Microclimate is a key driver of forest dynamics and shapes the response of forest organisms to global warming. The spatial and temporal variability of microclimate is strongly affected by forest management, so it is important to know how microclimate varies along successional gradients of managed forests, and how microclimatic dynamics in managed forests differ from those in old-growth forests. We

Nature-based Solutions (NBS) and the circular economy offer new opportunities for water management and water circularity in cities. In the process towards circular water NBS planning and implementation, urban practitioners such as urban planners and environmental/water engineers operate as facilitators and change agents due to their technical expertise. Moreover, from their professional standpoint

Urban sprawl negatively impacts public health, societal well-being, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability. Sprawl retrofitting projects aim to mitigate these issues by increasing density, diversifying land uses and housing options, and enhancing walkability and environmental amenities, with green space provision being vital to their success. But empirical evidence regarding the achievement

Migration is as old as humankind, and the integration of people with a migration background is a hot topic worldwide. The focus on nature-based integration has increased over the last 20 years. Previous reviews discussing nature-based integration have focused mainly on Europe and the USA; this systematic quantitative review provides a global overview of the nature activity patterns, nature experiences

Abstract not available

Conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) is a potentially important mechanism in maintaining species diversity. While previous evidence showed habitat heterogeneity and species’ dispersal modes affect the strength of CNDD at early life stages of trees (e.g., seedlings), it remains unclear how they affect the strength of CNDD at later life stages. We examined the degree of spatial aggregation

Maximising the effectiveness of natural pest control requires a detailed understanding of how service delivery is affected by natural enemy community diversity and composition. Many studies have investigated the effects of natural enemy abundance and species richness on pest control. Studies examining the effects of evenness and species identity are fewer and have produced inconsistent results. Here

To discover and develop novel acaricidal compounds, a series of 2-fluoro-4-methyl/chlorine-5-((2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)thio)aniline/phenol compounds containing N/O-benzyl moieties were synthesized based on lead compound LZ-1.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the most important winter season food legumes in Ethiopia. Despite being a major producer and consumer of chickpeas, Ethiopia experiences lower yields due to biotic and abiotic stresses, particularly insect pest infestations during storage. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different storage technologies and durations on the losses of stored chickpea seeds

Vibrational signal plays a crucial role in courtship communication in many insects. However, it remains unclear whether insect vibrational signals exhibit daily rhythmicity in response to changes in environmental cues.

Plutella xylostella (L.) is a destructive pest of cruciferous crops worldwide that has evolved resistance to many insecticides. Here we examined the mode of inheritance, cross-resistance profile, and potential mechanisms of emamectin benzoate resistance in a field-derived strain of P. xylostella from Japan.

Botrytis cinerea is the primary disease affecting cucumber production. It can be managed by applying pesticides and cultivating disease-resistant cucumber strains. However, challenges, such as drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria and changes in physiological strains, are obstacles in the effective management of B. cinerea. Nano-selenium (Nano-Se) has potential in enhancing crop resistance to biological

Sex pheromone has proven to be a viable tool for monitoring and controlling pests and has been an important part of integrated pest management (IPM). The noctuid moth Macdunnoughia crassisigna Warren poses a significant threat as a defoliator pest, impacting soybean and cruciferous vegetable production and quality in East Asia. However, the lack of comprehensive knowledge about its sexual chemical

Adopting new cultivars is an effective strategy to partially offset the negative effects of climate change on crop yields. We integrated the regional agro-meteorological observations, site-level field experiment data, and a process-based crop model to assess the effects of maize hybrid management on grain yield at meteorological sites across Northeast China. On a regional scale, for per 1 ℃ increase

Estimating forest fire danger is of primary concern for the Austrian forest fire management. The fine fuel moisture code (FFMC) of the Canadian Fire Weather Index (CFWI) is used for determining ignition danger. The FFMC is calculated by using the Integrated Nowcasting through Comprehensive Analysis (INCA) system, which provides interpolated weather parameters, available at 1 km2 spatial resolution

