Spear®-T sold as a contact foliar spray for the control of greenhouse pests such as aphids, thrips, spider mites and whiteflies, contains the recombinant spider venom peptide GS-ω/κ-HxTx-Hv1h (named as GS-ω/κ-HxTx-Hv1a by Vestaron) as the active ingredient. Here we investigate whether fusion of the peptide to snowdrop lectin, (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin; GNA) enhances the efficacy of this venom peptide

Gross primary production (GPP) is a fundamental measure of the terrestrial carbon cycle critical to our understanding of ecosystem function under the changing climate and land use. Remote sensing enables access to continuous spatial coverage, but remains challenged in heterogeneous croplands. Coarse resolution products, like MOD17A (500 m), may aggregate fragmented land cover types commonly found in

Young secondary tropical forests occupy a larger area than mature forests nowadays but our understanding of their ecohydrological functioning, particularly with respect to tree water uptake, remains poor. Deep soil water uptake may make mature forests resilient to periods of water stress, but little is known in this regard for young forests with possibly less extensive root networks. We, therefore

Impacts of drought events on terrestrial ecosystems have been studied extensively in the last decades in light of the long-term human-induced global warming trend and the recent occurrence of severe heat waves and droughts across the globe. The 2003 European summer heat wave sparked high attention towards such events in Switzerland, where ecosystems were largely affected again by summer dry periods

The distribution of trees and access to nature is rarely equitable across urban neighborhoods. This injustice is present in many cities, and its origins are predominantly rooted in enduring procedural and recognitional injustices. The purpose of this research was to systematically investigate Urban Forest Management Plans (UFMPs) prepared by municipalities across the United States (107 total) for their

Bacillus species synthesize antifungal lipopeptides making them a sustainable and eco-friendly management option to combat Fusarium wilt of chickpea.

The lack of novel fungicide and appearance of resistance are the most emergent problems in control of Phytophthora diseases. Plant immunity elicitors that inducing systemic resistance in plants are regarded as the new strategy for plant disease control. Streptomyces can produce a variety of bioactive natural products, which are the important resources for lead compounds of plant immunity elicitors

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture is critical for emission reduction. Biochar is a promising adsorbent for CO2 capture. In this work, the effect of relative humidity and biochar activation with steam or KOH treatment on CO2 capture was investigated. The results demonstrate that the biochar sample activated by KOH has a high CO2 capture capacity (50.73 mg g−1). In addition, the biochar after 1.0 h of steam

Understanding how biophysical and biochemical variables contribute to the spectral characteristics of vegetation canopies is critical for their monitoring. Quantifying these contributions, however, remains difficult due to extraneous factors such as the spectral variability of canopy background materials, including soil/crop-residue moisture, soil-type, and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV). This

Significant changes in climate and perturbation from human activities have been reported over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), likely altering the ecosystem nitrogen (N) cycling and thus N2O emission. So far, a number of studies have reported variabilities of N2O fluxes from background soil conditions, or conducted warming and N addition experiments to test these effects; however, a synthesized understanding

The endosymbiont Wolbachia is known for manipulating host reproduction. Wolbachia can also affect host fitness by mediating interactions between plant and herbivores. However, it remains unclear whether saliva proteins are involved in this process.

Rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW), Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin is a highly polyphagous invasive pests native to Central America. The occurrence of A. rugioperculatus in oriental region was reported for the first time from India, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu in 2017. It is widely distributed in India, causing severe economic damage to coconut and other horticultural crops. This pest is a recent invasion

Insect endosymbionts are widespread in nature and known to play key roles in regulating host biology. As a secondary endosymbiont, bacteria in the genus Hamiltonella help cotton aphids (Aphis gossypii) defend against parasitism by parasitoid wasps, however, the potential negative impacts of these bacteria on cotton aphid biology remain largely unclear.

With the long-term use of traditional bactericides and antiviral agents, drug resistance has become increasingly prominent, resulting in impaired crop growth and yields. Based on this, the introduction of small molecular active groups into natural products has become the direction of green pesticides.

