 2022, one liter of diesel fuel costs 4.10 GEL. To cultivate 5 hectares of arable land, a farmer needs approximately 100 liters of fuel, i.e. fuel worth 410 GEL. By subsidizing 1 liter of fuel in the amount of 1.50 GEL, the farmer can save 150 GEL, buying 100 liters of fuel will cost only 260 GEL (= 410-150), i.e. more than 1/3. It seems that in order to reduce the cost of agricultural work, the same work should be carried out in other areas (plowing, milling, sowing ...), which are currently estimated at 1,200 lari per hectare of agricultural land. It seems that in the future the same attitude should be shown in relation not only to fuel, but also to all other types of means of production. For this, the starting point should be the average index of prices for agricultural products for one harvest year, and in this way the average index of price growth for the corresponding means of production is calculated. Both indices should be approved as the basis of price parity between agricultural products and the means for its production (the parity will show how much industrial output or services an agricultural commodity producer can receive per unit of output he produces). Thus, if the increase in prices for agricultural products is 5%, and for inputs for agricultural production - 10%, the difference between them - 5% (= 10% -5%) should be covered by the budget. Price parity should be established for such strategic products as marketable grain, meat, milk, fruits, citrus fruits and some others. Which provide the country's food security and the processing industry with raw materials. The adoption of the law "On the establishment and protection of price parity for goods and services necessary for the reproduction of agricultural products" will contribute to the growth of agricultural products and deepen the production specialization of agriculture, increase the efficiency of the agricultural sector, increase its share in the national economy, motivate life and work in the countryside , reduce the migration of people from rural areas to cities or abroad and, last but not least, reduce the current high dependence on imports in the food supply of the population of Georgia.

INFLUENCE OF WEED CONTROL AND MICROFERTILIZERS ON VEGETABLE YIELD

The article summarizes the results of research on the structure of weed agrocenosis of vegetable peas; controlling the level of its weeding by performing pre-emergence and post-emergence harrowing with medium toothed harrows; evaluation of the chemical method of protection of vegetable peas from weeds, which involved the introduction of 2 types of herbicides, which contained such active substances as S-metallochlor and Imazamox. Part of the study areas was treated with the microfertilizer Reacoma-chelate of boron + molybdenum with a rate of 1.0 l / ha before flowering peas. As a result of research, it was found that in the structure of weed agrocenosis of vegetable peas the share of monocotyledonous weeds averaged 71.4% in two years of research and, accordingly, dicotyledonous - 28.6%. But the air-dry mass of cereal weeds was much lower than that of deciduous weeds. The implementation of agronomic measures alone did not allow to keep the presence of weeds in crops below the level of economic damage throughout the growing season. Prior to harvesting, this variant accounted for 18 weeds / m2 of weed stalks. This agricultural measure reduced the level of their presence by 69.5% and 45.8% of air-dry weight compared to the control option. The application of a soil herbicide based on S-metallochlorine provided a reduction in the number of weeds in the month after spraying by 85.7% compared to the control version. Before harvesting vegetable peas, the number of weeds in the areas where the soil herbicide was applied was 11 pieces / m2, and the level of weeding decreased by 81.4% compared to the control variant. At the time of the second weed count, we found that the herbicide with the active ingredient Imazamox was 89.8% effective. Consecutive application of S-metallochlor and Imazamox with reduced consumption rates allowed to control the presence of weeds in agrophytocenoses throughout the growing season of vegetable peas. Weed mortality at the time of harvest in this variant averaged 89.8% over two years of research, and their above-ground air-dry mass was 95 g / m2. On average, in two years of our research, the yield of peas in the variants with the application of herbicides was 5.00-5,64 t / ha, which was 35.5-52.8% higher than in the control areas. The highest increase in pea yield was obtained with the successive application of S-metallochlor and Imazamox with reduced consumption rates. On the average for two years of researches it made 1.95 t / hectare. Before flowering of vegetables, the application of micro-fertilizer Reacom-chelate of boron + molybdenum with a consumption rate of 1.0 l / ha made it possible to obtain higher yields of 3.7-6.1% compared to uncultivated areas on agronomic and chemical weed protection options.

Evaluation soil changes under agricultural management and irrigation in an arid region: the case of Ghardaïa (Zelfana)

The sustainability of soils is a major concern as they provide multiple functions such as agriculturalproduction, water filtration and biotope for livingorganisms. Crop sustainability in an arid environmentrequires the study of the components of this environment. Our work carried out in the region of Zelfana(Sahara Desert), 60 km far from the capital of Ghardaïa province, aims to diagnose and characterize the soilchanges produced due to the cultivation of palm trees. For this purpose, systematic sampling was carriedout and soil data measured on plots cultivated for 60 years, comparing with those of an uncultivated area(control). The undisturbed soils have coarse textured, low organic matter content, are moderately to highlycalcareous, and present low to high salinity and alkaline. The results of the cultivated topsoil and theannual rate of change showed that there was a highly significant decrease in total limestone and pH, and ahighly significant increase in electrical conductivity and organic matter due to the cropping system. Thesechanges are justified by the effect of the years of cultivation and the farmers’ management (i.e. addition oforganic manure and the flood irrigation).

Review Article: The Role of Nanotechnology in Improving the Growth of Maize Plant Zea mays L

  Nanoscience science the studys the infinitesimal world, which is the world of atoms and molecules. The agricultural field faces many challenges, including climate change, the increase in the consumption of agricultural products and the reducing of the cultivated area, which requires the need to advance agricultural development to achieve economic and agricultural stability. Hence the importance of using nanotechnology and technology, which enables the development of modern methods in the possibility of finding and treating many agricultural problems. This is in addition to some of the main challenges related to the field of agriculture, including the low productive efficiency in the cultivated area, the large size of the uncultivated area, the loss of resources, including water, fertilizers and pesticides, and the loss of products. This is in addition to the food security of the developing population, which can be faced through the various applications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology achieves remarkable achievement rates in community service and environmental development. Yellow corn production is considered one of the most important grain crops in Iraq to confront the basic needs of humans and animals.

Determination of dielectric properties of cultivated and uncultivated land at Kafin Hausa LGA, Jigawa State, Nigeria

Improving soil research will boost the Nigerian agricultural productivity. Therefore, the government and other agricultural organization must intervene in experimental soil research. Soil is the most fundamental basic factor that determines a higher or lower agricultural yield. Low or absence of permittivity is one of the major problems that contributes to the agricultural productivity in north eastern part of Jigawa state. Two areas were selected (cultivated and uncultivated land). The soil sample were prepared into pellets and then was characterized using an LCR meter bridge to determine the dielectric constant (Ꜫꞌ), dielectric loss (Ꜫꞌꞌ), and electric conductivity of the soil (б). The results show that the mean dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and electrical conductivity of the cultivated land area at 60 Hz are; 10.43±2.84, 3.7±1.26, 1.61±0.23×𝟏𝟎−𝟕 S/m while uncultivated land area at 60 Hz are; 17.54± 8.904 , 6.14±4.43, 2.79±1.78×𝟏𝟎−𝟕 S/m . However, the mean dielectric properties of cultivated land at 120 Hz are; 10.66±4.48, 9.90±1.758, 33.001±3.74×𝟏𝟎−𝟕S/m, while uncultivated at 120 Hz are; 17.22±9.06, 6.21±3.78, 7.76±0.033×𝟏𝟎−𝟕S/m respectively. It can be deduced from the results that the Kafin Hausa uncultivated land area have greater values of dielectric properties than cultivated land and thus is more fertile.

