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.     

Efficiency of inorganic fungicides against the formation of Erysiphe necator chasmothecia in vineyards

BACKGROUND

A reduction in chasmothecia, an important inoculum of grape powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator Schwein.), is essential for disease control in vineyards; the use of fungicides during the formation of chasmothecia on vine leaves, late in the growing season, may accomplish this. Inorganic fungicides, such as sulphur, copper, and potassium bicarbonate, are very useful for this purpose because of their multisite mode of action. The aim of this study was to evaluate chasmothecia reduction using different fungicide applications late in the growing season in commercially managed vineyards and in an exact application trial.

RESULTS

Chasmothecia on vine leaves were reduced in commercial vineyards by four copper (P = 0.01) and five potassium bicarbonate (P = 0.026) applications. The positive effect of potassium bicarbonate was also confirmed in the application trial, where two applications showed lower chasmothecia numbers than the control (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

The application of inorganic fungicides reduced the amount of chasmothecia as the primary inoculum source. Potassium bicarbonate and copper are of further interest for disease control as these fungicides can be used by organic and conventional wine growers. The application of these fungicides should be carried out as late as possible before harvest to reduce chasmothecia formation and, consequently, the potential for powdery mildew infestation in the subsequent season. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

新疆南部农区鼠害调查与成因分析

南疆农区鼠害严重,但基础资料不足。为摸清当地鼠害发生特点,提供有效治理依据,本研究于2018年-2019年在南疆5地州39乡64村开展实地与问卷调查,并采用夹捕法调查害鼠种群构成。结果表明,南疆5地州农村普遍遭受鼠害影响,喀什与和田地区农田受害比例达89.4%,问卷结果表明农户和农田鼠害发生率均大于75%,且西部地区重于东部,约一半受访农户估计每年因鼠害损失超过500元。褐家鼠Rattus norvegicus是农户主要害鼠,占比超过70%;农田则以小家鼠Mus musculus和乌拉尔姬鼠Apodemus uralensis为主。这些结果表明,南疆农区鼠害处于重发态势,褐家鼠是主要鼠害来源,并有外来入侵风险。下一步应聚焦于监测主要害鼠种群动态规律,阐明褐家鼠来源和侵入机制,并探索建立适于当地的害鼠防治模式。     

荆门市森防工作现状及对策研究

笔者对荆门市林业有害生物防治的基本情况、机构状况、监测预警、检疫御灾和防治减灾等体系建设作了较全面的介绍,对面临的形势和存在的问题进行了客观分析,并提出了相应的建议,旨在为推进现代林业有害生物防治提供参考.     

土壤日晒在绿色植保中的应用与展望

土壤消毒主要用于土壤病虫草害防控。过去几十年,土壤主要采用化学药品熏蒸消毒,不合理使用容易造成环境污染。土壤蒸汽消毒、火焰消毒和热水浇灌等需要专门的仪器设备,且存在能耗较高、灭生性强、容易破坏土壤结构等缺点。目前,土壤日晒技术受到意大利、美国、以色列等70多个国家农业科学家的广泛关注,但在中国依然处于初级阶段。本文总结了国内外学者关于土壤日晒对农业病虫草害、土壤肥力、农作物产量等方面的影响与应用,分析了土壤日晒存在的局限性,并对土壤日晒在未来农业绿色防控上的应用前景进行了展望,以期为农产品无公害生产提供理论依据和实践参考。     

Optimizing aphid biocontrol with the predator Aphidoletes aphidimyza,based on biology and ecology

Aphidoletes aphidimyza is one of the most important predators used in the augmentative biological control of aphids, key pests of many crops worldwide. Adult females are very efficient in locating aphid infestations over a relatively long range, up to 45 m, and deposit eggs near or within aphid colonies. The predatory larvae are aphid generalists preying on several agriculturally important aphid species. The successful use of this biocontrol agent in agricultural systems depends on several biotic and abiotic factors. Among biotic factors, aphid species, plant structure, interspecific competition and intraguild predation may significantly impact the predator´s population dynamics. Key abiotic conditions include day lengths (above a critical threshold to prevent diapause), availability of mating sites in the crop, temperature (above 15 °C to enable egg laying), air relative humidity (above 70%) and availability of pupation sites. Although several successes have been reported in open field crops with naturally occurring or released populations, commercial releases are primarily used in protected crops. Optimized emergence boxes combining provisioning of food sources for the adults, integration with the technological advances that occurred in the greenhouse environment lately, insights into the nutritional ecology in open field crops and exploration of the genetic variability are proposed as future directions to improve adoption and efficacy of A. aphidimyza in crop protection. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry