Enhancing the parasitism of insect herbivores through diversification of habitat in Philippine rice fields

The diversification of farming landscapes is proposed as a method to increase farm productivity while at the same time enhancing pest regulation services provided by the natural enemies of insect herbivores. In this study, areas of diversified and conventional rice fields (with 2–14 fields per area?=?0.42–1.31 ha) were established at three sites in the Philippines. The diversified areas had a series (>?40 per hectare) of small (<?2 m²) vegetable patches interspersed along rice bunds (levees). The abundance of planthopper and lepidopteran pests in these areas was monitored during two consecutive cropping seasons using sweep nets with rice yield and damage recorded at the end of each season. Mortality of brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) and yellow stemborer (Scirpophaga incertulas) eggs was monitored through field exposures of infested rice plants. There were no differences in rice yields between the conventional and diversified areas; however, a range of vegetables were produced as a supplementary product from the diversified rice areas. Diversification had no effect on planthopper or leaffolder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) abundance at the sites. Adult stemborers (Scirpophaga incertulas) were more abundant in the diversified areas; however, stemborer damage was similar between area treatments in both years. Vegetable patches did not increase parasitism of planthopper eggs; however, egg parasitism was highest close to the vegetable patches, suggesting that egg parasitoids interacted with the patches. Mortality of stemborer eggs was higher in the diversified areas than in the conventional areas. Parasitism due to Trichogramma japonicum and other egg parasitoids was also higher in the diversified areas. These results indicate the potential for vegetable patches to enhance the biological control services provided by egg parasitoids in rice fields; however, the study also indicates a need to carefully select vegetable crops that avoid any potential benefits for rice pests. We discuss the need for further research into diversified farms as a means of achieving sustainable rice production in Asia.     

The legitimacy of biofuel certification

The biofuel boom is placing enormous demands on existing cropping systems, with the most crucial consequences in the agri-food sector. The biofuel industry is responding by initiating private governance and certification. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the Cramer Commission, among others, have formulated criteria on “sustainable” biofuel production and processing. This article explores the legitimacy of private governance and certification by the biofuel industry, highlighting opportunities and challenges. It argues that the concept of output based legitimacy is problematic in the case of biofuel as long as no consensus or commonly agreed “best” solution has been established on what sustainable biofuel production is. Furthermore, it shows that the private governance initiatives analyzed fail to adequately include actors from developing countries. Finally, the article argues that we need mechanisms for control and accountability in order to guarantee that the political output of biofuel certification serves the common welfare.     

Comparative analysis of a wood: adhesive bondline

The wood–adhesive interface was analyzed using five methods with the objective of quantitatively assessing penetration of adhesive into the porous wood network. Methods included fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, backscatter electron imaging, wavelength dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray microtomography (XMT). Each method provided a visual inspection, and all of the analysis methods were applied to the same field of view. XMT was the primary technique of interest. Rubidium hydroxide was used in place of sodium hydroxide in the formulation of phenol–formaldehyde adhesive. Rubidium was found to increase the X-ray attenuation of the adhesive. However, rubidium migrated beyond the adhesive interphase during specimen preparation, thus reducing its effectiveness for image contrast enhancement. The wood species studied included red oak (Quercus rubra), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and hybrid poplar (Populus deltoides × Populus trichocarpa). All techniques used for this study were useful, but each presented some limitations for bondline analysis. Despite the problem with rubidium migration, XMT for this application was promising.     

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Circulation in an Aquatic Ecosystem

Nanotechnology is a dynamically developing field of scientific and industrial interest across the entire world, and the commercialization of nanoparticles (NPs) is rapidly expanding. Incorporation of nanotechnologies into a range of manufactured goods results in increasing concern regarding the subsequent release of engineered NPs into the environment. One of the biggest threats of using NPs is the transfer and magnification of these particles in the trophic chain. The aim of the studies was the evaluation of the distribution of TiO₂ NP contamination in the aquatic ecosystem under laboratory conditions. Bioaccumulation of TiO₂ NPs by plants (Elodea canadensis) and fish (Danio rerio) in the source of contamination was investigated. The studies were focused on the consequences of short-term water contamination with TiO₂ NPs and the secondary contamination of the components of the investigated model ecosystem (plants, sediments). It was found that in the fish and the plants exposed to NP contamination, the amount of Ti was higher than in the control, indicating an effective bioaccumulation of NPs or ions originating from NPs. It was clearly shown that the NPs present in the sediments are available to plants and fish. Additionally, the aquatic plants, an important trophic level in the food chain, can accumulate NPs and be a source of NPs for higher organisms. It was concluded that even an incidental contamination of water by NPs may result in long-term consequences induced by the release of NPs.     

Drying of Pedro Ximenez grapes in chamber at controlled temperature and with dipping pretreatments. Changes in the color fraction

The drying of Pedro Ximenez grapes in chamber at a controlled temperature of 40 or 50 degrees C is studied. Compared to traditional sun-drying, the chamber-drying shortened the drying time by about 40% at 50 degrees C. In color terms, the musts obtained from grapes dried at 50 degrees C were closer in CIELab coordinates to those obtained by sun-dried grapes, with similar h(ab) values and slightly lower L* and C(ab)*. To shorten further the drying times at 50 degrees C, the grapes were dipped in olive oil or ethyl oleate emulsions containing potassium carbonate. The ethyl oleate pretreatment shortened additionally the drying time by about 25%, providing musts with chroma, lightness, and hue similar to those without grape pretreatment. In general, except for the phenolic compounds corresponding to the drying with ethyl oleate pretreatment, most of these compounds in the remainding conditions studied increased to a lesser extent than expected because of water losses of the grapes during drying, revealing degradation reactions.