Hydrothermal carbonization of glucose in the absence and presence of recoverable solid polystyrene-supported microencapsulated Lewis acid catalyst has been carried out at 180 and 200 °C for 6, 12, and 24 h using either 0.25 g or 0.5 g of catalyst. The effects of temperature, residence time, and catalyst loading on the resulting hydrochars were investigated. At the lowest temperature (180 °C) and the

Coffee ground is considered one of the promising biomass resources because it is one of the most popular beverages and has higher calorific value than other kinds of biomass. In the previous study on the fast pyrolysis of coffee ground, the viscosity of the pyrolysis oil was found to be very high and it was suggested to mix some amount of alcohol to reduce its viscosity. The quality of the pyrolysis

Extensive research suggests that sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and gross primary productivity (GPP) have a near-linear relationship, providing a promising avenue for estimating the carbon uptake of ecosystems. However, the factors influencing the relationship are not yet clear. This study examines the roles of SIF's radiative, structural, and physiological information in predicting GPP

Pyrethroids are synthetic insecticides with low mammalian toxicity and broad-spectrum activity across insects. One major challenge with pyrethroids is their perceived repellency. This perception can influence decisions made by pest control operators, especially when insecticides are used to reduce insect entry into or movement within structures. One major indoor pest that has been repeatedly shown

The study on plant antibacterial components (carvacrol) has recently become a hot topic in modern farming. Carvacrol industrial applications are restricted by their physicochemical instability and partial solubility in water. In the present study, an ultrasonic emulsification method was used to prepare carvacrol nanoemulsion (CAR-NE) employing nonionic surfactants. The CAR-NE was characterized using

Characterization of crop CO2 fluxes in different growing periods and their corresponding responses to abiotic and biotic factors is essential for the adaption of cropland ecosystem carbon balance to future climate change and management practices. In this study, based on long-term (2003–2018) monitoring of CO2 fluxes, meteorological data and leaf area index (LAI) of a winter wheat-summer maize rotation

Research on autumn phenology is very important for understanding and simulating the future growth of temperate deciduous forests. This is especially needed at the southern edge of the temperate zone, where climate change impacts are particularly intense. We studied foliar senescence timing for mature stands of Fagus sylvatica L., Populus tremula L., Betula pendula Roth, Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl

According to the Attentional Restoration Theory (ART), cognitive restoration (e.g., Fascination) may occur when the physical environment exhibits high restorative quality. However, these studies usually ignore the effect of different levels of visual features on restoration quality, and small-scale questionnaires are difficult to use to comprehensively evaluate the restoration quality of a space. In

In densely populated urban areas, the amount of urban green space (UGS) is limited and increasing it can be challenging due to the high proportion of unvegetated land. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the optimal spatial configuration of UGS to achieve environmental benefits such as reducing PM2.5 concentrations and land surface temperature (LST). However, there is limited research on this topic

The oriental migratory locust is a major crop pest across Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. Metarhizium anisopliae is an effective biopesticide agent used for locust control, but its performance is temperature dependent, and thus can be more variable than chemical pesticide performance. To predict biopesticide performance for the control of the oriental migratory locust, we adapted a previous temperature-dependent

Seedling stage has long been recognized as the bottleneck of forest regeneration, and the biotic and abiotic processes that dominate at seedling stage largely affect the dynamics of forest. Seedlings might be particularly vulnerable to climate stress, so elucidating the role of interannual climate variation in fostering community dynamics is crucial to understanding the response of forest to climate

Vegetation change can provide strong feedback to climate system, but there is a severe shortage of understanding regarding how biogeophysical (BGP) processes related to vegetation changes and their impact on local temperature in arid and semi-arid regions of China (ASAC), a unique region where large-scale ecological engineering projects have been implemented. To address this knowledge gap, this study

Researchers increasingly consider the systematic integration of green infrastructure (GI) concepts in urban planning as an essential approach to tackle significant current and future challenges. Cities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face rapid urbanization, unregulated land-use practices, and poor enforcement of policies. These cities struggle to address the depletion and degradation of existing GI that

Booklice Liposcelis bostrychophila are frequently found almost everywhere, including private houses and cleanrooms of factories and institutes. They often cause serious hygienic as well as agricultural problems, but a useful trap has not been developed so far. Therefore, an effective way to monitor and capture booklice is required.

