Codling moth populations less susceptible to CpGV: What about higher concentrations?

In an organic orchard with a codling moth (CM) population less susceptible to CpGV it was tested, whether an increased dosage of CpGV by factor 10 would result in any increased efficacy. The applications were set in shorter than weekly intervals with 10 ml/ha Madex (low dosage plot) and 100 ml/ha Madex (high dosage plot). The higher dosage showed also a better efficacy, especially on the “active damage” (live larvae). The orchard where the experiments were conducted was known to have a less susceptible CM population (2004) although there were no serious CM problems reported by the farmer despite the CM control was done only with CpGV. It was investigated, whether natural antagonists might have been a reason for the absence of serious problems in this orchard. No signs of a strong presence of other antagonists were found but CM the population was increasing very much in the year the experiment was conducted (2005). Thus, probably the reason for the absence of CM problems seems to be just a delayed increase of the CM population after the development of a lower susceptibility of CM against CpGV

Low-loss spraying

“Low-loss spraying“ is a new application technique which has been developed by the Association of Styrian Commercial Fruit Growers (Austria), the Marktgemeinschaft Bodenseeobst (Germany) and the South Tyrolean Extension Service for Fruit- and Winegrowing (Italy) and is being put into practice at present.These three fruit-growing regions, which use for the most part the same sprayer types, are faced with new challenges: larger areas per sprayer with higher trees, also in intensive orchards, than in the past (up to 4 m), stricter standards regarding drift reduction, power consumption and noise. The pivotal element of this new application technique is an optimized and controlled air blast. The direction and intensity of the air stream are important factors for the coverage and the losses caused by spray drift. Therefore, the professional school for fruit-growing at Gleisdorf (Austria) constructed an air-flow test bench, which served as a model for three new test stands, which were bought by the Marktgemeinschaft Bodenseeobst, the South Tyrolean Extension Service and the manufacturer of spraying equipment Lochmann.In addition to the usual legal requirements, “low-loss” sprayers have to be equipped with a fan producing an appropriate vertical distribution of the air, drift-reducing flat jet injector nozzles at the top and hollow-cone nozzles below them as well as standardized test ports for the pump and pressure gauge. It is indispensable for the grower to have access to appropriate training and counselling in order to be able to adjust his sprayer in an optimal way to the shape of his trees with regard to air flow, water and pesticide amount, pressure, forward speed and rotation speed of the PTO

Low-Loss-Spray-Application - The scientific basis

Limited time frames caused by infection threat and weather demand for efficient pesticide application techniques in modern integrated and organic fruit farming. This demand is best complied by low volume spraying, since it minimizes traveling time and number of fillings per spray treatment, but also minimizes the probability of a contamination of the operator with concentrated pesticides. To obtain good spray deposition, low volume spray application demands small droplets which offer numerous benefits, but also carry a high drift potential. This feature threatened the technique, because no method for spray drift reduction has been available in order to make use of reduced buffer zones to water courses and non-target areas. A new method based on cross flow characteristics of the sprayer fan, canopy adapted forward speed and fan speed and a mixed set of hollow cone nozzles and air induction nozzles resulted in an approx. 85% reduction of particle drift deposits, so that the method has been registered in the official German list of drift reducing devices in the 75% drift reduction class. Besides drift reduction a canopy adapted fan speed also results in an enormous reduction of fuel consumption and noise emission as further environmental benefits of small droplets. An assessment of the influence of a canopy adapted forward speed and fan speed on spray deposit, relative spray coverage and droplet deposit density revealed a significant increase of the application efficiency, rising with decreasing canopy width and compensating a reduction of water volume and dose rate from canopy related dosing models. Testing a tower sprayer in orchards for use with reduced fan speed unexpectedly showed an unusable vertical air distribution. Alarmed by this finding, a subsequent testing of various fan types on a test bench disclosed a very unsatisfying vertical air distribution of many fan types and even within a production series the air distribution differed enormously. Especially an uneven horizontal reach of the air stream over working height is a major obstacle for a successful use of canopy adapted fan speed with all its benefits. Since a uniform vertical air distribution is the basic requirement for a highly efficient and environmentally safer spray application not only in terms of the potential to reduce pesticide consumption, but also for reducing fuel consumption and noise emissions, testing and adjusting fans of orchard sprayers on a test bench is urgently needed. Because of the importance of the topic, three fruit growers associations in Austria, Italy and Germany together initiated the development of a new test bench to measure vertical air distribution of orchard sprayers

