Exploring drivers of the usage of anticoagulant rodenticides on UK farms

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are considered inhumane, show increasingly limited efficacy due to acquired resistance, and carry environmental consequences associated with non-target species uptake. In a questionnaire study of 499 UK farms that all deployed chemical rodenticide we found a high mean reliance (79%), on second generation ARs with just over half of the respondents using no other rodent control methods. Additional methods where deployed, alone or in combination, included predation (41%), kill-trap deployment (16%) and shooting (1%). Nearly 40% of all respondents deployed rodenticides year-round. There was no evidence to suggest that “tidy-farm” measures, such as clearing food spills and minimising on-farm rodent harbourage sites aimed at minimising rodent-associated problems, were associated with a lower likelihood of year-round deployment; in fact trends in our analyses suggested the opposite. We therefore encourage operators to fully evaluate the true necessity of rodenticide deployment before AR use.     

Rapid compositional analysis of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) using visible‐near infrared reflectance spectroscopy

Rapid measurement of salmon flesh quality parameters (>400 samples day^?1) was demonstrated in the laboratory and remotely at industrial sites. Visible‐near infrared spectroscopy (VNIRS) was applied to predict astaxanthin (AX) and fat content in farmed Atlantic salmon. Fish were sampled from thirteen batches (1–6 kg whole weight, containing 2.3–16.3% fat and 1.2–12.5 μg g^?1 AX), and models validated on small (average ± SD: 1.4 ± 0.4 kg) and large fish (4.2 ± 0.9 kg). Both constituents were well predicted in minced Norwegian Quality Cutlet (NQC) samples (r² ≥ 0.86; standard error of prediction (SEP) ≤0.7% for fat and ≤0.7 μg g^?1 for AX). Comparable metrics were observed for AX prediction in whole NQCs (r² = 0.80–0.88; SEP 0.7 μg g^?1). Fat was better predicted in small fish than large fish for whole NQCs (r² = 0.82, SEP 1.0% cf r² = 0.59, SEP = 0.59%) and non‐destructive scanning through the skin of whole, gutted fish (r² = 0.77, SEP = 1.2% cf r² = 0.49, SEP = 1.5%). Models were also developed for screening polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrations, e.g. in NQCs for docosahexaenoic acid (r² = 0.73) and n‐3:n‐6 PUFA (r² = 0.89).     

Otolith chemistry of triplefin Forsterygion nigripenne indicates estuarine residency

Fisheries Science - Understanding the role different habitats play in the life histories of fishes is important for the development of holistic aquatic ecosystem management plans. We used otolith...     

Localisation of iron in wheat grain using high resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry

Insufficient iron (Fe) is one of the most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies in humans, with billions of people affected. Cereal grains are an important source of Fe for humans but the bioavailability of Fe in cereals is generally low. Information regarding the cellular and sub-cellular localisation of Fe in wheat grain will aid optimising nutrient delivery for human health. In this study high resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) was used to map the distribution of Fe in the aleurone layer and in the endosperm of immature wheat grain. Iron was shown to be localised strongly in the phytin globoids in the aleurone cells and to a lesser extent in the cytoplasm around the starch granules in the endosperm.     

Factors influencing the association between active ingredient and adjuvant in the leaf deposit of adjuvant-containing suspoemulsion formulations

BACKGROUND: For an oil adjuvant to enhance uptake of a particulate active ingredient (AI), it is hypothesised that closer association between the two should result in higher uptake. Accordingly, factors important for the spray deposit size on grapevine leaves have been investigated for a series of model suspoemulsion formulations containing colloidal crystalline AI or fluorescent pigment particles and an emulsion of an oil adjuvant with different degrees of wetting and different spray volumes. RESULTS: Low spray volumes (<100 L ha(-1)) produced small deposits with high particle-adjuvant association. Complementary uptake studies showed increased uptake with decreasing deposit size, in agreement with the above hypothesis. Higher spray volumes produced larger deposits that consisted of annuli formed by pinning of the contact line by particles. Low surfactant concentrations favoured particles in the annulus and adjuvant separated in the centre. Intermediate surfactant concentrations produced annuli containing both particles and adjuvant, while with high surfactant concentrations the deposits were large with few annuli.CONCLUSIONS: Small deposits result in high AI-adjuvant association. With larger deposits, annulus structures allow for enhanced AI-adjuvant association (5-20 times greater). The formation of annuli appears to be important in enhancing the biodelivery of particulate AIs in adjuvant-containing suspoemulsion formulations at intermediate spray volumes.