Socio-environmental changes and rodent populations in lowland agroecosystems of the lower delta of the River Senegal, West Africa: results of observations over a decade, 2008-2019

In the context of food self-sufficiency, the River Senegal Valley has been undergoing profound environmental changes for several decades. Rice production has increased due to the development of vast irrigated perimeters, which has been accompanied by recurrent proliferations of rodent populations that are crop pests and reservoirs of zoonoses. The aim of our study was to determine the factors underlying these phases of increased rodent abundance over a ten-year (2008 to 2019) sampling period during the hot dry season (February-May). A total of 1,867 rodents of four species were captured, among which Arvicanthis niloticus and Mastomys huberti dominated. Our results showed that, during this season, rodent abundance (i) increases significantly with rainfall from the previous year, (ii) is higher in cultivated than in uncultivated plots, (iii) increases with plant cover, (iv) increases, for M. huberti, with the presence of open water. We showed that in an area that was first sparsely cultivated and then impacted by hydro-agricultural rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage infrastructure, the abundance of A. niloticus changed following this program, reaching the level of a nearby area that has been intensively cultivated for decades. Moreover, we showed that the proportion of adults among the captured individuals was lower in rice plots than in vegetable gardening fields and uncultivated plots. The breeding pattern of adult individuals was also affected by land use. Results suggest that uncultivated areas and vegetable gardening fields constitute refuge and breeding ground hotspots and would thus form a starting point for the invasion of rice fields. Following these results, we advocate for regular monitoring of rodent breeding and abundance patterns, with a special focus on these refuge areas, particularly during the hot dry season. We recommend implementing effective and sustainable science-based control strategies at national and community levels to keep rodent populations within tolerable limits.

Prospects and Perspective of Essential Oil-Bearing Plants: A Case Study of Lemongrass Cultivation in Fallow Land and Chemoprospecting of Essential Oil

India has vast uncultivated areas such as marginalized lands, barren lands, unused land spaces, wastelands, side bunds, and areas having menace of wild/grazing animals. Surprisingly, the uncultivated area is progressively increasing due to various factors. Nevertheless, the unused lands can be utilized for beneficial purposes. Therefore, a case study was undertaken to cultivate lemongrass in uncultivated land and the cost-benefit analysis indicated that it could be a source of decent livelihood generation and an additional income source for village communities. Further, simple steps of essential oil isolation and its fractionation to isolate fine chemicals and enriched fractions, and inclusive utilization of the leftover biomass are extremely useful for enterprise development and employment generation in the hilly and rural areas. Apart from tangible benefits, the approach is also useful for reclamation of uncultivated lands, mitigation of climate change, soil health improvement, reducing the menace of invasive species, and in line with sustainable development goals to achieve a better future for all. The case study could be a model to benefit each member of society and improve the overall economy and environment.

Desert soilization: Let scientific principles and facts speak

Desert soilization: Let scientific principles and facts speak

Agriculture and Pollinating Insects, No Longer a Choice but a Need: EU Agriculture’s Dependence on Pollinators in the 2007–2019 Period

One of the new objectives laid out by the European Union’s Common Agriculture Policy is increasing environmental sustainability. In this paper we compare the degree of average dependence index for each member state (ADIMS) in EU28 from 2007 to 2019 in order to verify the following: (1) whether there was a difference in this index when comparing two CAP periods—(a) from 2007 to 2013 and (b) from 2014 to 2019—and (2) which crops had a larger effect on the ADIMS. The study showed no significant variation in the average ADIMS at EU level between the first (2007–2013) and second (2014–2019) CAP periods. The AIDMS index highlighted three types of EU agriculture: (1) agriculture in Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, characterized by a high level of ADIMS (10.7–22) due to the widespread cultivation of oil crops as rapeseed and sunflower; (2) Mediterranean agriculture including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Malta, Cyprus and France with lower AIDMS levels (5.3–10.3) given their heterogeneous crop portfolios with different degrees of dependence on animal pollination (almond, soy, rapeseed, sunflower and tomatoes) and (3) continental agriculture including Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Baltic countries, Benelux, Finland, Sweden and Ireland, which are characterized by the lowest ADIMS level (0.7–10.6) due to the widespread cultivation of cereals (anemophily and self-pollination) which increase the denominator of the index. The study suggests that a sustainable management of the agroecosystem will be possible in the future only if CAP considers pollinators’ requirements by quantifying the timing and spatial food availability from cultivated and uncultivated areas.

