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。     

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.     

基于斜率比法评定断奶仔猪对不同铜源的相对生物学利用率

本试验旨在研究不同铜源（硫酸铜、碱式氯化铜和柠檬酸铜）和铜添加水平（20和30 mg/kg）对断奶仔猪生长性能、血清铜含量与含铜酶活性以及组织铜含量的影响,探讨断奶仔猪对不同铜源的相对生物学利用率。试验采用3×2双因子随机区组设计,选取平均体重为（8.98±0.48） kg的杜×长×大三元杂交断奶仔猪112头,随机分为7组,每组4个重复,每个重复4头猪。对照组饲喂玉米-豆粕型基础饲粮（铜含量为7.80 mg/kg）,各试验组分别在基础饲粮中添加20或30 mg/kg硫酸铜、碱式氯化铜或柠檬酸铜（均以铜含量计）。试验预试期3 d,正试期28 d。结果表明：1）试验组与对照组断奶仔猪平均日增重、平均日采食量和料重比均无显著差异（P>0.05）。2）饲粮铜源和铜添加水平对断奶仔猪血清铜含量具有显著影响（P<0.05）,但对血清铜蓝蛋白和铜锌超氧化物歧化酶活性均无显著影响（P>0.05）。3）饲粮铜源和铜添加水平对断奶仔猪肝脏铜含量具有显著影响（P<0.05）,但对心脏、肾脏、胰脏和跖骨铜含量均无显著影响（P>0.05）。4）根据多元线性回归斜率比法计算,以血清铜...     

土质边坡稳定安全系数影响因素的

土质边坡稳定安全系数的计算值主要与采用的简化计算方法和土工参数有关。采用正交试验法计算分析了不同的计算方法、材料参数、水位及其相关荷载、地震作用等对边坡安全系数计算值的影响，进而对设计中的计算方法和材料参数提出了一些有益的建议，并提出了在工程运行管理中应尽量避免低水位或水位骤降情况的意见，为土石坝类工程的设计与运行管理提供了重要参考。     

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。