Prognosegesteuerte Bekämpfungsstrategien im Ökologischen Kartoffelanbau- mögliche Kupfereinsparungspotentiale und Vergleich der Bekämpfungserfolge

Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojektes ÖKOSIMPHYT liegen mittlerweile dreijährige Versuchsergebnisse zur Bekämpfung der Kraut- und Knollenfäule (Phytophthora infestans) im Ökologischen Kartoffelanbau vor, in denen die Anwendung des neuen Prognosesystems ÖKOSIMPHYT im Freiland getestet wurde. Ziel des Projektes ist, durch eine zielgerichtete Applikation den Kupfereinsatz sowohl aus Bekämpfung- als auch aus ökologischer Sicht zu optimieren

Möglichkeiten zur Optimierung der Kupferwirkung gegen Krautfäule im Ökologischen Kartoffelanbau

Die Regulierung der Kraut- und Knollenfäule, verursacht durch Phytophthora infestans, stellt im ökologischen Landbau nach wie vor ein nur schwer zu lösendes Problem dar. Bislang ist eine befriedigende Befallsreduktion nur durch den Einsatz kupferhaltiger Pflanzenschutzmittel möglich, deren Einsatz durch die Anbauverbände, sofern überhaupt gestattet, auf 3kg pro Jahr begrenzt ist. Im Rahmen des Projekts „ÖKO-SIMPHYT“ wurden daher verschiedene Kupferapplikationsverfahren zur Bekämpfung der Phytophthora infestans-Sekundärinfektionen untersucht, um die zur Verfügung stehenden Kupfermengen optimal einzusetzen

Kupferminimierungsstrategien im ökologischen Kartoffelanbau – Projekt “ÖKO-SIMPHYT“: Erste Erfahrungen aus dem norddeutschen Freiland

In the research project „ÖKO-SIMPHYT“ different strategies are tested to reduce the copper application for Phytophthora infestans in organic potato cultivation. Within the first two years of our research a reduction of the total amount of copper per hectare could be accomplished when applying the new developed forecast system ÖKO-SIMPHYT. With this decision support system a reduction of copper up to 46% was possible, when the infection pressure was relatively low. These first results have now to be proven under high infection pressure conditions. Experiments were carried out in the greenhouse to test the rain stability of copper and contacting agents. It could be proved that precipitation of 30 mm is able to reduce the degree of a copper treatment by up to 25%

Prognosesystem ÖKO-SIMPHYT: Funktionsweise und dreijährige Ergebnisse aus bundesweiten Demo-Versuchen

Die von der ZEPP entwickelten Prognosemodelle SIMPHYT1 und SIMPHYT3 stehen für den konventionellen Anbau seit einigen Jahren unter www.isip.de für die Praxis zur Verfügung. Mit diesen Modellen wird eine wetterbasierte Bekämpfungsstrategie gegen die Krautfäule (Phytophthora infestans) empfohlen. Während im konventionellen Anbau zahlreiche Krautfäulefungizide mit verschiedenen Wirkstoffen zur Bekämpfung zur Verfügung stehen, ist im ökologischen Kartoffelanbau die effiziente Bekämpfung der Krautfäule derzeit nur mit kupferhaltigen Präparaten möglich

Phytophthora-Sekundärbefall - Kupferminimierungsstrategien im ökologischen Kartoffelanbau

Auf Grund der negativen Auswirkungen von Kupfer auf Nicht-Ziel-Organismen, wie z.B. aquatische Organismen und Regenwürmern sowie der Anreicherungsproblematik im Boden, ist eine weitere Reduzierung des Kupfereinsatzes dringend erforderlich. Deshalb werden im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts „ÖKO-SIMPHYT“ Kupferminimierungsstrategien für den ökologischen Kartoffelanbau zur Kontrolle des Sekundärbefalls von Phytophthora infestans entwickelt

Using a CO2 Surgical Laser for Piglet Castration to Reduce Pain and Inflammation, and to Improve Wound Healing

The objectives of this preliminary study were to determine the ability of a CO2 surgical laser to 1) reduce pain, 2) reduce inflammation, and 3) improve wound healing of piglets undergoing surgical castration. Two-day old male Yorkshire × Landrace piglets were used and randomly assigned to one of three treatments (n = 10 piglets/treatment group): surgical castration with the CO2 laser, surgical castration with a scalpel, or sham (uncastrated control). Piglets were video recorded in their pens for 1 h pre-procedure and from 0-2, 6-8, and at 24 h post-procedure for behavior scoring. Surgical site images were collected at baseline, 0, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168 h post-castration for wound healing assessment. Infrared thermography (IRT) images of the surgical site were also taken at baseline, 0, 0.5, 8, and 24 h post-procedure to assess inflammation. Finally, blood was collected from each piglet at baseline and 0.5 h post-castration to assess cortisol levels, prostaglandin E metabolite (PGEM), and pig-major acute phase protein (pig-MAP) concentration. Laser-castrated piglets displayed more pain behav­iors across the observation period than scalpel-castrated piglets (P = 0.049). Laser-castrated piglets also displayed significantly more agonistic behavior than both scalpel-castrated and sham piglets (P = 0.005 and P = 0.036, respectively); yet, laser-castrated piglets had significantly lower temperatures at the site of incision compared to scalpel-castrated piglets (P = 0.0211). There was no significant difference in wound healing or any of the blood parameters assessed between laser-castrated and scalpel-castrated piglets. There was evidence of thermal tissue damage on the scrotum of piglets that were castrated using the CO2 laser. This may have resulted in the unremarkable healing time and the increased pain behavior observed in this study. The surgical laser technique should be refined before conclusions can be made regarding the utility of a CO2 laser for piglet castration

