The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) allows rope casting and the tying of legs for nonhuman animals laughter without stunning. Thehandling and welfare of bovine livestock (Bosindicus and Bubalus bubalis) were studied in 8 local abattoirs in 5 districts of Bangladesh. A totalof 302 animals were evaluated. At the local abattoirs, approximately 1/3 of the cattle and water buffalo were eithere maciated orinjured/sick. The size and vigor of the animals determined the casting method. Small and weak animals were cast on concrete floors by lifting a foreleg followed by pushing, or simply by twisting the head of the animal and then binding the legs with rope. Vigorous animals such as buffalo were castusing ropes and human force. Bleeding was slow and flaying was sometimes initiated before the animals were unconscious. Pulling and tearing of the trachea and pouring of water into the exposed trache a shortly after cutting were also observed in some cases.The over all animal handling was unnecessarily rough and he OIE standards were not implemented. Animals are subjected to considerable mistreatment, and there is an urgent need for the training nde ducation of the staff in a battoirs concerning humanes laughtering practices as well as a need to build moderns laughtering plants in Bangladesh.
The precarious potato disease known as late blight (LB), which is brought on by Phytophthora infestans, quickly decimates crops and economically detriment growers. The pathogen prefers relatively cold temperatures and that usually prevails in northern Bangladesh. To decrease the number of fungicide sprays with the changing climate, it is necessary to identify potato varieties that are most resistant to late blight. This study aims to assess the growth and production performance of late blight-tolerant potato varieties in the northern part of Bangladesh. The field study was conducted in the crop-growing years of 2017-18 and 2018-19. In this study, three exotic potato varieties [(BARI Alu-90 (Alouette), BARI Alu-91 (Carolus), and BARI Alu-77 (Sarpomira)] and two check varieties [BARI Alu-8 (Cardinal) and BARI Alu-25 (Asterix)] were used. Compared with the two cultivated varieties BARI Alu-8 (Cardinal) and BARI Alu-25 (Asterix), the BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) with the highest level of late blight resistance based on AUDPC scoring (late blight estimated mean value of 5.9). The result showed that the majority of the evaluated variety BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) and BARI Alu-91 (Carolus) were highly resistant and BARI Alu-77 (Sarpomira) is moderately resistant. In contrast, the check varieties were susceptible to late blight. The yield and shelf life (or storage) quality of BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) was also good compared with the other varieties. Considering the yield, yield contributing characters, shelf-life data and disease resistance level BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) can be grown in northern Bangladesh without chemical protection.
Stereoisomers of 4-methyl-3-heptanol (MH) are pheromone components of several Scolytus bark beetles. The elm bark beetle Scolytus laevis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) has in previous studies been caught in traps baited with commercial MH containing all four stereoisomers, but the lure has been considered a weak attractant. In this study, we addressed the question whether stereospecific responses by S. laevis to stereoisomers of MH might contribute to its niche separation from other sympatric Scolytus species. Using GC–MS, we analyzed extracts of hindguts and abdomens from male and female S. laevis and the sympatric S. triarmatus. We also tested all four MH-stereoisomers individually and in combinations in the field to determine their role for S. laevis. All four stereoisomers were synthesized via a boronic ester method with 1,2-dicyclohexylethanediol as chiral director. In addition, the (3S,4R)-stereoisomer of MH was prepared through enantioselective, lipase-mediated transesterification of a mixture of the four stereoisomers of MH. Females of both species contained small amounts of syn-MH, and males contained trace amounts of anti-MH. The anti stereoisomer (3R,4S)-MH was attractive to male and female S. laevis, whereas the syn stereoisomer (3S,4S)-MH acted as an inhibitor or deterrent and reduced the catch when added to the attractive isomer. The syn isomer is the main aggregation pheromone component of the larger and sympatric S. scolytus and possibly also of S. triarmatus. The avoidance response of S. laevis to the (3S,4S)-stereoisomer may reduce interspecific competition for host trees.
