Protection of stored plant products from rodent pests using chlorophacinone

Apart from some preventive measures, advisably taken during construction of storage facilities or at the time of product storage, treatments with chemical rodenticides have been the most widely practiced method of controlling commensal rodents. Their control in storages is normally carried out after animal presence has been observed, and treatments from early autumn onwards, throughout the season, provide the best effect. The paper shows the effects of baits with lower content of the active ingredient chlorophacinone than recommended for protecting stored plant products from rodents. The experiments were set up using the relevant OEPP/EPPO method. Different contents (0.005% and 0.0075%) of the active ingredient chlorophacinone were used in a ready for use (RB) paste bait formulation. Baits were laid in boxes along rodent routes, underneath pallets with sacks and in places where major damage was observed. Baits for house mice were placed at a rate of 10-20 g per 1-3 m, while 30-50 g of baits for brown rats were laid at specific points. Daily bait intake was monitored over a period of 10 d and the portions were replaced with new ones as needed. Placebo baits were laid in identical boxes for 4 d before the experiment began. The abundance of house mice was estimated based on the highest and lowest daily intake of bait divided by the species’ daily food requirement. The data in this experiment show that 0.005% and 0.0075% chorophacinone contents in RB baits changed neither palatability nor bait efficacy in controlling house mouse and brown rat indoors. The average efficacy of chorophacinone was 87-93% against house mouse and 90-100% against brown rat. Keywords: Chlorophacinone, Rodent, Storage, Efficac

The possibility of use of some essential oils in rodenticidal baits

Jokić, G., Vukša, M., Đedović, S., Stojnić, B., Kataranovski, D

Molecular Technologies in Serbian Lowland Forestry under Climate Changes - Possibilities and Perspectives

Background and Purpose: Vojvodina province, the northern part of the Republic of Serbia, is predominantly lowland agricultural region with over 75% of arable land which in previous years, has been highly impacted by drought. The annual precipitation is lower than 700 mm and it is the limit for the growth and development of natural forest vegetation. Unfortunately, the atmospheric precipitation is still a major source of water for plant biodiversity. Taking these facts into account, it is highly recommended to primarily use the xerothermic tree species, which have a well-developed root system for “classical” afforestation. Some species from Salicaceae and Fagaceae like poplars, willows, oaks and beeches are surely the best option for afforestation in temperate zones strongly influenced by drought. Conclusions: In order to develop stress-based genomic information in Populus and the rest of woody plant species from Vojvodina, an integrated genetic research needs to be done. The aim of this particular paper is to analyse and summarize data regarding stress-based biotechnology perspectives in Vojvodina and to give recommendations for future forest tree breeding. Drought as a strong negative ecological factor must be carefully considered. In order to achieve sustainability, new forest management plans must consider wide approaches, from molecular to ecosystem level

Prilog poznavanju suzbijanja sivog pacova (Rattus norvegicus) na farmi mlečnih krava

Rattus norvegicus is a synanthropic species living almost exclusively around facilities for keeping domestic animals. This three-year research focused on options for reducing economic damage caused by this rodent species in stables for heavy milking cows by testing preparations with active substances of various origin. It involved an environmentally friendly product based on sodium selenite 0.1%, a cholecalciferol-based natural product 0.75%, as well as anticoagulant rodenticides containing the active substances bromadiolone 0.005% and brodifacoum 0.005%. These preparations were formulated as granules, plate bait or grain bait. The environmentally friendly sodium selenite product achieved 76.2% efficacy in the first year of research, 70% in the second, and 67.5% in the third. The synthetic products based on bromadiolone and brodifacoum demonstrated high efficacy in all of the three experimental years and in all three formulations. The cholecalciferol rodenticide had 71.4% efficacy in the first year, 68% in the second, and 67.7% in the third. The data show that the environmentally safe product had a lower efficacy due to high rodent abundance and inadequate epidemiological conditions existing on the farm of heavy milking cows, while the bromadiolone and brodifacoum-based products achieved high efficacy.Rattus norvegicus gotovo uvek živi u objektima namenjenim za gajenje domaćih životinja i kao sinanotropna vrsta prisutan je u čovekovoj najbližoj okolini. Predmet naših trogodišnjih istraživanja je alternativa smanjenja ekonomskih šteta koju pričinjava ovaj glodar u stajama farmi visoko-mlečnih krava, primenom preparata na bazi aktivnih materija različitog porekla. U eksperimentima je korišćen ekološko prihvatljivi preparat na bazi natrijum-selenita (0,1%), preparat prirodnog porekla na bazi holekalciferola (0,75%) i antikoagulantni rodenticidi na bazi bromadiolona (0,005%) i brodifakuma (0,005%). Primenjeni preparati su formulisani u obliku granula, obloženog i zrnastog mamka. Ekološko prihvatljivi preparat na bazi natrijum-selenita je ispoljio efikasnost od 76,2% u prvoj godini istraživanja, u drugoj 70% i u trećoj godini 67,5%. Sintetisani preparati na bazi bromadiolona i brodifakuma pokazali su visoku efikasnost u sve tri godine ispitivanja za sve tri navedene formulacije. Rodenticid na bazi holekalciferola je ispoljio efikasnost od 71,4% u prvoj godini, u drugoj 68% i u trećoj 67,7 %. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju da je zbog velike brojnosti glodara i neadekvatnih epidemioloških uslova na farmi visoko-mlečnih krava ispoljena slabija efikasnost ekološko prihvatljivog preparata dok su preparati na bazi bromadiolona i brodifakuma ispoljili visoku efikasnost