CO-FREE Alternative Test Products for Copper Reduction in Agriculture

The project CO-FREE (2012-2016) aimed to develop strategies to replace/reduce copper use in organic, integrated and conventional farming. CO-FREE alternative test products (CTPs) were tested and integrated together with decision support systems, disease-tolerant varieties, and innovative breeding goals (ideotypes) into improved management strategies. CO-FREE focused on apple/apple scab (Venturia inaequalis), grape/downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola), and tomato and potato/late blight (Phytophthora infestans). Starting point of the project were ten CTPs with direct or indirect modes of action including Trichoderma atroviride SC1 and protein extract SCNB, Lysobacter spp., yeast-based derivatives, Cladosporium cladosporioides H39, the oligosaccharidic complex COS-OGA, Aneurinibacillus migulanus and Xenorhabdus bovienii, sage (Salvia officinalis) extract, liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) extract, PLEX- and seaweed plant extracts. As the project progressed, further promising CTPs were included by the partners. Field trials were performed in different European countries in 2012-2015 following EPPO standards. In the first years, stand-alone applications of CTPs were tested. In the following years these were integrated into complete strategies. Effects on main and further diseases, on yield and on non-target organisms were assessed. Here, field trial results with CTPs are summarized

Acupuncture and rehabilitation of the painful shoulder: study protocol of an ongoing multicentre randomised controlled clinical trial [ISRCTN28687220]

BACKGROUND: Although the painful shoulder is one of the most common dysfunctions of the locomotor apparatus, and is frequently treated both at primary healthcare centres and by specialists, little evidence has been reported to support or refute the effectiveness of the treatments most commonly applied. According to the bibliography reviewed, physiotherapy, which is the most common action taken to alleviate this problem, has not yet been proven to be effective, because of the small size of sample groups and the lack of methodological rigor in the papers published on the subject. No reviews have been made to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating this complaint, but in recent years controlled randomised studies have been made and these demonstrate an increasing use of acupuncture to treat pathologies of the soft tissues of the shoulder. In this study, we seek to evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy applied jointly with acupuncture, compared with physiotherapy applied with a TENS-placebo, in the treatment of painful shoulder caused by subacromial syndrome (rotator cuff tendinitis and subacromial bursitis). METHODS/DESIGN: Randomised controlled multicentre study with blind evaluation by an independent observer and blind, independent analysis. A study will be made of 465 patients referred to the rehabilitation services at participating healthcare centres, belonging to the regional public health systems of Andalusia and Murcia, these patients presenting symptoms of painful shoulder and a diagnosis of subacromial syndrome (rotator cuff tendinitis and subacromial bursitis). The patients will be randomised into two groups: 1) experimental (acupuncture + physiotherapy); 2) control (TENS-placebo + physiotherapy); the administration of rescue medication will also be allowed. The treatment period will have a duration of three weeks. The main result variable will be the change produced on Constant's Shoulder Function Assessment (SFA) Scale; as secondary variables, we will record the changes in diurnal pain intensity on a visual analogue scale (VAS), nocturnal pain intensity on the VAS, doses of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) taken during the study period, credibility scale for the treatment, degree of improvement perceived by the patient and degree of improvement perceived by the evaluator. A follow up examination will be made at 3, 6 and 12 months after the study period has ended. Two types of population will be considered for analysis: per protocol and per intention to treat. DISCUSSION: The discussion will take into account the limitations of the study, together with considerations such as the choice of a simple, safe method to treat this shoulder complaint, the choice of the control group, and the blinding of the patients, evaluators and those responsible for carrying out the final analysis

Are All Placebo Effects Equal? Placebo Pills, Sham Acupuncture, Cue Conditioning and Their Association

Placebo treatments and healing rituals have been used to treat pain throughout history. The present within-subject crossover study examines the variability in individual responses to placebo treatment with verbal suggestion and visual cue conditioning by investigating whether responses to different types of placebo treatment, as well as conditioning responses, correlate with one another. Secondarily, this study also examines whether responses to sham acupuncture correlate with responses to genuine acupuncture. Healthy subjects were recruited to participate in two sequential experiments. Experiment one is a five-session crossover study. In each session, subjects received one of four treatments: placebo pills (described as Tylenol), sham acupuncture, genuine acupuncture, or no treatment rest control condition. Before and after each treatment, paired with a verbal suggestion of positive effect, each subject's pain threshold, pain tolerance, and pain ratings to calibrated heat pain were measured. At least 14 days after completing experiment one, all subjects were invited to participate in experiment two, during which their analgesic responses to conditioned visual cues were tested. Forty-eight healthy subjects completed experiment one, and 45 completed experiment two. The results showed significantly different effects of genuine acupuncture, placebo pill and rest control on pain threshold. There was no significant association between placebo pills, sham acupuncture and cue conditioning effects, indicating that individuals may respond to unique healing rituals in different ways. This outcome suggests that placebo response may be a complex behavioral phenomenon that has properties that comprise a state, rather than a trait characteristic. This could explain the difficulty of detecting a signature for “placebo responders.” However, a significant association was found between the genuine and sham acupuncture treatments, implying that the non-specific effects of acupuncture may contribute to the analgesic effect observed in genuine acupuncture analgesia.National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (U.S.) (R01AT005280

Water Ice in Lunar Simulants: NIRVSS Drilling Observations

No abstract availabl