The three rhizomatous perennials Elytrigia repens, Equisetum arvense and Tussilago farfara are all problematic in Scandinavian agriculture, due to their low susceptibility to soil cultivation. While repeated soil tillage is a fundamental part of the integrated control of these species, it is highly energy consuming and inefficient during periods when little sprout regrowth occurs. Substituting cultivation with mowing will reduce the environmental impact and labour costs, but its efficiency will still depend on the capacity of plants to sprout. Therefore, we studied the seasonal pattern in emergence and rhizome biomass allocation from July to April in six populations for each of the species. Plants were grown outdoors in pots buried in soil and exhumed at regular intervals in a two-year experiment. In all three species, biomass allocation to rhizomes continued until late in the autumn. Emergence was severely impaired in E.arvense and T.farfara in September-October, while in E.repens, there was no such reduction in the number of emerged shoots. However, in the latter species, the shoot/rhizome ratio decreased and remained low until the plants had been exposed to a period of low temperatures. The increase in shoot/rhizome ratio for E.repens coincided with the resumed capacity to emerge for E.arvense and T.farfara. These results imply that there is no need to repeat a defoliation of E.arvense and T.farfara, if carried out in September-October. However, removal of the aerial plant parts early in the autumn is important to interrupt the upload of storage compounds to the rhizome systems of all species.
With a Categorizing tool for conservation of settlement remains we can, through better instructions, reduce the damages made to settlement remains in conjunction with forestmeasures.The purpose of this study was to create a categorizing tool for the conservation status of settlement remains. The categorization tool will be used to select specific remains for increased management. Interviews were conducted with the County administrative board in Östergötland, Board of Forestry (Skogsstyrelsen) and Holmen skog. Pre-field studies both with Skogsstyrelsen and Holmen skog were also conducted. A field study was conducted where totally 20 different areas of settlement remains were visited and used to create the tool. All settlement remains were located in Östergötland. The data collected showed that the largest amount of monuments were located close to a road and were relatively easy to access. The categorizing tool was made in collaboration with Holmen skog and was tested together with a representative from the company with the outcome as an approved categorizing tool for the demands of the company.
Potato cyst nematodes (PCNs) are a major pest of solanaceous crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants and have been widely studied over the last 30 years, with the majority of earlier studies focusing on the identification of natural hatching factors. As a novel approach, we focused instead on chemicals involved in nematode orientation towards its host plant. A new dual choice sand bioassay was designed to study nematode responses to potato root exudates (PRE). This bioassay, conducted together with a traditional hatching bioassay, showed that biologically active compounds that induce both hatching and attraction of PCNs can be collected by water extraction of incised potato roots. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that PCN also were attracted by potato root volatiles. Further work is needed to fully understand how PCNs use host plant chemical cues to orientate towards hosts. Nevertheless, the simple attraction assay used in this study provides an important tool for the identification of host-emitted attractants.
Den här uppsatsens syfte är att med hjälp av mantalslängder och skiftesprotokoll undersöka hur Skruvby, ett litet småländskt bysamhälle, förändrades i samband med laga skiftet som genomfördes 1827-1828. Undersökningsperioden är på 20 år, mellan 1825 och 1845, för att kunna se förändringarna på lite längre sikt. För att genomföra denna undersökning har jag tagit hjälp av följande huvudfrågeställning: Vad betydde laga skiftet för de ekonomiska,demografiska och sociala förändringarna i Skruvby mellan 1825-1845?
Som sammanfattande svar på huvudfrågeställningen kan man säga att laga skiftesreformen i Skruvby medförde eller bidrog till tre tydliga effekter. Den första var en folkökning bland den obesuttna delen av befolkningen. Den andra effekten var en proletariseringsprocess, eftersom en ökning av den obesuttna delen av befolkningen måste ha inneburit att fler var tvungna att förlita sig på inkomster från andra håll än jordägande, exempelvis dagsverken. Slutligen skedde en uppsplittring av den mantalssatta jorden, förmodligen på grund av att reglerna för handel med och uppstyckning av jord mildrades i samband med skiftet. Det blev helt enkelt lättare att göra lite mer som man ville med sitt jordinnehav.
الأطلس الزراعي يقدم هذا الأطلس عرضا لمعظم النباتات الموجودة في سورية والمدخلة إليها بصور ملونة واضحة مع شرح مورفولوجي لها ليكون معينا علمياً للتعرف عليها في الطبيعة. نباتات حراجية، نباتات طبية وعطرية، نباتات تزيينيه ونباتات خضار وفاكهة وأعشاب متنوعة.