Антропогенная трансформация некоторых свойств и состава гажевых серо-коричневых почв Гянджа-Казахской равнины

Gay gray-brown soils are distributed mainly in the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus, on the Ganja-Gazakh plain and in the lower reaches of the Araz basin. They are formed by changing volcanic rocks in hot and dry climates. In the process of erosion and soil formation, pyrite, alunitized and other sulfur-containing rocks turn into gazh, on which gray-brown gazh soils are formed. As a result of human activity, i. e. deep plowing and irrigation, these lands are being converted. It turned out that the transformation of these soils is clearly felt in the thickness of the humus layer, its distribution along the profile, quantity and composition. The thickness of the humus layer increases from 40–45 cm to 100 cm. As a result of the transformation, the length of the humus profile is constantly decreasing. Changes in the composition of humus led to an increase in the content of humic acids. Although the coefficient in the uncultivated area decreased from 1.36 to 0.80, in the irrigated area it changed from 1.70 to 0.93.

Occurrence and distribution of Alternanthera bettzickiana (Regel) Voss., an invasive weed in the uplands of Kerala

A survey was conducted in the uplands (or garden lands) along roadsides, uncultivated areas and in wastelands in seven agro-ecological units (AEUs) representing the central zone of Kerala during 2020 and 2021 to assess the occurrence and invasiveness of Alternanthera bettzickiana (Regel) Voss. The weed exhibited highest summed dominance ratio and importance value index in all but one of the AEUs. Diversity indices like Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson’s diversity index and Evenness index were lower for a particular region (AEU 9), showing the dominance of this weed species there. The density of A. bettzickiana was positively correlated with nitrogen content, and dry matter production was influenced by both organic carbon and nitrogen content of the soil. The study concluded that A. bettzickiana is gaining the status of problematic weed in the central parts of Kerala, dominating mostly in uncultivated areas with occational occurrence observed in cropped lands also. Hence, efforts to prevent its spread need to be taken up by concerned authorities.

Carbon and nitrogen stocks through time in abandoned croplands of the Comarca Lagunera, Mexico

Croplands in the Comarca Lagunera region of Mexico are undergoing abandonment due to water scarcity. The effects of vegetation succession following cropland abandonment on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (STN) stocks have been poorly studied although such effects have important implications for terrestrial carbon pools and the global carbon cycle. This study sought to determine the organic carbon and total nitrogen content in soil at two depths (0–30 cm and 30–60 cm) and the successional biomass with a chronosequence of 2, 15, 25, and 35 years of restoration after cropland abandonment, as well as uncultivated areas of native microphyllous desert scrub vegetation used as reference (Ref). Results revealed that the ecological succession 35 years after cropland abandonment resulted in high dominance by the species Prosopis glandulosa. Because of that, the latest stage since cropland abandonment (35 years) contained about three times more carbon and nitrogen (2.64 Mg C ha−1 and 0.62 Mg N ha−1, respectively) in aboveground biomass than reference areas (0.94 Mg C ha−1 and 0.21 Mg N ha−1, respectively). In contrast, soil carbon tended to decrease as years of abandonment increased. Thus, areas with 35 years of abandonment, although having high aerial carbon content, had the lowest soil carbon accumulation. Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content showed no significant differences between the sampling depths in the investigated sites during the restoration time. These findings suggest that soil carbon accumulation after cropland abandonment through unmanaged ecological succession is difficult to achieve in this area.

