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.     

Nutrient‐Release Rates of Controlled‐Release Fertilizers in Forest Soil

Abstract

Nutrient‐release rates of controlled‐release fertilizer (CRF) with four different labeled release periods were evaluated. Samples (30 g) sealed with nylon mesh were buried at a clearcut forest site (Price soil series) in western Oregon, USA, in February 2000 and excavated every 7 weeks for 14 months to determine residual weight and composition. Cool, dry soil conditions apparently prolonged nutrient release beyond labeled rates; the fertilizer with the shortest release period (3–4 months) released approximately 72% of the fertilizer (by weight), whereas that with the longest release period (8–9 months) released 48%. Release varied among individual nutrients [nitrate (NO₃)>ammonia (NH₃)>potassium (K)>sulfur (S)>magnesium (Mg)>phosphorus (P)]. Minimal changes in micronutrient [iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and molybdenum (Mo)] contents were attributed to the formation of insoluble compounds with P. Variable release among individual nutrients demonstrates a limitation toward delivering a full range of nutrients and suggests that further refinement of CRF technology is needed to optimize nutrient availability under realistic field conditions.     

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。     

果园苗木捆扎机热合板的优化改进

热合板联动机构作为苗木捆扎机关键部件,在苗木捆扎过程中发挥着重要作用。为此,在对热合板联动机构工作过程进行理论分析研究的基础上,对热合板卡带问题的原因作了具体的阐述,并针对苗木自身的特征参数,在不影响其运动功能的基础上,对热合板的结构参数及附属拨块进行了优化改进,很好地解决了热合板运动不连贯,影响整机工作效率的问题。     

Identification and distribution of fungal pathogens associated with seedling blight of rice in the southern United States

Surveys were conducted in the five southern rice-producing states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas in the United States during the 2018 and 2019 cropping seasons to determine the distribution and pathogenicity of fungal pathogens associated with seedling blight in rice. A total of 349 pathogenic fungal isolates were collected and identified as belonging to four genera: Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium spp., Sclerotium rolfsii and Marasmius graminum based on morphological characteristics, molecular analysis and Koch's postulates. R. solani (252 out of 349 pathogenic isolates) was the most prevalent fungus isolated from diseased samples. Of the 252 pathogenic R. solani isolates, 245 were further classified as anastomosis group 11 (AG-11) and 7 as AG-4. Isolates of R. solani AG-4 and M. graminum were the most aggressive, with the highest stand loss (63% to 100%) and median disease rating (DR; 5.0), followed by isolates of R. solani AG-11 (stand loss = 4% to 100% and DR = 0.6 to 5.0), Fusarium spp. (stand loss = 26% to 48% and DR = 2.0 to 5.0) and S. rolfsii (stand loss = 33% to 48% and DR = 2.0 to 3.0) in causing seedling blight in rice. R. solani (62% to 83% of total pathogenic isolates) and Fusarium spp. (10% to 24% of total pathogenic isolates) were predominant in all the five states surveyed. S. rolfsii and M. graminum were present only in Louisiana and Texas. The results of this first systematic survey of rice seedling diseases in the southern United States will help develop effective fungicide seed treatment strategies for control of stand loss caused by seedling blight, one of the major factors limiting rice production.     

不同基因型大麦苗期对干旱胁迫的响应及HvPIPs基因表达特征分析

为研究不同基因型大麦苗期对干旱胁迫的响应,挖掘优质抗旱的大麦种质资源,以4份不同基因型大麦(2个高抗品种ZDM5430和ZDM5458,2个干旱敏感型品种7DCADA和IL-12)为材料,利用聚乙二醇(PEG-6000)模拟干旱条件,综合分析不同品种大麦的苗期抗旱性差异;并通过对不同品种根系进行PIPs实时定量分析,研究水通道蛋白AQPs基因与干旱胁迫之间的应答关系。结果表明,持续干旱胁迫会使大麦生长变缓,各处理苗长、根长、叶含水量和根含水量都呈下降趋势,其中,4个品种的大麦叶含水量在干旱胁迫14 d时下降最为显著,与对照相比,其降幅分别为29.14%、52.64%、21.67%和72.15%。干旱胁迫对大麦苗期干物质积累量和根冠比的影响较小,各处理间差异不显著;但持续干旱后,抗旱品种ZDM5430的根冠比呈上升趋势,在胁迫7、14、21 d时较CK分别增加了4.92%、42.86%和21.05%。随着胁迫时间的延长,大麦旗叶叶绿素含量和根系活力也呈下降趋势,其中ZDM5430和ZDM5458较对照组降幅较小,说明抗旱品种的形态指标、叶绿素含量及根系活力受干旱胁迫的影响较小。通过PIP...     

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.