نباتات الزينة والحراج تركيبها فوائدها الطبية إكثارها يتناول هذا الكتاب دراسة تفصيلية لأكثر من مائتي نوع نباتي حراجي وتزييني من حيث التوصيف المورفولوجي (الشكلي) إضافة لتركيبها الكيميائي للمواد الفعالة الطبية فيها مع شرح مسهب لفوائدها الطبية وطرق اكثارها.
تقليم الفاكهة متساقطة الأوراق: يقدم هذا الكتاب شرحا مفصلاً حول كيفية تقليم الفاكهة متساقطة الأوراق مع رسم تخطيطي لذلك، وذلك لزيادة إنتاجية أشجار التفاح حيث تم شرح أفضل الطرق وأحدثها في هذا المجال.
The liquid wastes come from milling the olive fruits, which are called the Olive Mill Wastewater, are disposed directly without any treatment. This causes a pollution of soil, groundwater, lakes, rivers and seas; it makes negative consequences on the elements of the ecological systems besides. Therefore, the treatment of these wastes and the ability to reusing them are urgent and necessary. The areas planted with olive trees yearly increase in Syria, this means that the annual average of olive oil production increases too. This causes the increasing of the main wastes average that comes from milling the olive fruits (The Olive Mill Wastewater). This investigation has established the Possibility of Rremediation of Environmental Hazards in Olive Oil mill wastewater by using the aeration, which can degrade the total polyphenol compounds in Olive Oil mill wastewater, which have bad effects on aqua environment to 77,76 % during 15 days.
Den traditionella båsladugården har idag utvecklats till lösdriftstallar där korna har fri tillgång till foder och liggplatser. Korna mjölkas i antingen mjölkgrop, karusell eller av en robot. För att uppnå bra termisk komfort i lösdriftsstallen så använder man sig av naturlig eller mekanisk ventilation. I detta arbete så undersöks några olika ventilationssystem som använder sig av naturlig ventilation på fem utvalda kostall för att se hur de fungerar i praktiken. Detta görs med fukt- och temperaturmätare och med rökpatroner för att se hur luften rör sig i stallet. Resultatet analyseras för att se om det är något ventilationssystem som sticker ut jämför med de andra. Beskrivning kring hur man skulle kunna gå tillväga vid en vidare utveckling av detta arbete diskuteras.
Influence of temperature and photoperiod on sprouting capacity of Cirsium arvense and Sonchus arvensis root buds. Weed Research.52, 449-457. Summary Timing of treatment is a key to successful and sustainable weed management. For perennial weeds, highly energy-demanding, repeated stubble cultivation or tillage is a common strategy in organic agriculture. The fragmentation of underground material stimulates root buds to grow and, if repeated, significantly reduces the energy and nutrient resources of the roots. However, the effect might differ depending on variation in sprouting over the season and among species. Here, we studied the impact of different photoperiods and temperatures on sprouting capacity of root buds of Cirsium arvense and Sonchus arvensis in a climate chamber experiment. Two populations of each species, collected in northern and southern Sweden, were used. Plants were exposed to long (18 h), short (12 h) or decreasing (from 18 to 8 h) photoperiods in combinations with high (18/12 degrees C for 16/8 h), low (12/6 degrees C), decreasing (from 21 to 5 degrees C in 4 weeks) or constant high (16 degrees C) temperatures. Sprouting capacity was evaluated based on the proportion of sprouting buds from short root fragments. Neither temperature nor photoperiod affected root bud sprouting in C. arvense, while in S. arvensis, photoperiod seemed to regulate sprouting capacity. The proportion of sprouted buds decreased in short photoperiods, especially if combined with high temperature. In northern conditions, this suggests that weeding strategies based on fragmentation of the root system of S. arvensis will have low efficiency if the autumns are warm.