Mosquito-borne pathogens constitute a major health problem worldwide. The extermination of the mosquito remains a significant issue in public health. Chemical Insecticides have been used to control mosquitoes for decades. However, resistance has become a limiting factor for their control. The anthranilic diamide insecticides possess excellent insecticidal activities against Lepidoptera and its resistant

Microalgae-based solid biofuels offer a promising option for efficient and low-cost utilizations of microalgae. This work investigates the key aspects of microalgae-based solid fuels, from production to combustion, based on the perspective of microalgae's complete carbon cycle, from culture to utilization. Additionally, recent advances in research on the physical properties, energy consumption during

Gas-phase ammonia (NH3), emitted primarily from agriculture, contributes significantly to reactive nitrogen (Nr) deposition. Excess deposition of Nr to the environment causes acidification, eutrophication, and loss of biodiversity. The exchange of NH3 between land and atmosphere is bidirectional and can be highly heterogenous when underlying vegetation and soil characteristics differ. Direct measurements

Since early 2020, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly, quickly becoming a global pandemic. To counter the COVID-19 outbreak, national governments have issued different measures and restrictions, forcing citizens to adapt to a whole new lifestyle. These restrictions have impacted on the use of green spaces by citizens owing to many factors: more available free time, increased flexibility

Seed-borne mycopathogen, Fusarium verticilliodes, is solemn and deleterious pathogen causing substantial losses of rice seeds and grains. Rice seeds are prone to infestation at all points of the production chain and the fungal pathogen continues the dormant devastations even during storage, adversely affecting the seed parameters. Its control is bracketed due to non-availability of recommended fungicides

Today, urban agriculture, an element of sustainable urban development, is not a new idea in an urban planning context. However, not all urban planners and policymakers consider urban agriculture in their cities. Palestinian cities are subject to conditions of political instability that negatively impact urban food security. This study proposes a new strategic model to integrate urban agriculture into

The control of ticks is challenged by the resistance of tick populations to chemical acaricides. In this study we evaluated, under laboratory conditions, the efficacy of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus engorged females with varying body weights (150, 200, 250, 300 or 350 mg/female) or from eight different geographical populations. We also determined the efficacy

Insect neuropeptides control essential physiological metabolic activities. In our previous studies, Capability/CAP2b (PK/CAPA) analog 1895 applied alone or as a combination of CAPA analogs (1895+2315) was reported to decrease aphid fitness. While this was obtained with the combination of two peptide analogs of the same neuropeptide class, the effect of combining peptide analogs of different neuropeptide

Management of rice false smut is based mainly on chemical control, which poses many challenges in safety and environment. The other option, biological control with biofungicides doesn't have such problems but is still not as reliable due to the low systemic ability, and lower and unstable efficacy. To that end, it is necessary to combine application of chemical fungicides and BCAs, and elucidate their

Pesticides are extensively applied globally. Pesticide residues induce calamitous effects on the environment and untargeted organisms. Public concerns for the safety of freshwater organisms and the challenges posed by aquatic contaminants remain high. In the present study, the acute toxicity of avermectins (AVMs) to the crayfish, Procambarus clarkii was evaluated. We also evaluated the potential effects

Agricultural insect pests display an exceptional ability to adapt quickly to natural and anthropogenic stressors. Emerging evidence suggests that frequent and varied sources of stress play an important role in driving protective physiological responses; therefore, intensively managed agroecosystems combined with climatic shifts might be an ideal crucible for stress adaptation. Cross-protection, where

While cultural ecosystem services (CES) provided by collective urban gardens have been researched for more than a decade, how knowledge of CES can inform the governance of gardens and enhance gardeners’ wellbeing remains a challenge. Retired adults are a group whose lives can be especially improved by collective gardening. We interviewed users of community and allotment gardens in Zagreb to explore

