Farmers' knowledge and perception of grain legume pests and their management in the Eastern province of Kenya

Grain legumes play an important role in community livelihood and in the national economy in Kenya. Unfortunately, in many African countries, production doesn't satisfy the demand in grains due to various constrains. Understanding farmers practices and behavior in the management of grain legume pests is a crucial step in the development of sustainable management strategies. A total of 216 farmers were surveyed in eight districts of eastern Kenya to evaluate farmers' knowledge and perceptions of grain legume pests; to examine current pest management practices, and to identify other production constraints. Grain legumes are grown by a wide age-group of farmers, with both genders equally represented. Chemical control remains the main pest management strategy, and, to ensure pesticide effectiveness, farmers also use increased application rates, chemical alternation, frequent application and mixtures of chemicals. While farmers used other control measures, they showed only limited interest in biological control. The majority of the farmers had experience in grain legume farming and were able to identify the major pests, which were the legume flower thrips Megalurothrips sjostedti Trybom, the cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora Koch and the legume pod borer Maruca vitrata Fabricius. Our survey revealed that education and proximity to extension services contributed significantly to farmers' knowledge of grain legume pests, suggesting the need to provide continuous training and capacity building on integrated pest management in grain legume farming. The study also suggests integration of other pest management strategies such as the use of early maturing varieties, biopesticides and biofertilizer to reduce the use of chemical for sustainable pest management.     

金融消费者保护问题的框架性思考

金融消费者是为生活消费需要而购买、使用金融商品或接受金融服务的人,具有追求盈利最大化、抗风险能力差以及弱势地位突出等特点。现阶段我国有关金融消费者权益保护方面的工作同发达国家相比还很不完善,存在缺乏专项立法、相关法律滞后、缺乏专业纠纷解决机制以及对金融消费者合法权益保护不到位等问题,急需国家相关部门出台相关政策文件改善和解决。     

3株H9亚型禽流感病毒的分离与鉴定

为了获得H9亚型禽流感病毒(AIV)流行毒株并掌握流行毒株的分子特征和致病性,采用病毒分离、血凝性试验、鸡胚半数感染量(EID₅₀)测定、HA基因序列分析、致病性试验、交叉保护性试验等对3份临床疑似H9亚型AIV感染病料进行了研究。结果:3份临床病料样品可引起10日龄SPF鸡胚规律性死亡,3株分离毒株对1%鸡红细胞的凝集效价分别10log₂、11log₂和10log₂;对SPF鸡胚的EID₅₀分别为10^-8.83/mL、10^-9.50/mL和10^-9.0/mL;与2018年上海分离毒株亲缘关系较近,进化树处于同一分支;对SPF雏鸡的发病率分别为80%、100%和90%;均未引起SPF雏鸡死亡;彼此之间具有100%的交叉保护率,商品化禽流感(H9亚型)灭活疫苗对3株分离毒株的保护率分别为100%、90%和100%。本试验成功分离鉴定到了3株低致病性H9亚型AIV流行毒株,并证实当前商品化疫苗对H9亚型AIV流行毒株仍具有较好的保护效果。     

我国柴油轿车的发展现状及展望

随着汽车工业的不断发展，轿车动力柴油化已成为行业发展的必然。总结了我国柴油轿车的发展现状，指出了柴油轿车的优势，论述了制约柴油轿车发展的因素，提出了促进柴油轿车未来发展的几点建议。     

液压升降折叠宽幅喷杆喷架的结构设计

针对目前植保机械中所使用的喷杆喷架稳定性差、折叠伸展需要人工辅助等问题,设计出了一种液压升降折叠宽幅喷杆喷架。对喷杆喷架的升降装置、90°液压油缸折叠机构、180°液压油缸折叠机构和整体宽幅喷架进行了理论分析和结构设计,并建立了关键部件的三维模型。通过田间试验验证了该装置设计方案的合理性,为研发先进适用、具有自主知识产权的液压升降折叠宽幅喷杆喷架奠定了基础。     

Assessment of microbial biocontrol agent (BCA) viability to mechanical and thermal stress by simulating spray application conditions

Background

In order to improve the biological control agent (BCA) efficacy, stress factors threatening the viability of microorganisms during spray application need to be determined. The effect of spray mixture temperature and exposure time on Trichoderma harzianum T 22 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713 viability were tested. Concurrently the combined effect of mechanical and thermal stress effect on BCA viability were tested at two initial spray mixture temperatures (14 and 25 °C) by simulating a spray application using airblast sprayers featured by different tank capacity and a spray liquid circuit (without and with hydraulic agitation system). To assess the BCA microorganism viability, spray mixture samples were collected at time intervals along trials and plated to count the colony forming units (CFU).

Results

The critical temperature threshold that inhibited BCA viability was 35 °C with 30 min of exposure. The sprayer type, the initial temperature of the spray mixture and the temperature increment during the trials significantly decreased the number of CFU recovered. When simulating a spray application, the spray mixture temperature increase rate was determined mainly by the residual amount of spray mixture in the tank. Even if the tank capacity does not substantially affect the final temperature reached by the spray mixture, the higher residual spray mixture in bigger tanks can expose the BCAs for a longer time to critical temperatures.

Conclusions

Experimental trials allowed us to identify the effect of factors affecting the viability of tested BCAs, providing information about the actual chance to guarantee the biological efficacy of BCA treatments. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Challenges and opportunities of unmanned aerial vehicles as a new tool for crop pest control

The application of pesticides is not simply delivering chemicals to the target area. It also involves considering the negative aspects and developing strategies to deal with them during the application process, to ensure the maximization of pesticides use efficiency and the maintenance of the ecosystem. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sprayers demonstrate unique advantages compared to traditional ground sprayers, particularly in terms of maneuverability and labor intensity reduction, showed great potential for chemical application in pest control. It is undeniable that there exist challenges in the practice of UAV spraying, such as higher potential risks of pesticide drift or pathogen transmission, uncertainty canopy deposition for different crops, and unexpected leaf breakage induced by downwash flow. Maximizing the utilization of downwash flow while avoiding lateral air movement outside the intended target crop area is a major issue for chemical application with UAV sprayers, particularly in light of the increasingly apparent consensus on the need for enhanced environmental protection during the chemical application process. It must be considered that the operation strategy in different scenarios and for different crop targets is not the same, unique requirements should be given on nozzle atomization, flight parameters, adjuvants and aircraft types in specific working situations. In future, the implementation of spray drift prediction, technical procedures development, and other solutions aimed at reducing pesticide drift and improving deposition quality, is expected to promote the adoption of UAV sprayers by more farmers. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.     

FLUENT软件及其在植保机械方面的应用

FLUENT软件是流体力学中通用性较强的商业软件之一，由于FLUENT软件的应用，节省了大量的人力和物力。对实际应用有重大的指导作用。为此，通过简述FLUENT在植保机械方面的应用实例，提出了FLUENT在植保机械方面的发展前景。     

功能性杂粮膨化食品的研制

选用苦荞、燕麦、杂豆等山西特色杂粮为主要原料,有针对性地强化苦荞的黄酮、燕麦膳食纤维等功能性营养因子,研制出可降低血脂、调节血压和润肠通便等专用系列杂粮膨化保健食品。