Wheat cultivation under a dual-purpose (DP) system holds great potential to provide additional fodder for livestock with marginal grain reduction. This study explores the potential of wheat as a DP crop for improving both, forage and grain cropping system by finding out optimal sowing dates and cultivars suitable for DP cropping. Field experiments with four cultivars (Saleem-2000, Bathoor-2007, Fakhre Sarhad-99 (FS-99) and Siran-2008), three sowing dates (October 15, October 30 and November 15) and two cutting treatments (cut and no-cut) determines the effects on yield and physiology of wheat. Wheat sown either in mid or end of October resulted in 11 and 8% increase in grain yield while 13 and 9% in biological yield over mid November sowing, respectively. This increase in yield was due to higher grain spike(-1), chlorophyll content, transpiration rate and relative water content. The cultivars Siran-2008 and Saleem-2000 had higher biological and grain yields than other cultivars across cutting and sowing dates treatments. Biological and grain yields were reduced by 4% and 3%, respectively under the DP wheat compared with no-cut treatment, but grains N content was unaffected. Conclusively, DP wheat system (cut treatment) had higher profitability (11.2%) than wheat crop sown only for grain purposes.
Particleboards are used worldwide in various industry segments, like construction and furniture production. Nevertheless, increase in wood prices and logistical challenges urge the particleboard industry to find alternative raw materials. By-products and residues from the agricultural and food industries could offer possibilities for material sourcing at a local level. This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition, particle geometry, anatomical structure, and microtensile characteristics of such material, specifically barley husks (BH), oat husks (OH), and wheat bran (WB). Barley and oat husks were found to have comparable hemicelluloses and lignin contents to industrial wood chips but contained more ash. Wheat bran was rich in extractives and showed high buffering capacity. Light microscopy and microcomputed tomography revealed details of leaf structure for BH and OH as well as the multi-layer structure of WB. The ultimate microtensile strength of BH, various OH samples, and WB were respectively 2.77 GPa, 0.84-2.42 GPa, and 1.45 GPa. The results indicated that the studied materials could have potential uses as furnish materials in non-load bearing particleboards, where thermal or acoustic insulation properties are desirable.
The author discusses the conceptual framework of ageing in rural and industrial societies. The empiciral studies concern changes in the provisions for old age and in ageing processes of farmers, rural workers and industrial workers. A life course perspective is combined with the analytical terms class and gender.
In this article, I want to outline some perspectives of the political economy of the mass migration, which can be connected to agrarian capitalism as a world wide and long lasting process. One of its starting points is the changing nature of landowning from vague definitions of ownership to a distinct individual one, whereby land turned into a commodity on a growing land market. The process started in England and continued in the northwestern parts of the European continent, and then it was developed in areas, where Europeans settled as landowners.
Another starting point is the proletarianization process that is connected to the changing nature of land ownership, meaning that sons and daughters faced growing difficulties to take over the family farm but instead had to turn into laborers or try to find land somewhere else. Thus, the mass migration that leads to settling and homesteading in another land - may it be North America, South Africa, Australia or Bosnia - should be looked upon as a way of avoiding proletarianization but instead keeping the social position as a farmer. Often that mass migration included ejection of native peoples, who did not practice individual and private land owning principles.
Some of the farmers - the agrarian bourgeoisie - were one of the foundations of capitalist modes of production, and they employed farm workers permanently or for seasonal work in large numbers. These workers migrated to areas with large-scale commercial farming. Where the large migrant settlers/homesteaders demanded large numbers of workers but could not get them as for instance in the southern parts of North America and South Africa, forced labor was recruited in different ways. In those cases, the class relations were racialized, indicating that mass migration often must be connected to an analysis of ethnic relations. I will also touch upon the issue of the gendered and generational perspective of mass migration within a growing, worldwide agrarian capitalism.
Although Polish migration to Denmark and Sweden in the early 20th century was not very numerous and was limited in time (1890-1929), it is worth a study, because it had a specific and odd characteristic. Labour and seasonal migration dominated totally. Children of peasants left their homes to earn money, which they sent home, and the families could survive and reproduce themselves of part of the Polish peasant class. Most migrants were young women, who came from Galizia and Russian Poland, but also some men came from Russian Poland.
