Pesticide diversity in rice growing areas of Northern Vietnam

Pesticide use in developing countries increases rapidly. In many regions, we miss knowledge of how frequently pesticides are applied and which active ingredients are used. We present a new cost-efficient and rapid assessment method of recording pesticides diversity in rice-dominated landscapes and present some evidence of the misuse of active ingredients in our study regions. We investigated 17 rice fields in two regions of Northern Vietnam in 2014 and 2015. At each region, we explore the abundance of pesticides used with three methods including (1) the novel approach of collecting pesticide packages close to our target rice fields, (2) observations of farmers spraying pesticides in the surrounding and (3) interviewing local farmers. By collecting pesticide packages, we found 811 packages containing 74 different active ingredients. On average, 19 active ingredients (ranging from four to 40 active ingredients) were applied with an average content of 275.3 g of active ingredients per site. Insecticide packages (39%) were most abundant followed by those of fungicides (31%), herbicides (16%) and other active ingredients (14%). On all sites, active ingredients banned in the European Union were applied by the farmers. Collecting pesticide packages proved to be an efficient and rapidly implemented method to obtain some baseline information about pesticide application (for Northern Vietnam). We suspect that improved agricultural extension services could contribute to good agricultural practices in pest management. Generally, better information and education for local farmers for appropriate use of pesticides seem a necessity.     

The EFSA quantitative approach to pest risk assessment – methodological aspects and case studies

A new method for pest risk assessment and the identification and evaluation of risk‐reducing options is currently under development by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Plant Health Panel. The draft method has been tested on pests of concern to the European Union (EU). The method is adaptable and can focus either on all the steps and sub‐steps of the assessment process or on specific parts if necessary. It is based on assessing changes in pest population abundance as the major driver of the impact on cultivated plants and on the environment. Like other pest risk assessment systems the method asks questions about the likelihood and magnitude of factors that contribute to risk. Responses can be based on data or expert judgment. Crucially, the approach is quantitative, and it captures uncertainty through the provision by risk assessors of quantile estimates of the probability distributions for the assessed variables and parameters. The assessment is based on comparisons between different scenarios, and the method integrates risk‐reducing options where they apply to a scenario, for example current regulation against a scenario where risk‐reducing options are not applied. A strategy has been developed to communicate the results of the risk assessment in a clear, comparable and transparent way, with the aim of providing the requestor of the risk assessment with a useful answer to the question(s) posed to the EFSA Plant Health Panel. The method has been applied to four case studies, two fungi, Ceratocystis platani and Cryphonectria parasitica, the nematode Ditylenchus destructor and the Grapevine flavescence dorée phytoplasma. Selected results from these case studies illustrate the types of output that the method can deliver.     

Postharvest changes in pigment concentrations in ‘Fuji’ apples with ‘Fuji’ stain

’Fuji’ apples (Malus domestica Borkh cv. ‘Fuji’) sometimes develop a discolouration in the peel during cold storage, typically in the periphery of sunburned peel. We refer to this particular postharvest disorder as ‘Fuji’ stain as we have not observed it in any cultivar other than ‘Fuji’ and the discolouration looks like a stain on the peel. Because peel discolouration occurs, peel pigments are thought to be involved. Hence the concentrations of anthocyanins, epicatechin, quercetin glycosides, chlorogenic acid, chlorophylls, and carotenoids in peel disks taken from areas exhibiting ‘Fuji’ stain were compared to concentrations observed in peel disks not exhibiting ‘Fuji’ stain. In 2005, peel from sunburned apples exhibiting ‘Fuji’ stain was compared to peel from three areas of sunburned apples not exhibiting stain [i.e. sunburned peel, the area around the sunburned peel (halo), and the area around the halo (OH)]. Additionally, stained peel was compared to the sun-exposed side of non-stained non-sunburned apples (NSNB). The second year, 2006, we compared stained peel to NSNB peel and the area outside the stained area (OS) on those fruit with stain. The concentrations of idaein, epicatechin, and quercetin glycosides were consistently low in the stained peel both years. This is in contrast to our earlier studies in which sunburned ‘Fuji’ apples had high concentrations of quercetin glycosides and epicatechin and low concentrations of idaein, and non-sunburned apples had low concentrations of quercetin glycosides and epicatechin and high concentrations of idaein. The consistent and unique characteristic of stained peel reported here indicates an association of these compounds with the incidence of stain. In 2005, chlorogenic acid concentrations in the stain peel were lower than other peel types, but in 2006 they were higher. Differences in chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations were observed among many of the peel types. However, there is not a clear association between stain development and changes in chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations due to significant differences not being observed in both years. While our research provides insight into pigment changes associated with ‘Fuji’ stain formation, more work is needed to help clarify the inconsistencies observed between the 2 years.     

