Vinasse veelbelovend nieuw wapen tegen schurft

Schurftschimmel Venturia inaequalis vraagt maar liefst 70 procent van het middelengebruik in de fruitteelt. ‘Telers hebben ermee leren leven’, weet PPO-onderzoeker Bart Heijne. Hij is nauw betrokken bij een proef met vinasse, het nieuwste wapen tegen de vermaledijde Angstgegner van fruittelers. ‘De proef moet uitwijzen hoe groot de effectiviteit van vinasse werkelijk is.

Enhancement of degradation of fallen apple leaves

Leaves from organic apple trees were dipped with different organic materials and leaves were placed on the orchard floor in autumn. Leaf area and the amount of ascospores of Venturia inaequalis were measured in spring. The objective of this research was to find alternatives for urea that simulate the decomposition of apple leaves and reduces the asco-spore production. In both years urea gave an increase of the leaf degradation and a significant reduction of the number of ascospores. The antagonist Coniothyrium minitans had no significant effect on the ascospore production in both years but decreased the leaf degradation. Beet pulp showed a significant reduction of the number of spores but reduced the leaf degradation rate. Applying extra earthworms increased the degradation

REPCO contribution to the development of products for apple scab control

Natural compounds were sprayed according the RimPro scab warning system from start of bud break until the mid of June. Scab incidence was measured on the leaves and the fruit. Phytotoxicitiy and russet-ing was assessed. The natural compounds were sprayed together with sulphur and were compared with the standard biological fungicides copper hy-droxide and sulphur alone. Compound E73 + sulphur was the most effective on fruit. Armicarb and Resis-tim both sprayed with sulphur were comparable in efficacy with Funguran-OH. In our study laminarin (GL 32) did not shown any effect on the control of scab on apple

Field efficacy of new compounds to replace copper for scab control in organic apple production

Efficacy of compounds was investigated in field experiments in Denmark and the Netherlands according to EPPO guidelines. Some Yucca extracts and potassium bicarbonate had an efficacy similar to sulphur on leaves. Addition of sulphur to Yucca 1 and to potassium bicarbonate increased the level of efficacy to that of copper. This confirms results from earlier years. Although a dose increase resulted in better efficacy, this was more prominent for Yucca1 than for potassium bicarbonate

Calcium hydroxide against apple canker (Nectria galligena)

Anwendung von 3x 50 kg/ha ungenutzte Lagerkalk (Kalziumhydroxid) in Blattfallperiode verringert die Anzahl von krebsbefallenen Zweigen im darauf folgenden Juni mit maximal 40%. Nicht oder weniger effektiv zeigte sich Baumanstrich, benutzte Lagerkalk, Landbaukalk, Schachtelhalm Tee, Mikroorganismen oder Wasserglas

Alternativen für Kupfer gegen Schorf auf Jonagold

Copper is currently the strongest fungicide available to organic fruit growers. Unfortunately it is not environmentally safe and it has a bad image with the consumer. As a result, there is pressure to abandon copper altogether. In 1999 the Fruit Research Station FPO and the Louis Bolk Institute carried out a spray trial to assess the potential of various alternatives

Waarschuwingssysteem voor valse meeldauw in Nederlandse wijngaarden

Een waarschuwingssysteem voor valse meeldauw gaat biologische en gangbare wijngaardeniers helpen bij hun bedrijfsvoering. Valse meeldauw is een veel voorkomende plantenziekte die druivenplanten kan aantasten. Het nieuwe systeem is bedoeld om in een wijngaard aan te geven wanneer bespuitingen tegen deze schimmel werkelijk nodig zijn

Prevention and control of apple scab

Improved prevention and control of apple scab caused by Venturia inaequalis is aimed at without the use of copper containing products in the Repco-project. Substantial progress is made in selection of potential products against summer epidemics. A patent application is made for E73. New effective biocontrol agents are selected to reduce inoculum during winter. The product potassium bicarbonate has shown good efficacy and Repco contributes to the registration of this product in Europe. Earthworms tended to be stimulated to consume apple leaves treated with amino acids or beetpulp, especially when applied fresh under controlled environmental condi-tons

Carbon nanomaterials for electrode modification in CH4-producing bioelectrochemical systems

Introduction: Unprecedented environmental phenomena have led to emerging and challenging plans to tackle global threats for the humanity namely intensive use of fossil resources and global warming. CO2 emission to the atmosphere is one of the major driver of global climate change. In this context, the development of alternative technologies for carbon capture and utilization has attracting more and more attention. Electrochemically assisted CO2 conversion in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) for CH4 production is a new and emerging technology. This innovative approach allows the storage of electrical renewable energy in the form of CH4 that can, when needed, be reconverted, but also the simultaneous CO2 capture contributing to mitigate the climate change and the global warming. However, this technology has limitations mainly related to the electrons transference between the electrode and the biocatalysts. Previous results, obtained within the research group, demonstrated that it is possible to increase the efficiency of the process by improving the electrode surface area which, in turn, improved the microbial attachment. Methodology: This work aimed to investigate the effect of the presence of carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes (CNTs)) at the cathode, on the CH4 production via CO2 reduction. It was hypothesized that the presence of carbon nanomaterials will improve the electrode surface area, thus increasing the electron transfer between the electrode and the biocatalysts. The production of CH4 was analyzed in two BESs, one working with a modified electrode (BES-CNT) and another one that works as a control with a non-modified electrode (BES-CTRL). The potential of CNTs to improve CH4 production was investigated under different electrochemical control modes, potentiostatic and galvanostatic. In addition, the microbial community developed at the biocathode was also investigated. Results: The results demonstrated that for both electrochemical control modes, the production of CH4 was higher in the presence of CNTs compared to the control assay. The study of the microbial community developed at the biocathode under galvanostatic control demonstrated a clear enrichment of methanogens compared to the initial inoculum, however no significant differences were observed between both BES. Conclusions: In conclusion, this work contributed with preliminary insights on the effect of carbon nanomaterials, namely CNTs, to improve the biocathode performance on BESs for CH4 production from CO2.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology(FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influences of deep learning, need for cognition and preparation time on open- and closed-book test performance

Objectives The ability to master discipline-specific knowledge is one of the competencies medical students must acquire. In this context, 'mastering' means being able to recall and apply knowledge. A way to assess this competency is to use both open- and closed-book tests. Student performance on both tests can be influenced by the way the student processes information. Deep information processing is expected to influence performance positively. The personal preferences of students in relation to how they process information in general (i.e. their level of need for cognition) may also be of importance. In this study, we examined the inter-relatedness of deep learning, need for cognition and preparation time, and scores on open- and closed-book tests. Methods This study was conducted at the University Medical Centre Groningen. Participants were Year 2 students (n = 423). They were asked to complete a questionnaire on deep information processing, a scale for need for cognition on a questionnaire on intellectualism and, additionally, to write down the time they spent on test preparation. We related these measures to the students' scores on two tests, both consisting of open- and closed-book components and used structural equation modelling to analyse the data. Results Both questionnaires were completed by 239 students (57%). The results showed that need for cognition positively influenced both open- and closed-book test scores (beta-coefficients 0.05 and 0.11, respectively). Furthermore, study outcomes measured by open-book tests predicted closed-book test results better than the other way around (beta-coefficients 0.72 and 0.11, respectively). Conclusions Students with a high need for cognition performed better on open- as well as closed-book tests. Deep learning did not influence their performance. Adding open-book tests to the regularly used closed-book tests seems to improve the recall of knowledge that has to be known by heart. Need for cognition may provide a valuable addition to existing theories on learning