A GIS-Based Approach for the Quantitative Assessment of Soil Quality and Sustainable Agriculture

Assessing soil quality is considered one the most important indicators to ensure planned and sustainable use of agricultural lands according to their potential. The current study was carried out to develop a spatial model for the assessment of soil quality, based on four main quality indices, Fertility Index (FI), Physical Index (PI), Chemical Index (CI), and Geomorphologic Index (GI), as well as the Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing data (RS). In addition to the GI, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) parameter were added to assess soil quality in the study area (western part of Matrouh Governorate, Egypt) as accurately as possible. The study area suffers from a lack of awareness of agriculture practices, and it depends on seasonal rain for cultivation. Thus, it is very important to assess soil quality to deliver valuable data to decision makers and regional governments to find the best ways to improve soil quality and overcome the food security problem. We integrated a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with Sentinel-2 satellite images to extract landform units of the study area. Forty-eight soil profiles were created to represent identified geomorphic units of the investigated area. We used the model builder function and a geostatistical approach based on ordinary kriging interpolation to map the soil quality index of the study area and categorize it into different classes. The soil quality (SQ) of the study area, classified into four classes (i.e., high quality (SQ2), moderate quality (SQ3), low quality (SQ4), and very low quality (SQ5)), occupied 0.90%, 21.87%, 22.22%, and 49.23% of the total study area, respectively. In addition, 5.74% of the study area was classified as uncultivated area as a reference. The developed soil quality model (DSQM) shows substantial agreement (0.67) with the weighted additive model, according to kappa coefficient statics, and significantly correlated with land capability R2 (0.71). Hence, the model provides a full overview of SQ in the study area and can easily be implemented in similar environments to identify soil quality challenges and fight the negative factors that influence SQ, in addition to achieving environmental sustainability.

Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) ‐ aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) interactions in different habitats from Turkey with new mutualistic associations

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the interactions between ants and aphids on host plants in different habitats located in the northwestern part of Turkey. A total of 26 ant species belonging to 13 genera and 3 subfamilies from the family Formicidae (Hymenoptera) were found associated with 52 aphid species belonging to 22 genera from the family Aphididae (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea) on 66 host plant species from 24 plant families.In total, 132 tritrophic ants–aphids–host plants interactions including new associations were revealed.Also, we present results on the interactions of ants–aphids–host plants in different habitats such as cultivated, uncultivated and urban areas. About 85 tritrophic interactions of ants–aphids–host plants were revealed in cultivated, 27 tritrophic interactions in uncultivated and 20 tritrophic interactions in urban areas. Tritrophic interactions were more diverse in cultivated areas than uncultivated and urban areas.Our results reveal that the interactions between ants and aphids are highly diverse and that they vary on host plants in different habitats. It may be thought that this is due to the specialization resulting from the high diversity of host plants of aphids in cultivated areas and increased the presence of ants.

Scabies in wildlife animals, pets and humans: a re-emerging zoonosis?

Abstract Background Scabies or sarcoptic mange is an infestation of the skin caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Transmission from animals to humans occurs through close contact. The most common symptoms are papules, erythema, excoriations, hyperkeratosis, and hypotrichosis. In the province of Ferrara (Emilia Romagna, Italy) mange is endemic in wild animals, mostly in foxes, which can act as vectors for domestic animals and humans. Methods From 2012 to 2020, 564 foxes were surveyed within the Wildlife Health Surveillance Re-gional Program, including microscopic examination in cases of skin lesions referable to scabies. In 2018, a domestic dog (10-year border collie, male), frequenting an uncultivated area colonized by foxes and located in the outskirts of Ferrara, showed scabby lesions mainly on the nose, around the eyes and on the back. Results 11 out of 564 foxes resulted positive (1,95%), 6 cases out of 38 being in 2018 (15,8%). The parasite was detected by skin biopsy and direct microscopic examination in the domestic dog. The parasite was transmitted by the dog to the owner and the other two family members. Conclusions The increased density of dogs and foxes in the Ferrara province, and the attitude of foxes to live near to human settlements, increase the risk of contacts between foxes, domestic animals and humans, even though stray dogs are uncommon. This case illustrates the interdependencies between animal health, human health and environment, a synergy that can enable exacerbation of diseases of zoonotic origin as highlighted by the One Health concept. It is therefore important to increase the investigation on paths as well as vectors of diseases and to find collaborative, multi-sectorial and transversal approaches to ensure quality health outcomes. The control of the disease requires an appropriate monitoring of dogs' health being skin lesions in both, humans and animals, very similar to allergic dermatitis, which can delay the proper diagnosis of the disease. Key messages Sarcoptic mange is a zoonosis still present in Emilia Romagna, Italy. The One Health approach is key to control the cycle of the zoonotic sarcoptic mange.