蓟马取食对苜蓿氨基酸组成及含量的影响

为了探究蓟马取食对苜蓿(Medicago sativa L.)氨基酸组成及含量的影响,本研究以'草原2号'(Medicago varia Martin.'Caoyuan No.2')感蓟马品种和'草原4号'(Medicago sativa L.'Caoyuan No.4')抗蓟马品种为材料,分别进行牛角花齿蓟马(Odo...     

How does the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) affect ecosystem services and biodiversity components in invaded areas?

Environmental risk assessment (ERA) is an important component of risk analysis for plant pests and invasive alien species (IAS), and a standardized and consistent methodology has recently been developed for evaluating their impact on ecosystem services and biodiversity. This paper presents the application of this innovative methodology for ERA to Agrilus planipennis, the emerald ash borer, which causes significant mortality to Fraxinus (ash) species in forests and urban areas of North America (here: USA and Canada, excluding Mexico) and Russia. The methodology follows a retrospective analysis and summarizes information and observations in invaded areas in North America and Russia. Uncertainty distributions were elicited to define quantitatively a general pattern of the environmental impact in terms of reduction in ecosystem provisioning, supporting and regulating services, and biodiversity components. The environmental impacts of A. planipennis are time‐ and context‐dependent, therefore two time horizons of 5 and 20 years after introduction and two ecosystems (urban and forest) were considered. This case study shows that the quantitative assessment of environmental impacts for IAS is both possible and helpful for decision‐makers and risk managers who have to balance control costs against potential impacts of IAS.     

油萝卜抗胞囊线虫基因的染色体定位及其在油菜附加系中的稳定性

【目的】油萝卜（2n=18,9条染色体分别被称作a～i）具有抗甜菜胞囊线虫的基因。探索油萝卜携带的抗甜菜胞囊线虫基因所在的染色体和外源的油萝卜染色体在油菜中的遗传稳定性。【方法】9个油菜附加系进行自花受粉,分别获得附加系的自交F2代。利用筛选的分子标记检测和原位杂交（FISH）检测附加染色体在F2代中的遗传稳定性;通过对9个油菜附加系F2代接种甜菜胞囊线虫的2龄幼虫,鉴定携带抗甜菜胞囊线虫基因所在的染色体。【结果】9个附加系自交F2代中的附加染色体遗传表现不一,5个油菜附加系的F2代中均有2条附加染色体,能稳定遗传;4个附加系的自交后代中附加染色体的遗传表现不稳定,部分后代中无附加染色体。FISH检测9个附加系自交F2代中的附加染色体表明：与分子标记检测的结果相符,并且4个不稳定的附加系中,有的自交后代虽然有附加染色体,但有1或2条。接种甜菜胞囊线虫测定结果表明,含有油萝卜染色体DD的油菜附加系对甜菜胞囊线虫的抗性水平与附加染色体的供体油萝卜相当,而其它8个附加系的自交后代未表现出抗性,与受体油菜相近。【结论】油萝卜的9条染色体分别附加到油菜中后,其遗传稳定性因附加的染色体而异,有的能稳定遗传,有的在自交后代中丢失1或2条;抗甜菜胞囊线虫的基因在d染色体上。     