Sustainability assessment of GM crops in a Swiss agricultural context

The aim of this study was to provide an ex ante assessment of the sustainability of genetically modified (GM) crops under the agricultural conditions prevailing in Switzerland. The study addressed the gaps in our knowledge relating to (1) the agronomic risks/benefits in production systems under Swiss conditions (at field and rotation/orchard level), (2) the economic and socio-economic impacts associated with altered farming systems, and (3) the agro-ecological risks/benefits of GM crops (at field and rotation/orchard level). The study was based on an inventory of GM crops and traits which may be available in the next decade, and on realistic scenarios of novel agricultural practices associated with the use of GM crops in conventional, integrated, and organic farming systems in Switzerland. The technology impact assessment was conducted using an adapted version of the matrix for “comparative assessment of risks and benefits for novel agricultural systems” developed for the UK. Parameter settings were based on information from literature sources and expert workshops. In a tiered approach, sustainability criteria were defined, an inventory of potentially available, suitable GM crops was drawn up, and scenarios of baseline and novel farming systems with GM crops were developed and subsequently submitted to economic, socio-economic, and agro-ecological assessments. The project had several system boundaries, which influenced the outcomes. It was limited to the main agricultural crops used for food and feed production and focused on traits that are relevant at the field level and are likely to be commercially available within a decade from the start of the project. The study assumed that there would be no statutory restrictions on growing GM crops in all farming systems and that they would be eligible for direct payments in the same way as non-GM crops. Costs for co-existence measures were explicitly excluded and it was assumed that GM foods could be marketed in the same way as non-GM foods at equal farm gate prices. The following model GM crops were selected for this study: (1) GM maize varieties with herbicide tolerance (HT), and with resistance to the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) and the corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera); (2) HT wheat; (3) GM potato varieties with resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans), to the nematode Globodera spp., and to the Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata); (4) HT sugar beet with resistance to “rhizomania” (beet necrotic yellow vein virus; BNYVV); (5) apples with traditionally bred or GM resistance to scab (Venturia inaequalis), and GM apples with stacked resistance to scab and fire blight (Erwinia amylovora). Scenarios for arable rotations and apple orchards were developed on the basis of the model crops selected. The impact assessments were conducted for the entire model rotations/orchards in order to explore cumulative effects as well as effects that depend on the farming systems (organic, integrated, and conventional). In arable cropping systems, herbicide tolerance had the most significant impact on agronomic practices in integrated and conventional farming systems. HT crops enable altered soil and weed management strategies. While no-till soil management benefited soil conservation, the highly efficient weed control reduced biodiversity. These effects accumulated over time due to the high proportion of HT crops in the integrated and conventional model rotations. In organic production systems, the effects were less pronounced, mainly due to non-use of herbicides. Traits affecting resistance to pests and diseases had a minor impact on the overall performance of the systems, mainly due to the availability of alternative crop protection tools or traditionally bred varieties. The use of GM crops had only a minor effect on the overall profitability of the arable crop rotations. In apple production systems, scab and fire blight resistance had a positive impact on natural resources as well as on local ecology due to the reduced need for spray passages and pesticide use. In integrated apple production, disease resistance increased profitability slightly, whereas in the organic scenario, both scab and fire blight resistance increased the profitability of the systems substantially. In conclusion, the ecological and socio-economic impacts identified in this study were highly context sensitive and were associated mainly with altered production systems rather than with the GM crops per se

Twenty of the most thermophilous vascular plant species in Svalbard and their conservation state

An aim for conservation in Norway is preserving the Svalbard archipelago as one of the least disturbed areas in the Arctic. Information on local distribution, population sizes and ecology is summarized for 20 thermophilous vascular plant species. The need for conservation of northern, marginal populations in Svalbard is reviewed, using World Conservation Union categories and criteria at a regional scale. Thirteen species reach their northernmost distribution in Svalbard, the remaining seven in the western Arctic. Nine species have 1-8 populations in Svalbard and are assigned to Red List categories endangered or critically endangered: Campanula rotundifolia, Euphrasia frigida, Juncus castaneus, Kobresia simpliciuscula, Rubus chamaemorus, Alchemilla glomerulans, Ranunculus wilanderi, Salix lanata and Vaccinium uliginosum, the last four species needing immediate protective measures. Five species are classified as vulnerable: Betula nana, Carex marina ssp. pseudolagopina, Luzula wahlenbergii, Ranunculus arcticus and Ranunculus pallasii. Six species are considered at lower risk: Calamagrostis stricta, Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum, Hippuris vulgaris (only occurring on Bjørnøya), Juncus triglumis, Ranunculus lapponicus and Rhodiola rosea. The warmer Inner Arctic Fjord Zone of Spitsbergen supports most of the 20 target species and is of particular importance for conservation. Endangered or vulnerable species were found in a variety of edaphic conditions; thus, several kinds of habitats need protection