Thrips management in the green beans industry

Thrips species in green beans are a continuing problem for bean growers from north Queensland all the way to Tasmania, with control options interfering with any Integrated Crop Management, ICM, program that growers may wish to implement on their farm. This project leads on from HAL projects VG02030 “Integrated Pest Management in the Green Bean Industry” and VG06016 “Green Bean Ute Guide”. This project concentrated on alternative insecticides under Queensland growing conditions with limited insecticide trial work undertaken in Tasmania. The bulk of the Tasmanian work centred around clarifying the difference between thrips damage and wind scorch and whether growers could increase their yield if an appropriate insecticide was used to manage their thrips populations

Management strategy for serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza huidobrensis

The project commenced with a focus on Serpentine leafminer (SLM – Liriomyza huidobrensis), initially detected in western Sydney, New South Wales, October 2020 and soon after in the Fassifern Valley west of Brisbane, Queensland. The American serpentine leafminer (ASLM – Liriomyza trifolii) followed suit arriving in far north QLD, NT and Kununurra WA 2021. With the Vegetable leafminer (VLM – Liriomyza sativae) already in Australia since 2015 in far north QLD, Project MT16004 ‘RD&E program for control, eradication and preparedness for vegetable leafminer’. These introduced Liriomyza leafminers can significantly impact a wide range of commercial crops (vegetables, broadacre, ornamentals and non-commercial hosts); and categorised as high priority pests and considered a serious threat to these industries. This multi-industry, QLD DAF led collaboration incorporates organisations with recent, relevant R&D into leafminers as well as field scientists located in affected regions. The multidisciplinary team developed and delivered specific Liriomyza information with emphasis on the species found within the regions and facilitated a targeted communication program, which is critical if susceptible horticultural industries are to better understand and manage these pests. Key outputs have been a refinement for the eDNA assays for L. sativae, L. trifolii and L. huidobrensis (Sooda et al. 2017) and L. brassicae (Pirtle et al. 2021). This test can now determine the presence of 2 additional leafminers, L bryoniae, L chinensis. Real-time qPCR assays were compared with a small portable qPCR machine for use in the field. This was done for L. brassicae and L. huidobrensis in the field with results for flies and larvae comparable to those achieved in the laboratory. This project developed 2 LAMP (Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification) tests that are highly sensitive and specific for serpentine leafminer identification using Genie III machine. For direct visualization of the test result in field, this project evaluated a colorimetric method for identification. The grower guide “Monitoring for serpentine leafminer in Australia”, provides information for conducting effective and efficient monitoring of these pests in Australia. Four grower guides (Vegetable, Potatoes, Melons and Onions) address the differences in management considerations that will occur between different cropping systems. An Industry Management Plan (IMP) includes many aspects of managing these pests by the industry, engaging with relevant stakeholders to ensure effective business and trade continuity. Extension efforts have been broad ranging, delivering 16 workshops, 3 webinars, 2 field days, 4 grower and agronomist meetings, 2 conferences, 2 melon roadshows and visiting 46 farms. The key outcomes of this project have increased awareness and significance of these 3 leafminer pests, their host range, how they are suited to various regions, what to look out for, and the significance of beneficial insects in managing them and how to look after these beneficial insects by selectively using insecticides. This project has developed a number of documents which will are available on the Ausveg website MT20005 – Management Strategy for serpentine leafminer (Liriomyza huidobrensis) | AUSVEG as well as 2 publications on the spread of these leafminers and using LAMP as a diagnostic tool to help identify at least SLM

Thrips management in the green beans industry

Thrips species in green beans are a continuing problem for bean growers from north Queensland all the way to Tasmania, with control options interfering with any Integrated Crop Management, ICM, program that growers may wish to implement on their farm. This project leads on from HAL projects VG02030 “Integrated Pest Management in the Green Bean Industry” and VG06016 “Green Bean Ute Guide”. This project concentrated on alternative insecticides under Queensland growing conditions with limited insecticide trial work undertaken in Tasmania. The bulk of the Tasmanian work centred around clarifying the difference between thrips damage and wind scorch and whether growers could increase their yield if an appropriate insecticide was used to manage their thrips populations