The generalized nonlinear advection aridity (GNAA) model has been widely applied for evaporation estimations and drought assessments at regional and global scales. Here, the GNAA model was combined with a semi-empirical function for the parameter αe-B to estimate actual evaporation (E) in nine Level-I water resources regions and one typical revegetation area (i.e., the Loess Plateau) in China. The

This study is the first to evaluate latitudinal characteristics of the coupled impacts of atmospheric-CO2 fertilization and soil nitrogen limitation on global plant photosynthesis for 2001–2019 by using a remote sensing-based light use efficiency model (DTECM-l-CN). It predicted that the global GPP should have increased by 0.40 Pg C a − 2 (PMK < 0.001) from 2001 to 2019. Leaf area index change contributed

Bursicon is a heterodimeric neuropeptide that is involved in many physiological activities such as cuticle tanning, wing expansion, reproduction, and immunity in insects. In this study, the role of bursicon in the wing expansion was investigated in Bactrocera dorsalis, an important invasive insect pest in agriculture.

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris), a key crop for sugar production, faces significant yield losses caused by the black bean aphid Aphis fabae (Scop.) and the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) which also transmit viruses. The restriction on neonicotinoid use in Europe has intensified this problem, emphasizing the urgent need for breeding resistant crop varieties. This study evaluated

Crop diseases caused by plant pathogenic fungi and bacteria have led to substantial losses in global food production. Chemical pesticides have been widely employed as a primary means to mitigate these issues. Nevertheless, the persistent and excessive use of pesticides has resulted in the emergence of microbial resistance. Moreover, the improper application and excessive utilization of pesticides can

Powdery mildew in grapevine is caused by Erysiphe necator. Its control requires numerous chemical treatments. Numerous efforts are being made to improve disease management in order to achieve crop sustainability goals. Exogenous induction of plant immune responses are among the most encouraging strategies being developed. The objective of this research was to analyse differences in phenolic compound

Reproductive system plays a crucial role in insect survival, reproduction and species specificity. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying reproductive organogenesis contributes to improving the efficiency of sterile insect technique marked by an eco-friendly pest management strategy. Lepidoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, most of which are major pests in agriculture and forestry

Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), a dominant predatory natural enemy species in cotton-planting, is a key biological control agent for aphids in China. Our previous study showed that herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) from Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Fisch.) (Fabales: Fabaceae) and Alhagi sparsifolia (Desv.) (Fabales: Fabaceae) plants infested with Aphis atrata (Zhang) (Homoptera:

Trees’ ecosystem services help reducing the urban heat island intensity, but are most effective when trees are big and healthy. During the last decades, the frequency of heat waves and drought events in Central Europe has increased, exposing urban trees to even greater stress under already challenging urban growth conditions. To understand the extent to which the urban environment affects tree growth

Despite inter-specific differences in hydraulic traits at broad scale have been comprehensively studied, intra-specific hydraulic variability in situ is less well known. Which hydraulic traits can better predict whole-plant performance in field both within and across species remains largely ambiguous. In the study, we conducted a field investigation on branch radial growth, leaf and branch anatomical

Transpiration from vegetation accounts for about two thirds of land evapotranspiration (ET), and exerts important effects on of global water, energy, and carbon cycles. Resistance-based ET partitioning models using remote sensing data are one of the main methods to estimate global land transpiration, overcoming the limitation by the sparse distribution and short observation periods of site-level measurements

The atmospheric mixing layer height (MLH) is a critical variable for understanding and constraining ecosystem and climate dynamics. Past MLH estimation efforts have largely relied on data with low temporal (radiosondes) or spatial (reanalysis) resolutions. This study is unique in that it utilized continuous point-based ceilometer- and radiosonde-derived measurements of MLH at surface flux tower sites

