Assessing the potential of biopesticides to control the cabbage stem flea beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

BACKGROUND Cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) is an economically important pest of oilseed rape crops in Europe that was effectively controlled by neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments until they were banned by the European Union in 2013. Since then, CSFB has been a difficult pest to control effectively, in part due to many populations having developed resistance to pyrethroids, the only authorized insecticides used to control this pest in many countries. Alternative solutions are therefore necessary, such as biopesticides. We tested an entomopathogenic fungus, three entomopathogenic bacteria isolates, two fatty acids and azadirachtin against CSFB adults under laboratory conditions. We also tested the efficacy of the pyrethroid insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin. RESULTS Fatty acids were effective, with up to 100% CSFB mortality after 24 h. The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana resulted in up to 56% mortality 14 days after treatment. Entomopathogenic bacteria formulations and azadirachtin were not effective (<50% and <40% mortality, respectively). Results from a bioassay using lambda-cyhalothrin indicated that the CSFB used in this study were resistant to this insecticide. CONCLUSION Entomopathogenic fungi and fatty acids could potentially be used to control CSFB as part of an integrated pest management programme. This study is the first to investigate the efficacy of different biopesticides to control CSFB under laboratory conditions. As such, these biopesticides require further testing to optimise the formulation and application methods, and to assess the impact on nontarget organisms. Finally, efficacy under field conditions must be determined to understand the influence of environmental variables

Potential of Entomopathogenic Nematodes to Control the Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) is an important pest of oilseed rape that was controlled by neonicotinoid seed treatments until they were banned for this use in 2013. Since then, CSFB has been a difficult pest to control, partly due to widespread resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. Alternate solutions are necessary. Here, four entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) species were tested against CSFB adults under laboratory conditions. In addition, a bioassay was completed to test for EPN compatibility with a range of adjuvants (glycerin, xanthan gum and flame retardant) to protect EPNs from UV radiation and desiccation. Results show that EPNs have the potential to control CSFB adults under laboratory conditions. Heterorhabditis bacteriophora caused 75% CSFB mortality at a concentration of 4000 nematodes/mL after six days, Steinernema feltiae caused 80% CSFB mortality when applied at a concentration of 40,000 nematodes/mL after two days, Steinernema carpocapsae caused 85% mortality at a concentration of 10,000 nematodes/mL after six days, and Steinernema kraussei caused no more than 70% CSFB mortality overall compared to the water control, which led to 23% mortality. Steinernema feltiae and H. bacteriophora survival was 100% when exposed to adjuvants, except S. feltiae with glycerin and H. bacteriophora with flame retardant. Further research to evaluate the efficacy of EPN and adjuvants under field conditions is necessary

Variational Approximations in a Path-Integral Description of Potential Scattering

Using a recent path integral representation for the T-matrix in nonrelativistic potential scattering we investigate new variational approximations in this framework. By means of the Feynman-Jensen variational principle and the most general ansatz quadratic in the velocity variables -- over which one has to integrate functionally -- we obtain variational equations which contain classical elements (trajectories) as well as quantum-mechanical ones (wave spreading).We analyse these equations and solve them numerically by iteration, a procedure best suited at high energy. The first correction to the variational result arising from a cumulant expansion is also evaluated. Comparison is made with exact partial-wave results for scattering from a Gaussian potential and better agreement is found at large scattering angles where the standard eikonal-type approximations fail.Comment: 35 pages, 3 figures, 6 tables, Latex with amsmath, amssymb; v2: 28 pages, EPJ style, misprints corrected, note added about correct treatment of complex Gaussian integrals with the theory of "pencils", matches published versio

Water conservation under reduced tillage systems

Water is important for dryland crop production. Seldom is rainfall sufficient or adequately distributed during a growing season so that dryland crops can produce to their fullest potential. It is necessary to have stored water available in the soil to supplement inadequate growing season rainfall for economical crop production. Stored water is especially important in the Inland Pacific Northwest of north central Oregon, southeastern Washington, and northern Idaho, where 65% of annual precipitation occurs during the six-month (Sept. 1 to Feb. 28) winter period and 30% during the four-month (March 1 to June 30) growing season. Stored water is also important in the Eastern Idaho Plateau where the low annual precipitation is nearly evenly distributed over the months of the year. The water balance equation tells us that change in water content in the soil - precipitation + inflow - runoff + upward flow - drainage - evapotranspiration (ET). Any cultural practice that decreases runoff or ET can result in increased water in the soil. To store adequate quantities of water, deep soils (> 60 inches) with good infiltration and water holding capacity are required. Summer fallow has long been the traditional practice for storing water in soils for later use by crops. Fallow periods vary from 14 to 15 months where winter small grains are seeded to 21 months where spring small grains are seeded. Water storage efficiency for fallow is low, ranging from 10 to 35% in the Great Plains and the Southwest; to 30-37% in eastern Idaho and northern Utah; to 40-45% of precipitation in the Inland Pacific Northwest (Evans and Lemon, 1957). Good water conservation yields increased crop production, stability of production, and increased water use efficiency. Soil tillage and residue management play significant roles in collection and storage of precipitation in the soil. Our objectives are to discuss insights in water conservation gained under the STEEP (Solutions to Economic and Environmental Problems) program (Oldenstadt et al., 1982) during these last ten years and problems that remain. New research information will be discussed under topics of crop residues, conservation tillage systems, fallow and models

