Can cover crops reduce arthropod pests in vineyards?

To control arthropod pests, cover crops can either directly repel harmful species or indirectly favour beneficials. In the CORE Organic Cofund project BIOVINE plant species are tested for their capacity to reduce the impact of arthropod pests

Kanabis in kanabinoidi v medicini – zakonodajni vidik

The discovery of the endocannabinoid system has raised public interest in the medicinal use of cannabis, phytocannabinoids, and synthetic cannabinoids, which has always been closely regulated due to their psychotropic effects and potential abuse. The review takes a quick look at the current legal framework in the European Union, which regulates cannabis use and cultivation for medicinal purposes in line with the United Nations Conventions on the production, trade, and use of cannabis, phytocannabinoids, and synthetic cannabinoids. And while the EU legislation precisely defines requirements and marketing authorisation procedures for medicinal products for all EU member states, there is no common regulatory framework for magistral and officinal preparations containing cannabinoids, as they are exempt from marketing authorisation. Instead, their regulation is left to each member state, and it is quite uneven at this point, mainly due to cultural and historical differences between the countries, leading to different access to non-authorised medicinal products. Therefore, to meet great public interest, harmonised approaches on cannabinoid-containing products without marketing authorisation would be welcome to level the playing field in the EU.Odkritje endokanabinoidnega sistema je vzbudilo zanimanje javnosti za medicinsko uporabo konoplje, fitokanabinoidov in sintetičnih kanabinoidov, ki je bila zaradi psihotropnih učinkov in morebitne zlorabe že od nekdaj natančno regulirana. V prispevku je predstavljen pravni okvir Evropske unije, ki ureja uporabo in gojenje konoplje v medicinske namene, v skladu s konvencijami Združenih narodov o proizvodnji, trgovini in uporabi konoplje, fitokanabinoidov in sintetičnih kanabinoidov. Medtem ko zakonodaja Evropske unije natančno določa zahteve in postopke izdaje dovoljenja za promet za avtorizirana zdravila, ni skupnega regulatornega okvira za magistralne in oficinalne pripravke, ki so izvzeti iz avtorizacijskih postopkov. Njihova ureditev je prepuščena vsaki državi članici in se zaradi tega razlikuje, predvsem zaradi kulturnih in zgodovinskih razlik med državami, to pa vodi do različne dostopnosti do tovrstnih zdravil. Zaradi tega bi bili dobrodošli nekateri usklajeni pristopi držav članic EU, s katerimi bi zmanjšali razlike na trgu neavtoriziranih zdravil s kanabinoidi

Geometry versus Topology: Testing Self-Consistency of the NiceGraph Program

Algorithm for drawing graphs determine a collection of points in space. On the other hand, each collection of points in space may define an abstract graph via the so-called overlapping sphere model. The process may be iterated. The problem of which graphs are stable in the above mentioned process is considered

Establishment of environment for automatic software testing

The aim of this thesis was the establishment of an environment for automatic software testing. The process was split into several steps in where the following environment components had to be chosen: a tool for managing the programs and other applications, a concurrent version system, an application server to run web services, an approach for translation or assembly of the Java code and automatic tests which ensure correct operation. With every step a few potential software solutions had to be checked and compared using a set of criteria based on their strengths and weaknesses. Jenkins was selected for the management of programs and applications for its simplicity. For the concurrent version system GIT was the selected solution due to its advanced functions. Among application servers Wildfly was above the rest because of its abilities and accessibility. For the translation and assembly of the Java code the best solution was Gradle. Selenium, selected for its reliability, was used for automatic testing, and SOAP UI for its accurate results. This environment was described using a practical case for basic and advanced use as well. The environment was tested in practice where it performed admirably. However it could be still improved using a commercial and more reliable application server along with better automatic testing software

Establishment of environment for automatic software testing

The aim of this thesis was the establishment of an environment for automatic software testing. The process was split into several steps in where the following environment components had to be chosen: a tool for managing the programs and other applications, a concurrent version system, an application server to run web services, an approach for translation or assembly of the Java code and automatic tests which ensure correct operation. With every step a few potential software solutions had to be checked and compared using a set of criteria based on their strengths and weaknesses. Jenkins was selected for the management of programs and applications for its simplicity. For the concurrent version system GIT was the selected solution due to its advanced functions. Among application servers Wildfly was above the rest because of its abilities and accessibility. For the translation and assembly of the Java code the best solution was Gradle. Selenium, selected for its reliability, was used for automatic testing, and SOAP UI for its accurate results. This environment was described using a practical case for basic and advanced use as well. The environment was tested in practice where it performed admirably. However it could be still improved using a commercial and more reliable application server along with better automatic testing software

Establishment of environment for automatic software testing

The aim of this thesis was the establishment of an environment for automatic software testing. The process was split into several steps in where the following environment components had to be chosen: a tool for managing the programs and other applications, a concurrent version system, an application server to run web services, an approach for translation or assembly of the Java code and automatic tests which ensure correct operation. With every step a few potential software solutions had to be checked and compared using a set of criteria based on their strengths and weaknesses. Jenkins was selected for the management of programs and applications for its simplicity. For the concurrent version system GIT was the selected solution due to its advanced functions. Among application servers Wildfly was above the rest because of its abilities and accessibility. For the translation and assembly of the Java code the best solution was Gradle. Selenium, selected for its reliability, was used for automatic testing, and SOAP UI for its accurate results. This environment was described using a practical case for basic and advanced use as well. The environment was tested in practice where it performed admirably. However it could be still improved using a commercial and more reliable application server along with better automatic testing software