In this article, I criticize the existing view in Denmark and Sweden that Polish migrants were wage depressors and/or strike breakers. Instead, I argue, that a vast majority of them made a labour reserve. Employers in Denmark and Sweden actively recruited and contracted Polish workers for seasonal work that native workers were not willing or able to perform on offered conditions. The employers sent the Polish workers back home when there was no more demand for their labour during the winter season, and they recruited workers again when extra labour was demanded next spring. Thus, the Polish workers could spend winter time with their families, and Danish and Swedish employers did not have to pay the reproduction cost of its labour reserve, when they could not put the Polish workers to do profitable labour.
Air pollution has been an vital issue throughout the 21st century, and has also significantly impacted the agricultural community, especially farmers and yield crops. This work aims to review air-pollution research to understand its impacts on the agricultural community and yield crops, specifically in developing countries, such as India. The present work highlights various aspects of agricultural damage caused by the impacts of air pollution. Furthermore, in the undertaken study, a rigorous and detailed discussion of state-wise and city-wise yield-crop losses caused by air pollution in India and its impacts has been performed. To represent air-pollution impacts, the color-coding-based AQI (Air Quality Index) risk-classification metrics have been used to represent AQI variations in India's agrarian states and cities. Finally, recent impacts of air pollution concerning AQI variations for May 2019 to February 2020, Seasonal AQI variations, impacts of PM2.5 , and PM10 in various agrarian states and India cities are presented using various tabular and graphical representations.
This paper proposes a cloud application architecture called OLEA, for monitoring the olive oil production chain. OLEA system deployment follows adivide–and-conquer management logic, which maintains olive tree clusters. On each cluster, NFC technology is used for monitoring plant protection practices and fertilization. Apart from on-site monitoring services, the system is also equipped with virgin oil management services. It uses an OLEA system controller that interconnects with sensors on oil mills, for the procurement of quantitative and qualitative olive oil characteristics, during the industrial extraction process. OLEAsystem services and management algorithms are controlled by a cloud application server, where collected data uploads and notifications are sent to the end users using a mobile phone application. This paper presents the OLEA system technical characteristics as well as the structure of OLEA communication protocols. Furthermore, a case study of the OLEA system data mining capabilities is presented examining the application of such efforts to the improvement of systematic cultivation, branding and product exports.
Agriculture and the exploitation of natural resources are the main pivots of Cameroon’s economic development. An estimated 80 % of rural households are involved in farming and contribute about 30% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, prolonged dry spells and droughts negatively affect agricultural output and economic development. This paper examines the drivers, magnitude and impact of climate change in the semi-arid northern section of Cameroon on food security and malnutrition. A conjunction between drought, climate change, desertification, prolonged dry spells and floods often lead to significant crop losses in this region. Compounding this situation is increased population pressure-partly due to the influx of refugees as well as droughts and floods which have partly led to the mobility of herds as a response to the extension of cropping areas, pasture shortage and farmer- grazer conflicts resulting from crop damage. This is happening against the backdrop of land tenure insecurity for women which, has been fuelled by competition and power struggle between customary and modern tenure systems affecting land management and access to resources. Drawing theoretical insights from the concept of “politics of the belly[1]” in political ecology and from resource use conflict theories, this chapter examines the negative impacts of climate change and calls attention to a shift away from formal institutions to individual behaviour so as to integrate and take note of the “politics of the belly” in political ecology. The omnipresent phenomenon of climate change has the potential to alter agricultural productivity, fuel illnesses and diseases in one of the least developed regions in Cameroon. Although climate, soil and vegetation are subject to variation, they are the fundamental elements of ecology and thus are interconnected. Climate can have a bearing on health and mortality in two ways. On the one hand, it conditions temperature which disproportionately affects children at tender ages as well as adults- more senior citizens die of heat stroke- and on the other, it favours the spread of infectious agents or their vectors-especially pathogenic micro-organisms. It is determinant to the type, quantity as well as the quality of food and water resources available during certain periods of the year.The paper suggests among others that the negative impacts of temperature and precipitation change could be counteracted by changing sowing dates, through the professionalisation of the livestock production system alongside the promotion of forage crops and by increasing investment in infrastructure- particularly transportation, energy and irrigation. The success of these measures will require a coordinated intersectorial and transborder approach to rural development.
[1] Profit motive underpinning political leaning and participation as well as voting preference.