Managing bean root and stem diseases

This project “The management of bean root and stem diseases” (VG03002) was to provide an update on the current diseases of green beans in Australia and to investigate management options for soil borne diseases. The collaborative project was carried out in New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland. Beans can be affected by a number of diseases. Soil borne organisms initiate establishment diseases and stem rots that can be serious in certain bean growing areas. Their damage results in large areas either not germinating or damage at a later growth stage. Many of these organisms can survive for long periods in soils, in plant material or on volunteer weeds or alternate crops. This project commenced in January 2004. The aim was to investigate disease problems currently associated with beans especially those that contribute to stem and root rots. Earlier work identified a disease affecting beans on the north coast of NSW as Aphanomyces root rot (ARR). A fungicide was found that controlled the disease but soon after the product was removed from sale. Since then, large crop losses continue to occur. Management of this fungus is a priority and had not been examined thoroughly. Avoiding land that has grown beans for up to ten years is the only control option for ARR. Its occurrence in other growing regions had not been fully investigated

Two independent LAMP assays for rapid identification of the serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard, 1926) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in Australia

Liriomyza huidobrensis is a leafminer fly and significant horticultural pest. It is a quarantine listed species in many countries and is now present as an established pest in Australia. Liriomyza huidobrensis uses a broad range of host plants and has potential for spread into various horticultural systems and regions of Australia. Rapid in-field identification of the pest is critically needed to assist efforts to manage this pest. Morphological identification of the pest is effectively limited to specialist examinations of adult males. Generally, molecular methods such as qPCR and DNA barcoding for identification of Liriomyza species require costly laboratory-based hardware. Herein, we developed two independent and rapid LAMP assays targeted to independently inherited mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Both assays are highly sensitive and specific to L. huidobrensis. Positive signals can be detected within 10 min on laboratory and portable real-time amplification fluorometers. Further, we adapted these assays for use with colorimetric master mixes, to allow fluorometer free in-field diagnostics of L. huidobrensis. Our LAMP assays can be used for stand-alone testing of query specimens and are likely to be essential tools used for rapid identification and monitoring of L. huidobrensis

The ‘caged torch procession’: Celebrities, protesters and the 2008 Olympic torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco

Along with the opening and closing ceremonies, one of the major non-sports events associated with the modern Olympic Games is the torch relay. Although initiated in 1936, the relay has been subject to relatively little academic scrutiny. The events of April 2008 however will have cast a long shadow on the practice. This essay focuses primarily on one week (6–13 April) in the press coverage of the 2008 torch relay as the flame made its way from London to Paris in Europe and then to San Francisco in the USA. It discusses the interpretations offered in the mediated coverage about the relay, the Olympic movement, the host city and the locations where the relay was taking place, and critically analyses the role of agencies, both for and against the Olympics, that framed the ensuing debate

Synthesis of atropisomeric phosphino-triazoles and their corresponding gold(i) complexes

The synthesis of atropisomeric phoshino-triazoles is disclosed. It was found that the introduction of a phosphine functionality onto the 5-position of a 1,2,3-triazole ring could be highly restrictive towards the rotation around a triazole-aryl bond. VT NMR and chiral HPLC studies demonstrated that rotation was restricted even at high temperatures. Gold(I) chloride complexes of single-enantiomer phosphines were prepared and again demonstrated to be conformationally stable

Is it e or is it c? Experimental Tests of Varying Alpha

Is the recent evidence for a time-varying fine structure 'constant' $\alpha$ to be interpreted as a varying $e$, $c$, $\hbar$, or a combination thereof? We consider the simplest varying electric charge and varying speed of light theories (VSL) and prove that for the same type of dark matter they predict opposite senses of variation in $\alpha$ over cosmological times. We also show that unlike varying $e$ theories, VSL theories do not predict violations of the weak equivalence principle (WEP). Varying $e$ theories which explain astronomical inferences of varying $\alpha$ predict WEP violations only an order of magnitude smaller than existing E\"otv\"os experiment limits but could be decisively tested by STEP. We finally exhibit a set of atomic-clock and related experiments for which {\it all} (hyperbolic) varying $\alpha$ theories predict non-null results. They provide independent tests of the recent astronomical evidence

Unusual Features of Varying Speed of Light Cosmologies

We contrast features of simple varying speed of light (VSL) cosmologies with inflationary universe models. We present new features of VSL cosmologies and show that they face problems explaining the cosmological isotropy problem. We also find that if c falls fast enough to solve the flatness and horizon problems then the quantum wavelengths of massive particle states and the radii of primordial black holes can grow to exceed the scale of the particle horizon. This may provide VSL cosmologies with a self-reproduction property. The constraint of entropy increase is also discussed. The new problems described in the this letter provide a set of bench tests for more sophisticated VSL theories to pass.Comment: expanded version, 12 page