Evaluation of Insect Associated and Plant Growth Promoting Fungi in the Control of Cabbage Root Flies

Delia radicum L. or cabbage maggot is an important pest for Brassicaceous crops. There are currently no registered chemical control agents for its control in Slovenia. Fungal control agents for cabbage maggot were therefore sought among nine rhizosphere-compatible and plant growth-promoting, soil-adapted, and entomopathogenic species to cabbage maggots and were assayed in in vitro and soil laboratory bioassays. In the in vitro tests, the conidial suspensions were applied directly to cabbage maggot eggs. The soil tests mimicked pathways of natural exposure of various insect life stages to the fungal strains. Conidial concentrations used in soil tests were comparable to economic rates for in-furrow application. The following fungi were tested: Trichoderma atroviride P. Karst. (2 isolates), Trichoderma koningiopsis Samuels, C. Suárez & H.C. Evans (1), Trichoderma gamsii Samuels & Druzhin. (3), Beauveria brongniartii (Saccardo) Petch (1), Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin (2), Metarhizium robertsii J.F. Bisch., Rehner & Humber (1), Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin (4), Purpureocillium lilacinum (Thom) Luangsa-ard, Houbraken, Hywel-Jones & Samson (2), and Clonostachys solani f. nigrovirens (J.F.H. Beyma) Schroers (2). Abbott's corrected mortality in the in vitro tests ranged from 0.0 ± 18.9 to 47.6 ± 9.0% and in the soil test from 2.4 ± 13.0 to 68.2 ± 21.5%. Seven isolates (B. bassiana [isolate 1174], C. solani [1828], M. anisopliae [1154 and 1868], T. atroviride [1872], T. koningiopsis [1874], and T. gamsii [1876]) caused significant cabbage maggot mortality in either in vitro or soil tests. The importance of fungal ecology as a criterion during the screening of potential biological control agents is discusse

Influence of Wireworm Diet on its Susceptibility to and Control With the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium brunneum (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) in Laboratory and Field Settings

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) represent promising control agents against wireworms but success in field experiments is inconsistent. The physiological condition of the targeted insect is crucial for its ability to withstand fungal infection. In particular, nutritional status is among the most important determinants of the insects’ immune defense. In this study, we investigated the effects of diet on the development of the wireworm Agriotes obscurus (L.) (Coleoptera: Elateridae) and its subsequent susceptibility to the fungal pathogen Metarhizium brunneum (Petch) (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) in a pot experiment. After being reared on one of five plant diets for eight weeks, wireworms were exposed to an environment inoculated with the EPF and monitored for their susceptibility to fungal infection. We then performed a field experiment in which three plant diets (clover, radish, and a cover crop mix), selected according to the insects’ performance in the laboratory experiment, were grown as a cover crop with EPF application. Plant diet influenced growth and development of larvae, but there were no strong differences in susceptibility toward fungal infection in the laboratory experiment. Damage levels in EPF-treated plots in the field varied depending on the cover crop. Damage was highest in plots planted with a mix of cover crop species, whereas damage was lowest in plots with clover or radish alone. This agrees with the laboratory results where insect performance was inferior when fed on clover or radish. Cover crop effects on wireworm damage in the subsequent cash crop may thus vary depending on the cover crop species selected

Biomass burning emissions estimated with a global fire assimilation system based on observed fire radiative power

The Global Fire Assimilation System (GFASv1.0) calculates biomass burning emissions by assimilating Fire Radiative Power (FRP) observations from the MODIS instruments onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. It corrects for gaps in the observations, which are mostly due to cloud cover, and filters spurious FRP observations of volcanoes, gas flares and other industrial activity. The combustion rate is subsequently calculated with land cover-specific conversion factors. Emission factors for 40 gas-phase and aerosol trace species have been compiled from a literature survey. The corresponding daily emissions have been calculated on a global 0.5° × 0.5° grid from 2003 to the present. General consistency with the Global Fire Emission Database version 3.1 (GFED3.1) within its accuracy is achieved while maintaining the advantages of an FRP-based approach: GFASv1.0 makes use of the quantitative information on the combustion rate that is contained in the FRP observations, and it detects fires in real time at high spatial and temporal resolution. GFASv1.0 indicates omission errors in GFED3.1 due to undetected small fires. It also exhibits slightly longer fire seasons in South America and North Africa and a slightly shorter fire season in Southeast Asia. GFASv1.0 has already been used for atmospheric reactive gas simulations in an independent study, which found good agreement with atmospheric observations. We have performed simulations of the atmospheric aerosol distribution with and without the assimilation of MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD). They indicate that the emissions of particulate matter need to be boosted by a factor of 2–4 to reproduce the global distribution of organic matter and black carbon. This discrepancy is also evident in the comparison of previously published top-down and bottom-up estimates. For the time being, a global enhancement of the particulate matter emissions by 3.4 is recommended. Validation with independent AOD and PM10 observations recorded during the Russian fires in summer 2010 show that the global Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Change (MACC) aerosol model with GFASv1.0 aerosol emissions captures the smoke plume evolution well when organic matter and black carbon are enhanced by the recommended factor. In conjunction with the assimilation of MODIS AOD, the use of GFASv1.0 with enhanced emission factors quantitatively improves the forecast of the aerosol load near the surface sufficiently to allow air quality warnings with a lead time of up to four days