Abstract
The performance of elder care, both public efforts and family-based, in two socio-economically very different settings are examined. The author argues that there were connections between an area’s socio-economic structure and the way elder care was organized. Until 1920 elder care was governed by traditional patriarchal values found in both areas. Elderly people with some resources could more easily obtain public support than those who had nothing. Also a gender dimension was visible as men but not women were allowed reproductive support. Women had to work because of their class position, not because of their sex. The growing welfare state blurred the distinction between the private and the public sphere as old age security shifted from a family duty to a civil right. This shift, linked to democratization, occurred more slowly in the region of landless tenants and farm workers, which also were the more patriarchal dominated area.
The Western diet is characterized by high meat consumption, which negatively affects the environment and human health. Transitioning toward eating more plant-based products in Western societies has been identified as a key instrument to tackle these problems. However, one potential concern is that radically reducing meat in the current diet might lead to deficiencies in nutritional intake. In this paper, we explore a scenario in which meat consumption in Sweden is reduced by 50% and replaced by domestically grown grain legumes. We quantify and discuss the implications for nutritional intake on population level, consequences for agricultural production systems and environmental performance. The reduction in meat consumption is assumed to come primarily from a decrease in imported meat. We use data representing current Swedish conditions including the Swedish dietary survey, the Swedish food composition database, Statistics Sweden and existing life cycle assessments for different food items. At population level, average daily intake of energy and most macro- and micro-nutrients would be maintained within the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations after the proposed transition (e.g., for protein, fat, zinc, vitamin B12 and total iron). The transition would also provide a considerable increase in dietary fiber and some increase in folate intake, which are currently below the recommended levels. The transition scenario would increase total area of grain legume cultivation from 2.2% (current level) to 3.2% of Swedish arable land and is considered technically feasible. The climate impact of the average Swedish diet would be reduced by 20% and the land use requirement by 23%. There would be a net surplus of approximately 21,500 ha that could be used for bioenergy production, crop production for export, nature conservation, etc. Implementation of this scenario faces challenges, such as lack of suitable varieties for varying conditions, lack of processing facilities to supply functional legume-based ingredients to food industries and low consumer awareness about the benefits of eating grain legumes. In sum, joint efforts from multiple actors are needed to stimulate a decrease in meat consumption and to increase cultivation and use of domestically grown grain legumes.
Replacing some meat with grain legumes would benefit human health, the environment and agriculture. This study analysed legume and meat consumption practices by investigating consumer perceptions and competences relating to lightly processed grain legumes (LPL), legume-based meat substitutes (LBMS) and meat in Sweden, and how these (and demographic variables) influenced stated intention to change consumption. Major differences in consumer perceptions of LPL and LBMS compared with meat related to product attractiveness and status, with meat seen as more fun, popular, suitable in diets and for festive occasions, and tastier. Most consumers knew of the environmental impact of meat and health benefits of LPL. Country of origin, i.e. Swedish origin, was important for many consumers (especially for meat and women). Preferences relating to health and environmental impact were important for intention to decrease meat consumption. Perceived environmental impact was important for intention to change consumption of LPL, but taste, healthiness, weight control, ease of preparation and suitability in the diet were equally or more important. Leveraging stated consumer willingness and intention to eat more LPL by making LPL more accessible to consumers could increase their consumption. For LBMS, there are still important barriers in terms of taste, familiarity and overall attractiveness of these products that need to be overcome to increase their consumption in Sweden.
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.
Mealybugs are phloem-feeding insects found on many crops worldwide. In New Zealand vineyards, they transmit the economically important Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3). For some mealybug species, synthetic sex pheromones have been commercialised, and are used as monitoring tools. The mealybugs Pseudococcus longispinus and Pseudococcus calceolariae are major pests in many New Zealand vineyards. We present work on the development of a combined P. longispinus and P. calceolariae pheromone lure. The optimal dose for monitoring P. longispinus was found to be 10 mu g of the (S)-(+)-enantiomer, either alone or in the racemic mixture. Addition of the corresponding alcohol did not improve trap catch of P. longispinus. Both the P. longispinus and the P. calceolariae pheromone lures remained active in the field for 90 days. Combining the 2 species' pheromones had no negative effects on male mealybug trap catch for either species. We conclude that the pheromone ester alone is the best lure for the male P. longispinus. Combining the two mealybug species' pheromones into a single lure provides the New Zealand viticultural industry with an efficient monitoring tool. Late-vintage deployment of baited lures will provide information on mealybug abundance and local distribution that will inform the scope of future insecticide programmes, to target areas based on need rather than an area-wide application by default.
