Quality and efficiency of apple orchard protection affected by sprayer type and application rate

The goal of this work was to evaluate the potential of reduced application rates in apple trees as well as the potential of selective spray applications by using sensor-based tree detection techniques in Serbian fruit production. Their economical and biological effect was evaluated based on the quality and efficiency of the crop protection and techno-economic analysis. Results showed that during suitable weather conditions and with properly adjusted sprayer settings, a reduced application rate of 381 L ha-1 gave same quality of crop protection as a medium application rate of 759 L ha-1. A two-year efficiency trial on Venturia inaequalis and Podosphaera leucitricha infecting apple also showed that there was no significant difference in crop protection results for different types of orchard application techniques and application rates. The techno-economic analysis showed that selective application should be introduced in practice in areas >3-ha given that the cost of their introduction pays off after 2-3 seasons. Every subsequent season would give a clear economic profit. Besides the economic benefits, selective application technique also has a significant positive ecological effect due to reduction of spray losses and the amount of plant protection products used

Quality and efficiency of apple orchard protection affected by sprayer type and application rate

The goal of this work was to evaluate the potential of reduced application rates in apple trees as well as the potential of selective spray applications by using sensor-based tree detection techniques in Serbian fruit production. Their economical and biological effect was evaluated based on the quality and efficiency of the crop protection and technoeconomic analysis. Results showed that during suitable weather conditions and with properly adjusted sprayer settings, a reduced application rate of 381 L ha�1 gave same quality of crop protection as a medium application rate of 759 L ha�1. A two-year efficiency trial on Venturia inaequalis and Podosphaera leucitricha infecting apple also showed that there was no significant difference in crop protection results for different types of orchard application techniques and application rates. The techno-economic analysis showed that selective application should be introduced in practice in areas > 3 ha given that the cost of their introduction pays off after 2-3 seasons. Every subsequent season would give a clear economic profit. Besides the economic benefits, selective application technique also has a significant positive ecological effect due to reduction of spray losses and the amount of plant protection products used

Autophagy suppresses Ras-driven epithelial tumourigenesis by limiting the accumulation of reactive oxygen species

Activation of Ras signalling occurs in ~30% of human cancers; however, activated Ras alone is not sufficient for tumourigenesis. In a screen for tumour suppressors that cooperate with oncogenic Ras (RasV12) in Drosophila, we identified genes involved in the autophagy pathway. Bioinformatic analysis of human tumours revealed that several core autophagy genes, including GABARAP, correlate with oncogenic KRAS mutations and poor prognosis in human pancreatic cancer, supporting a potential tumour-suppressive effect of the pathway in Ras-driven human cancers. In Drosophila, we demonstrate that blocking autophagy at any step of the pathway enhances RasV12-driven epithelial tissue overgrowth via the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and activation of the Jun kinase stress response pathway. Blocking autophagy in RasV12 clones also results in non-cell-autonomous effects with autophagy, cell proliferation and caspase activation induced in adjacent wild-type cells. Our study has implications for understanding the interplay between perturbations in Ras signalling and autophagy in tumourigenesis, which might inform the development of novel therapeutics targeting Ras-driven cancers

A genome-wide Drosophila screen for heat nociception identifies α2δ3 as a evolutionarily conserved pain gene

Worldwide, acute, and chronic pain affects 20% of the adult population and represents an enormous financial and emotional burden. Using genome-wide neuronal-specific RNAi knockdown in Drosophila, we report a global screen for an innate behavior and identify hundreds of genes implicated in heat nociception, including the α2δ family calcium channel subunit straightjacket (stj). Mice mutant for the stj ortholog CACNA2D3 (α2δ3) also exhibit impaired behavioral heat pain sensitivity. In addition, in humans, α2δ3 SNP variants associate with reduced sensitivity to acute noxious heat and chronic back pain. Functional imaging in α2δ3 mutant mice revealed impaired transmission of thermal pain-evoked signals from the thalamus to higher-order pain centers. Intriguingly, in α2δ3 mutant mice, thermal pain and tactile stimulation triggered strong cross-activation, or synesthesia, of brain regions involved in vision, olfaction, and hearing