Honey bee foraged pollen reveals temporal changes in pollen protein content and changes in forager choice for abundant versus high protein flowers

Protein derived from pollen is an essential component of healthy bee diets. Protein content in honey bee foraged-pollen varies temporally and spatially, but the drivers underlying this variation remain poorly characterized. We assessed the temporal and spatial variation in honey bee collected pollen in 12 Michigan apiaries over 3 summers (2015–2017). We simultaneously monitored forage in flowering habitats (uncultivated floristically-rich areas and conservation program land) near these apiaries throughout the growing season. We used these data, along with data from the literature on plant pollen protein content, to determine if honey bees collected a greater proportion of pollen from plant species growing in higher abundance or from plant species that have higher protein content. Protein content in honey bee collected pollen decreased from July to September every year, and there were among-year differences in pollen protein, highlighting the temporal variation in protein collected by these insects. Pollen protein was spatially consistent and broad-scale land use categories were not correlated with pollen protein content. Rather, our findings suggest flowering habitats found across land use categories can support honey bee foraging, which may confound broader land use effects. In early July and in early September, colonies collected a greater proportion of pollen from plants that grew in greater abundance in flowering habitats, but from late July through August, a greater proportion of pollen was collected from high-protein taxa, regardless of abundance. This suggests different factors may influence pollen forager decision-making throughout the season as colony needs and/or available forage communities change. Insights into the role of plant abundance and protein content on foraging could deepen our understanding of honey bee foraging behavior and help to inform habitat restoration programs for improved honey bee nutrition outcomes.

The Basis of Tolerance Mechanism to Metsulfuron-Methyl in Roegneria kamoji (Triticeae: Poaceae).

Roegneria kamoji, a perennial monocot weed that belongs to the tribe Triticeae (family: Poaceae), is an emerging problematic weed in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) fields in China. We have previously confirmed four R. kamoji populations tolerant to acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitors, and failed control of these populations by metsulfuron-methyl was observed. The objective of this study was to characterize the level of tolerance to metsulfuron-methyl, the basis of tolerance mechanism, and cross-tolerance to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors in R. kamoji. A whole-plant dose–response assay showed that plants of all R. kamoji populations (both from wheat fields and uncultivated areas) exhibited high tolerance to metsulfuron-methyl, based on their 100% survival at 6-fold recommended field dose (RFD) and ED50 values >6.84-fold RFD, no susceptible population was found. Gene sequencing indicated that no reported amino acid substitutions associated with resistance to ALS inhibitor were found in the ALS gene among the R. kamoji populations. Pretreatment with the known cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CytP450) inhibitor malathion reduced the ED50 values of metsulfuron-methyl in two R. kamoji populations. These populations also exhibited cross-tolerance to RFD of mesosulfuron-methyl and bispyribac-sodium. The activities of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and CytP450 could be induced by metsulfuron-methyl in R. kamoji, which is similar to the known tolerant crop wheat. This is the first report elucidating metsulfuron-methyl tolerance in R. kamoji. The reversal of tolerance by malathion and the GST and/or CytP450 enhanced herbicide metabolism suggests that non-target-site mechanisms confer tolerance to metsulfuron-methyl in R. kamoji.