The nearly unlimited applications and uses of starch for food industry make this natural polymer a unique component; no other constituent can provide consistence and storage stability to such a large variety of foods. Starch can be extracted from agricultural produce through either chemical processes or physical separation. The latter involves the application of centrifugal forces by means of hydrocyclones. A hydrocylcone is a device which separates, through physical methods, two phases of different densities. There are three flows involved: the feed (mixture introduced in the hydrocyclone), the overflow (the least dense part) and the underflow (the densest part). Normally, the underflow part, or commonly known as "heavies", is the desirable part that companies keep, this is, the starch. Despite hydrocyclones are not very expensive devices, current-based hydrocyclones demand high energy rates. This work describes the design and testing of energy-saving hydrocyclones for extracting starch from wheat. Eight prototypes were built and tested at Larsson Mekaniska Verkstad AB (Bromölla, Sweden). This company makes process equipment for the starch industry and was the one with which the author collaborated during the ellaboration of the Degree Project. Six of the eight hydrocyclones were built by Larsson; another was a commercial hydrocyclone and the last one was the one figured out after reading some literature and updates in the hydrocyclones field. The experiments consist of trying the eight hydrocyclones under different conditions, combining concentrations (153 g/L and 237 g/L) and pressures (500 Pa and 700 Pa). The experimental results proved the importance of geometry on hydrocyclone design, and showed the effect of geometrical parameters on the energy-saving properties of cyclones. Four of the eight new models behaved satisfactorily for low energy and high efficiency conditions, obtained with inlet pressures of 500 kPa and starch concentrations of 237 g/L.
Specific gas and liquid permeability, as well as noise reduction coefficients, in insulating boards made of sugar-cane bagasse were studied here. Urea-formaldehyde (UF) and melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) were used to produce homogeneous as well as three-layered insulating boards with three densities of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 g/cm3. The obtained results indicated that MUF slightly decreased gas and liquid permeability, but it did not significantly affect the noise reduction coefficients. Gas and liquid permeability were considerably affected by the density of the boards, due to the compression between the bagasse particles and less spaces and voids to let the fluids to pass through. However, noise reduction coefficients were significantly affected both by the density, as well as the board-type. More compression between the particles and the consequent less space between the bagasse particles entangled the waves; further more, the sudden change between the layers in the three-layered boards formed a barrier towards transmission of waves.
Sapropel or gyttja are the terms that relate to specific water body sediments containing a high level of organic matter formed from the remains of water biota mixed with mineral components. One of the most promising utilisation ways of sapropel is agriculture and forestry where this natural material can be used as soil amendment to enrich soil fertility, neutralise acidity, improve water capacity and reduce phytoavailablity of excess of metallic elements. The aim of this study was to perform plant germination and early seedling tests using various sapropel samples and to reveal response of plant development depending on the type of sapropel to be used as soil amendment. Pure natural sapropel and sapropel/sand substrate of such types as peaty, organic-sandy, cyanobacteria, green algae and carbonatic sapropel, derived from four lakes of eastern Latvia, were tested. Seeds of cucumber Cucumis sativus and tomato Solanum lycopersicum as dicotyledons and perennial rye-grass Lolium perenne as monocotyledon were chosen for the experiment. Seed germination and early seedling tests were performed in PHYTOTESTKIT plates. Seeds were germinated in thermostat at a temperature of 26 °C for 7 days but early seedling development was achieved after 23-30 days (depending on plant species) under daylight conditions at a temperature of 20 °C. Developed radicles and hypocotyls were measured, shoots and roots were weighed. The obtained results showed a distinctive effect of applied sapropel type on the development of plants depending on species and substrate - substrate containing pure natural sapropel is effective for cucumber and perennial rye-grass, but not for tomato.