Partial rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament of the stifle in dogs: 25 cases (1982-1988)

Partial rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament was diagnosed in 25 dogs. In all dogs, the primary problem at the time of physical examination was hind limb lameness. The mean time from initial onset of lameness to diagnosis at exploratory surgery was 17 weeks. A cranial drawer sign was detected in 13 of the 25 dogs; in 9, the cranial drawer sign was evident only when the stifle was positioned in flexion. Of the 25 dogs, 12 had no detectable cranial drawer sign in response to manipulation of the involved stifle. In all dogs, lateral stifle arthrotomy was performed in routine manner, and the cranial cruciate ligament was found to be incompletely torn. Lesions identified during arthrotomy were rupture of the craniomedial band (n = 20 dogs), interstitial tear (n = 4 dogs), and rupture of the caudolateral band (n = 1 dog).     

A Technique for Estimating Rangeland Canopy-Gap Size Distributions From High-Resolution Digital Imagery

The amount and distribution of gaps in vegetation canopy is a useful indicator of multiple ecosystem processes and functions. In this paper, we describe a semiautomated approach for estimating canopy-gap size distributions in rangelands from high-resolution (HR) digital images using image interpretation by observers and statistical image classification techniques. We considered two different classification methods (maximum-likelihood classification and logistic regression) and both pixel-based and object-based approaches to estimate canopy-gap size distributions from 2- to 3-cm resolution UltraCamX color infrared aerial photographs for arid and semiarid shrub sites in Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico. We compare our image-based estimates to field-based measurements for the study sites. Generally, percent of input points correctly classified and kappa coefficients of agreement for plot image classifications was very high. Plots with low kappa values yielded canopy gap estimates that were very different from field-based estimates. We found a strong relationship (R² > 0.9 for all four methods evaluated) between image- and field-based estimates of the total percent of the plot in canopy gaps greater than 50 cm for plots with a classification kappa of greater than 0.5. Performance of the remote sensing techniques varied for small canopy gaps (25 to 50 cm) but were very similar for moderate (50 to 200 cm) and large (> 200 cm) canopy gaps. Our results demonstrate that canopy-gap size distributions can be reliably estimated from HR imagery in a variety of plant community types. Additionally, we suggest that classification goodness-of-fit measures are a potentially useful tool for identifying and screening out plots where precision of estimates from imagery may be low. We conclude that classification of HR imagery based on observer-interpreted training points and image classification is a viable technique for estimating canopy gap size distributions. Our results are consistent with other research that has looked at the ability to derive monitoring indicators from HR imagery.     

Consistency in pest risk analysis – how can it be achieved and what are the benefits?*

This paper describes the efforts in the PRATIQUE EU project to increase consistency that were integrated into the revised EPPO Decision‐support scheme (DSS) for Pest Risk Analysis (PRA). The establishment section is used here to illustrate the changes and improvements of the DSS, as it has undergone the most comprehensive changes with reformulation and restructuring of many questions and detailed rating guidance. When revising the establishment section of the EPPO DSS for PRA, there were three principal objectives that influenced the revision: (i) to focus the assessment on the most relevant factors influencing establishment; (ii) to identify the area where establishment is possible before assessing the suitability of that area, and (iii) to enhance the consistency of the establishment section by providing rating guidance with sub‐questions and examples. To simplify the process, some questions were rephrased as closed questions (answer is either yes or no). Clearer notes were provided to explain what information is needed to answer the questions. Furthermore, consistency has been enhanced by developing tools to help assessors when deciding on an appropriate overall risk rating and uncertainty score by providing a visual summary of the risk ratings and uncertainty scores (‘Visualizer’) and a method for integrating all the responses to the questions to provide a summary score for each major section and an overall assessment of risk (‘Rule based matrix model’).