Future of the Main Important Forest Tree Species in Serbia from the Climate Change Perspective

Background and Purpose: Climate change is possibly the biggest 21st century challenge for the European forestry. Serbia is also under pressure, since the regions of South Europe and Mediterranean are expected to suffer the most. Main purpose of this study was to predict how distribution of several tree species in Serbia may change in the future. Materials and Methods: Our study integrates climate change scenarios for the region of Serbia together with the current distribution of forest tree species. Evaluation was performed using forest aridity index which takes into account mean temperatures and sums of precipitation of the critical months during the growing season. Distribution data of the nine most abundant tree species in Serbia (European beech, Turkey oak, Sessile oak, Hungarian oak, Pedunculate oak, Norway spruce, Silver fir, Black and Scots pine) were taken from the National Forest Inventory. Results: Significant change of bioclimatic niches is expected for the majority of the studied tree species. The most endangered will be Pedunculate oak due to the extreme change of its habitats, while drought prone species (like pines and Hungarian oak) will be less endangered. Sessile oak, Turkey oak, Silver fir, Norway spruce and European beech will be out of their 20th century bioclimatic niches before the end of 21st century according to A2 scenario. Conclusion: Our results suggest that some of the most important tree species in Serbia (Sessile oak, Turkey oak, Silver fir, Norway spruce and European beech) will be endangered by the end of 21st century. General adaption options and specific measurements for forestry sector have to be made for the region of southeast Europe due to the expected extreme change in climate

Chemical parameters of oxidative stress adaptability in beech

e antioxidant activity, lipid peroxidation, and contents of free proline and soluble proteins were investigated on six-year-old beech plants. Provenance Avala, in Serbia, had the best adaptability to environmental factors on locality Fruska Gora due to low lipid peroxidation, high FRAP value, and free proline and soluble proteins contents. Provenances Scharnstein and Mitterndorf, in Austria, had the best adaptability to environmental factors on locality Debeli Lug due to high FRAP value and free proline and soluble proteins contents. FRAP values in majority of provenances from locality Debeli Lug were higher. Correlations parameters were much higher between provenances in locality Debeli Lug, situated at higher altitude, which is the consequence of better adaption to environmental factors in�uence

Mass-flowering crops dilute pollinator abundance in agricultural landscapes across Europe

Mass-flowering crops (MFCs) are increasingly cultivated and might influence pollinator communities in MFC fields and nearby semi-natural habitats (SNHs). Across six European regions and 2 years, we assessed how landscape-scale cover of MFCs affected pollinator densities in 408 MFC fields and adjacent SNHs. In MFC fields, densities of bumblebees, solitary bees, managed honeybees and hoverflies were negatively related to the cover of MFCs in the landscape. In SNHs, densities of bumblebees declined with increasing cover of MFCs but densities of honeybees increased. The densities of all pollinators were generally unrelated to the cover of SNHs in the landscape. Although MFC fields apparently attracted pollinators from SNHs, in landscapes with large areas of MFCs they became diluted. The resulting lower densities might negatively affect yields of pollinator-dependent crops and the reproductive success of wild plants. An expansion of MFCs needs to be accompanied by pollinator-supporting practices in agricultural landscapes

Climate gradients, and patterns of biodiversity and biotic homogenization in urban residential yards

Residential yards constitute a substantive biodiverse greenspace within urban areas. This biodiversity results from a combination of native and non-native species and can contribute to biotic homogenization. Geographical climatic patterns affect the distribution of native species and may differently affect non-native species. In this study, we examined biodiversity and biotic homogenization patterns of yard-dwelling land snails across 12 towns in Oklahoma and Kansas (USA). The 3 x 4 array of towns incorporated a N-S winter temperature gradient (mean low January temperature range = -8.4 to 0.1°C) and an E-W annual rainfall gradient (annual rainfall range = 113.8 to 61.3 cm/yr). Ten yards per town were surveyed. We hypothesized that mild winter temperatures and greater annual rainfall would be associated with greater snail abundance and richness, and that the presence of non-native species would contribute to biotic homogenization. Non-native snails were present and often abundant in all towns. Snail communities varied with both rainfall and cold temperature. Contrary to our prediction, snail abundance was inversely related to annual rainfall–likely because drier conditions resulted in greater yard watering that both augmented rainfall and maintained moist conditions. Sørensen similarity between towns for the entire land snail community and for only non-native species both showed distance-decay patterns, with snail composition becoming less similar with increasing distance—patterns resulting from species turnover. The biotic homogenization index also showed a distance-related pattern, such that closer towns were more likely to have biotic homogenization whereas more distant towns tended to have biotic differentiation. These results support the concept that biotic homogenization is more likely regionally and that climatic changes over distance result in species turnover and can reduce spatially broad biotic homogenization.Funding was provided by the University of Oklahoma: SRI funds, Oklahoma Biological Survey small grants program, and University Libraries (all to EAB). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Open Access fees paid for in whole or in part by the University of Oklahoma LibrariesYe