Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are critical pests attacking many cultivated plants in almost all areas of the world. Among them, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is a global pest that causes significant losses to a wide variety of crops by affecting plants development. To control B. tabaci infestations, the release of natural enemies has become increasingly important as an ecologically safe and effective biological control method and, among predators used, the mirid bug Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur) plays a primary role. Anyway, due to its zoophytophagous habits, a wrong application rate of this predator can also make this beneficial a threat to the plants; and this is why a better understanding is needed of the role that M. pygmaeus plays on crops, evaluated in a holistic way. To this aim, and in order to deepen knowledge on the impact that whiteflies alone or combined with M. pygmaeus may have on vegetable solanaceous crops (with special emphasis to tomato and eggplant), the main morphological (total height, dry weights, leaf area) and physiological (photosynthetic performance, indirect chlorophyll content) parameters of the plants were analysed in different conditions (healthy plants, or infested by the pest, or with pest and predator together). At the experimental conditions and the insect densities adopted, results show a variable susceptibility by different plant species to B. tabaci and a significant reduction induced by M. pygmaeus in negative effects caused by the pest on morpho-physiological traits of the plants.
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Agricultural run-off and subsurface drainage tiles transport a significant amount of nitrogen and phosphorus leached after fertilization. alchemia-nova GmbH in collaboration with University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna developed two multi-layer vertical filter systems to address the agricultural run-off issue, which has been installed on the slope of an agricultural field in Mistelbach, Austria. While another multi-layer addressing subsurface drainage water is implemented in Gleisdorf, Austria. The goal is to develop a drainage filter system to retain water and nutrients. Both multi-layer filter systems contain biochar and other substrates with adsorption properties of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus). The filter system can be of practical use if an excess of nutrients being washed out is of concern in the fields of the practitioner by keeping the surrounding waters clean. This approach may result in economic value by re-using the saturated biochar as fertilizer and improving the soil structure, thus increasing long-term soil fertility. Link: https://wateragri.eu/a-bio-inspired-multilayer-drainage-system/
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 858735This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 858735. FACTSHEET NANOCELLULOSE MEMBRANES FOR NUTRIENT RECOVERY Key information Functionalized nanocellulose membranes can take up nitrate and phosphate. These membranes can be put in a water treatment unit. As the membranes are biobased, degradable materials, they can after use be added to the soil, thus returning the leached nutrients back for their original purpose providing fertilizers (nutrient recycling).
Because variables such as temperature and humidity have a profound effect on the activity of crop pests, diseases and natural enemies, the ability to monitor environmental conditions within a crop has always been important for crop protection.