Aromatic is a vital chemical raw material and product as well as an essential component for aviation fuel. Bio-based aromatics, especially the monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, are beneficial for the green chemical process and aviation fuel development. In this research, firstly, the effects of different kinds of metal catalysts (Pt/C, Rh/C, Ru/C, Pd/C, 65 wt% Ni/SiO2–Al2O3) on the pyrolysis behavior

Due to the various social and environmental benefits provided by urban parks and open spaces, ensuring that residents have equitable access to high-quality parks is paramount for planners and allied professionals. While research has identified inequities in park access based on race, ethnicity, and income, previous studies primarily focus on objective measures of access such as proximity to parks.

Alternaria is a human/animal allergen and plant/animal pathogen. Cereal harvesting emits a large amount of Alternaria spores into the atmosphere. However, estimating the peak spore periods and source areas from large areas is often a challenge because of insufficient observation stations. The purpose of this study was to examine, using remote sensing and an atmospheric transport and dispersion model

Residence times of ecosystem carbon (τe,C), nitrogen (τe,N) and phosphorus (τe,P) are closely related to efficacies of carbon and nutrients conservation within an ecosystem. However, estimates of τe,C, τe,N and τe,P together are very limited for forest ecosystems, and little is known about the environmental controls. Here we estimated τe,C, τe,N and τe,P of 127 undisturbed forests based on observed

Afoxolaner is a novel representative of the isoxazolines, a class of ectoparasiticides which has been commercialised for the control of tick and flea infestations in dogs. In this study, the biological efficacy of afoxolaner against the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae was evaluated. Furthermore, as isoxazolines are known inhibitors of γ-aminobutyric acid-gated chloride channels (GABACls)

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a destructive agricultural pest, capable of photosynthate removal and plant virus transmission. Therefore, we aimed to test the antifeedant properties of small-molecule inhibitors of inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channels expressed in insect salivary glands and develop an approach for enabling systemic movement of lipophilic Kir

Modern cities are dominated by impervious surfaces that absorb, store and release heat in summer, create large volumes of runoff and provide limited biodiversity habitat and poor air quality can also be a health issue. Future climate change, including more frequent and extreme weather events will likely exacerbate these issues. Green infrastructure such as parks, gardens, street trees and engineered

The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, is a Southeast Asian vinegar fly that is a serious worldwide economic threat to the small fruit industry. Typical control consists of weekly pesticide applications, which can have non-target effects, increase residual pesticides and lead to the development of resistance within pest populations. One potential alternate method of control is the

Echinochloa. crus-galli var. zelayensis is a troublesome weed in rice fields and can be controlled by using quinclorac. However, over-reliance on quinclorac has resulted in resistant (R) barnyardgrass, which differs significantly in its ability to transport quinclorac compared to susceptible (S) barnyardgrass. This study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms for this different translocation

Spodoptera frugiperda is an important invasive agricultural pest, that causes huge economic losses worldwide. Gut microorganisms play a vital role in host feeding, digestion, nutrition, immunity, growth, and insecticide resistance. Illumina high-throughput sequencing was used to study the gut microbial community dynamics across the life cycle (egg, first to sixth instar larvae, pupae, and male and

Understanding the carbon fluxes and dynamics from a broad range of agricultural systems has the potential to improve our ability to increase carbon sequestration while maintaining crop yields. Short-term, single-location studies have limited applicability, but long-term data from a network of many locations can provide a broader understanding across gradients of climate and management choices. Here

Agriculture is the sector most sensitive to climate change. It is of great significance to explore the response characteristics of crop water footprint (WF) in rain-fed and irrigation agriculture to climate change for guiding agricultural production. This study coupled and downscaled the meteorological data from 31 global climate models (GCMs) under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs)

Pesticide residues are frequently found in leguminous plants; however, no modeling approaches predict residue concentrations in edible legume seeds. In this study, a geocarpic fruit model, simplified for neutral organic compounds, was proposed for high-throughput simulations (over 700 pesticides) of the residue uptake by peanut plants, which characterized three scenarios, namely (i) pesticide foliar

The hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass produces many hydrophilic substances in the aqueous phase (AP). The sustainability of the liquefaction process largely depends on the effective usage of the AP. In this work, C-Phycocyanin (C-PC), a model compound, represents the typical protein in microalgae. The interactions between liquefaction temperature and residence time of the model compound were investigated

Globally, water-saving irrigation plays a vital role in agricultural ecosystems to achieve sustainable food production under climate change. Irrigation under mulch (IUM) system has been widely used in modern agricultural ecosystems due to its high water use efficiency, but it remains unclear how each component of the water and energy processes responds to this agricultural management practice. Current

For the first time, this study presents a natural experiment describing and explaining selected stakeholders’ attitudes toward the transformation of cemeteries into urban green spaces. In 2020, a real-life community conflict unfolded in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, over plans to close the smallest of its three municipal cemeteries by 2023. This study analyzes a representative sample (N = 519)

With the growth of urbanization and the increasingly hectic pace of life, exposure to urban nature within blue-green infrastructure is greatly impacting human health and well-being. Biophilia, an evolutional concept, conveys the initial connection between humans and nature; biophilic design transfers into design attributes to indicate the relationship between humans and the environment. A significant

As an effective strategy to improve the basic properties of drugs, salt formation was less used in the field of pesticides than medicine field. It's worthy to try that improving the inherent shortcomings of cyprodinil (high Kow values; polymorphism) in this way to enhance its practicality.

The industrial use of insects, their products, interactions, or activities has been known as industrial entomology. The current study focused on evaluating the effect of mixing the organic food waste with its half percentage of microalgae on the biodiesel production and characterization. The black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) were reared on the organic waste (OW) (fruits, vegetables, and kitchen) only

The use of insecticide mixtures for resistance management has been a controversial topic for many decades. Here, we provide a reassessment of the fundamental theory of insecticide mixtures. First, we examine how mixtures differ from other strategies. We suggest that the fundamental strategy concept of a mixture is defined by the simultaneous use of insecticides and their overlapping exposure. Second

Buprofezin, an insect growth regulator, has been widely used to control brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, one of the most destructive pests of rice crops in Asia. The intensive use of this compound has resulted in very high levels of resistance to buprofezin in the field, however, the underpinning mechanisms of resistance have not been fully resolved.

Regular access to natural environment has many physical and mental health benefits for urban residents. This study was to evaluate the accessibility of urban parks and waterfronts in a Chinese canal city at the household level. Shaoxing, a typical canal town in the Yangtze River Delta region of China, was selected as the case study because of its abundant but underused natural resources. The study

Energy generation from biomass is a promising alternative to fossil fuels since biomass resources are available in most parts of the world and offer great flexibility through their capacity for use in different forms of energy carriers. However, its cost-competitiveness remains difficult to assess due to the large variability of bioenergy costs, to which the cost of biomass feedstock contributes disproportionately

Pine needles are a major cause of forest fires in the western region of the Himalayas in India. There is a need to explore avenues for utilizing this forest bio residue. Pine needles in the form of briquettes are an important source of renewable energy as it has low carbon emissions, low-cost technological interventions, easy accessibility and direct community benefits. The purpose of this paper is

Nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) dynamics have been suggested to be an important trait reflecting carbon balance under environmental changes. However, our understanding of NSC storage dynamics, their controls, and their responses to environmental factors remain unclear. In this study, we selected the evergreen conifer Picea meyeri at five altitudes (2040 m, 2260 m, 2440 m, 2600 m, and 2740 m a.s.l

Plant stomatal conductance regulates photosynthesis and transpiration. This physiological link affects ecosystem responses to microclimate and harmonizes carbon, energy, and water exchanges between the biosphere and atmosphere. The relationship between water losses via transpiration and carbon gains via photosynthesis can be quantified by plant water-use efficiency (WUE). While leaf- and ecosystem-scale