Besides providing several important ecosystem services, vegetated roofs can provide also ecosystem disservices, such as leaching nutrients that cause eutrophication in adjacent water bodies. Such downsides and limited knowledge on hydrologic performance of vegetated roofs in a cold climate may prevent their wider implementation. Another issue concerns sustainability of materials used in vegetated roofs

Urban forests are recognized for their multiple benefits to society, and increasingly so with climate change. However, they too are threatened by increased heat, pollution, and higher risks of pest outbreaks. Increasing the diversity of tree species in urban forests is crucial for enhancing their resilience by reducing the risk of mass tree losses. Yet, we lack the most important ingredient to act:

Drought is one of the major environmental stressors that affect plant growth and performance. To cope with such stresses most plants utilize belowground association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The AMF provide plants with nutrients and water in exchange for carbon fixed by their hosts. Very little is known about how this mutualism affect plant growth and physiology under extreme drought

Although a great deal of research has examined the impact of socialized pest control service, few studies have discussed the relationship between socialized pest control service and pesticide use intensity. In particular, the literature ignores the impact of advanced application technologies (drone sprayers) on the intensity of pesticide use by farmers.

Nocturnal water loss (NWL), the evapotranspiration minus dew at night, has been identified to play a significant role in the surface water and energy balance. However, few studies have examined the variability in NWL in croplands with high water consumption across different timescales. Here, based on the eddy-covariance measurements of latent heat flux during nighttime, the dynamics and biophysical

Two micrometeorological methods utilizing high-frequency sampled air temperature were tested against eddy covariance (EC) sensible heat flux (H) measurements at three sites representing agricultural, agro-forestry, and forestry systems. The two methods cover conventional and newly proposed forms of the flux-variance (FV) and surface renewal (SR) schemes of differing complexities. The sites represent

Peatland rewetting, a management effort to restore water levels in previously drained peatlands, is important for re-establishing the role of these peatlands as carbon (C) sinks. Since rewetted peatlands have a highly variable response to interannual variations in climatic conditions and functional changes, long term studies of C fluxes in these ecosystems are needed. Here, we evaluated the impact

Process-based simulation models, such as land surface (LSM) and crop models, are useful tools for studying the impacts of the environment, management and genotype on agricultural production. LSM are capable of simulating crop development and growth, but not in as much detail as the processes embedded in crop models. Crop models, on the other hand, do not usually have the ability to solve the surface

The high-level view of global food systems identifies three all-encompassing barriers to the adoption of food systems solutions: knowledge, policy, and finance. These barriers, and the siloed characteristics of each of these, have hindered the development and adoption of microbial herbicides. How knowledge, policy, and finance are related to the Toothpick Project's path of commercializing a new bioherbicide

Insect pests negatively affect crop quality and yield, the excessive use of chemical pesticides has serious impacts on the environment and food safety. Therefore, development of effective management strategies in the form of bio-agents have important agricultural applications. Tenebrio molitor, a storage pest, causes losses of grains, medicinal materials, and various agricultural and related products

Although most biological control programs use multiple biological agents to manage pest species, to date only a few programs have combined the use of agents from different guilds. Using sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), the entomopathogenic fungus Akanthomyces muscarius ARSEF 5128, the tobacco peach aphid Myzus persicae var. nicotianae and the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi as the experimental model

Until recently, only a few plant viruses had been studied for use as biological control agents for weeds, but none was developed into a registered bioherbicide. This position changed in 2015 when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted an unrestricted Section 3 registration for tobacco mild green mosaic virus (TMGMV) strain U2 as an herbicide active ingredient (a.i.) for a commercial

Slugs mechanically damage plant leaves and resulting in significant economic losses. However, there are limited cost-efficient strategies available in slug management. By studying how slugs utilize plant volatiles to locate host plants, we can gain insights into the design of attractants and repellents.

As maize is one of the world's most important crops, its stable production and supply is crucial for food security and socio-economic development. The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), is one of the major pests in maize. We evaluated the control effect of a bio-bait, an adult attractant, combined with insecticide, a ‘toxicant-infused bait’, on H. armigera populations in maize fields,