Invasive species

Globally, about 2,000 marine non-indige¬nous species (NIS) have been introduced to new locations through human-mediated movements. A few of those have econom¬ic value, but most have had negative eco¬logical, socioeconomic or human health impacts. With increased trade and climate change, biological invasions are likely to increase

Linear Contraction Behavior of Low-Carbon, Low-Alloy Steels During and After Solidification Using Real-Time Measurements

A technique for measuring the linear contraction during and after solidification of low-alloy steel was developed and used for examination of two commercial low-carbon and low-alloy steel grades. The effects of several experimental parameters on the contraction were studied. The solidification contraction behavior was described using the concept of rigidity in a solidifying alloy, evolution of the solid fraction, and the microstructure development during solidification. A correlation between the linear contraction properties in the solidification range and the hot crack susceptibility was proposed and used for the estimation of hot cracking susceptibility for two studied alloys and verified with the real casting practice. The technique allows estimation of the contraction coefficient of commercial steels in a wide range of temperatures and could be helpful for computer simulation and process optimization during continuous casting. © 2013 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International

Modeling Hot Tearing during Solidification of Steels: Assessment and Improvement of Macroscopic Criteria through the Analysis of Two Experimental Tests

International audienceHot tearing is an unacceptable defect found in products and parts obtained by solidification processes such as ingot and continuous casting. It consists of the development of cracks during solidification, in regions that are not completely solidified, more precisely, in areas of mushy zones with a high fraction of solid (typically 0.9 and beyond), when the material undergoes deformations associated with tensile stress. In this study, two hot tearing tests have been studied in order to evaluate the predictive capability of several macroscopic criteria published in the literature. The first test is a new test specifically designed for constrained shrinkage by the present authors, while the second test is an ingot bending test developed in the 1980s. For both tests, a thermal-mechanical analysis is performed, in order to provide the key variables for the different selected criteria. A comparison with experimental results allows us to make a critical assessment of those criteria regarding their ability to predict crack occurrence. The criterion initially proposed by Won et al.[7] has been found to be the best suited for the prediction of solidification cracking. Because this criterion is essentially based on the "brittle temperature range," (BTR) critical considerations regarding nonequilibrium solidification have led to suggest an extension of this criterion. This new macroscopic criterion improves the prediction capacity

Electroweak Radiative Corrections to Associated WH and ZH Production at Hadron Colliders

Higgs-boson production in association with W or Z bosons, p pbar -> WH/ZH + X, is the most promising discovery channel for a light Standard Model Higgs particle at the Fermilab Tevatron. We present the calculation of the electroweak O(alpha) corrections to these processes. The corrections decrease the theoretical prediction by up to 5-10%, depending in detail on the Higgs-boson mass and the input-parameter scheme. We update the cross-section prediction for associated WH and ZH production at the Tevatron and at the LHC, including the next-to-leading order electroweak and QCD corrections, and study the theoretical uncertainties induced by factorization and renormalization scale dependences and by the parton distribution functions.Comment: 32 pages, LaTeX, 21 figures. Uses axodraw.sty and feynarts.sty. Added reference

Deriving the mass of particles from Extended Theories of Gravity in LHC era

We derive a geometrical approach to produce the mass of particles that could be suitably tested at LHC. Starting from a 5D unification scheme, we show that all the known interactions could be suitably deduced as an induced symmetry breaking of the non-unitary GL(4)-group of diffeomorphisms. The deformations inducing such a breaking act as vector bosons that, depending on the gravitational mass states, can assume the role of interaction bosons like gluons, electroweak bosons or photon. The further gravitational degrees of freedom, emerging from the reduction mechanism in 4D, eliminate the hierarchy problem since generate a cut-off comparable with electroweak one at TeV scales. In this "economic" scheme, gravity should induce the other interactions in a non-perturbative way.Comment: 30 pages, 1 figur